Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin Kingdom, requested for a brilliant young Nigerian to deliver the 10th year anniversary lecture of Igbinedion University. Amazingly, yours truly was selected and they flew me from the United States to Benin.
Behind that support was a bold woman leader, Prof Dora Akunyili, the peerless fighter for clean food, medicine, etc in Nigeria, through NAFDAC. I took this picture as we marched to the podium in Benin for the university anniversary lecture. There were many ministers, business leaders, professors, etc that day. And a village boy from Ovim lifted up the spirit in a historic event for the university.
Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin Kingdom, requested for a brilliant young Nigerian to deliver the 10th year anniversary lecture of Igbinedion University. Amazingly, yours truly was selected and they flew me from the United States to Benin.
Behind that support was a… pic.twitter.com/V2uZ1mcJG0
— Ndubuisi Ekekwe (@ndekekwe) December 20, 2023
Why this post? As we discuss the NAFDAC raids to clean Nigeria from fake products, some are making the arguments that our producers have inferiority complex, and the reason they produce and use foreign logos is because Nigerians would not patronize local brands. Kachi E. in the comment section delivered an absolute answer:
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“It’s the duty of the business to develop their brand – create awareness, build customer confidence and drive acceptance. You don’t hustle these things. It’s not a trading skill. It requires a certain level of thinking, intentionality and cost. Nigerian clothiers faced this and won. Nigerian musicians faced this and won. Nigerian movies faced this and won.”
Yes, no one gave the Burna Boy space in Madison, but he persevered, and today he sells all the seats. Most said Nigerian movies were low quality, but today, they’re breaking records in Netflix and Prime. The very UN Conference where Madam Dora saw me speak “eloquently and confidently” was one I attended as America’s sponsor but made sure everyone knew this na Naija guy (lol). When I finished, she came over, and praised my authenticity and invited me to visit Nigeria. She was a minister then and put enormous efforts to mentor. Nigeria is yet to recover that Madam Dora is not here, but Heaven is more gracious. Yes, Nigeria misses Dora.
So, good people, whether you are making wine in Aba, or belt in Kano, or jar in Ibadan, we must be proud of being Nigerians, and be authentic with ourselves. If we keep improving quality, very soon, we will rise. There is no REASON and None for anyone to make and justify fake food and drugs. Period. Ndu-bu-isi [life is first before everything else] is my name and that means our food and healthcare systems must be safe in Nigeria, Africa and the world.
My Message to Aba Wine Producers And The Necessity of Boldness, Decency on Innovation
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