NIGERIA; Between Oprah Winfrey and Cardi B.

The image of Nigeria home and abroad is mixed. Many people view Nigeria as a country filled with corrupt individuals while some talk about Nigeria in negative light without considering that there are many beautiful, great and amazing things about Nigeria. Nigeria is known as the Giant of Africa not just about the geographical size but about the front role she had played and is still in the affairs of the African people. The perception people have about Nigeria has contributed to what her image is viewed as. It is important that there is a deliberate effort to tailor our image in line with how we want to be perceived.
Oprah Winfrey is a woman that is successful and globally celebrated, she is credited to have said "all Nigerians- regardless of their level of education- are corrupt".  Oprah, being a global brand and media mogul had spoken about Nigeria in bad light and it was widely circulated, even though what she said was wrong.

She failed to acknowledge the multitude of great and successful Nigerians who have contributed to the world in a positive manner, such as professor Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Agbani Darego, Hakeem Olajuwon, Sade Adu amongst many others.

Then there comes Cardi B who is one of the hottest female rappers in the United States of America, who came to Nigeria and fell in love with the country. She was welcomed with so much love and warmth. She loved the country's famous Jollof rice. She saw herself as being at home in a country some had labelled as being corrupt and extremely terrible. Cardi B did not stop there, she tweeted;

 'Naaaaa these memes are *f****g

but shit ain’t no joke ! Specially being from New York .Its sad this man is putting Americans live in danger.Dumbest move Trump did till date ...I’m filing for my Nigerian citizenship'. She went on to post a picture of herself and her man in Nigerian attire!

pix; @abelade

pix; BardiHubo

The onus has now been shifted to the Nigerian government and her people to sell the Nigerian brand. It is noteworthy that Abike Dabiri replied the tweet of Cardi B, welcoming her to this great country and letting her know she was free to come with her family. It is clear that personal bias has been one of the reasons some people have branded Nigeria as terrible. It is true that some Nigerians are criminals and paint the country in negative light, but it is false to brand the whole country as corrupt. Nigeria is a great country with wonderful people.