2023 Elections Left Nigeria, Tinubu With A Badly Damaged Image – Obong Attah

A former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, has submitted that the outcome of the 2023 elections in Nigeria left the image of the country badly damaged.

Attah, who lamented that selling a good product is difficult enough, said selling Nigeria with a damaged reputation is even more difficult.

He added that the circumstances, conduct, and outcome of the 2023 elections also seriously damaged the character of President Bola Tinubu, who emerged from the process as well as the country’s electoral process and judiciary.

Naija News reports the former Governor made the observation when he spoke over the weekend in Lagos State as the guest speaker of the Institute of Certified Sales Professionals (ICSP) 2024 investiture ceremony.

His words: “Let me say that the circumstances and conduct of the 2023 elections caused serious damage to the character of our President, our number salesman, our electoral process and our judiciary.

“It left Nigeria therefore with a badly damaged image. It is difficult enough to sell a good product in the face of stiff competition, to sell a damaged product is a daunting task.”

“Selling Nigeria in the aftermath of the 2023 elections is not by any means an easy job. As has been shown, our actions and utterances that led up to the elections and have since continued after the elections, have left us with two major strikes.”

He added that “We have a gravely damaged product (Nigeria) and the second is that our number one salesman (president) has been badly disabled. But we must not give up.”

Attah, who spoke on: “The Imperative of Selling Nigeria to the Outside World in the Post-2023 National Elections Era” revealed that the Nigerian passport after the 2023 elections, is the least welcome globally of all major countries of the World.

The former governor said one interpretation of the rejection is that foreigners don’t want to see “our faces. If that is so, how can we reasonably expect them to want to invest here or to buy anything, except crude oil from us.”

He said that after the election, the country’s image should not be further destroyed, as was done by the 2023 presidential candidates and their supporters.

He said: “Nigerians forgot that the number one national salesman is the president of the country. He, more than any other person, has the responsibility of selling Nigeria first to Nigerians, and Nigeria to the rest of the World.”

“We must not destroy its image any further but rather take necessary and appropriate steps to correct all perceived wrongs.”