By Annette Ikponmwonba | September 21, 2026
Okonkwo’s remarks reflect a broader effort by Nigerian firm and institutional leaders to reframe the domestic conversation ahead of a significant cross-border event, betting that showcasing the country directly to thousands of worldwide visitors could meaningfully change entrenched perceptions that have, in their outlook, fallen out of stage including Nigeria’s existing reality.
· He argues Nigeria’s cross-border image is far removed from its existing reality, based on his own universal exposure and go
Preparations for the World People Relations Forum and the 37th African Society Relations Relationship Conference will carry on in the guide-up to the November event, including organisers expecting around 3,000 delegates from 126 participant countries of the Universal Alliance to attend in Abuja.
Okonkwo said he could hardly stay on the exterior Nigeria for extra than a week, insisting that the country was not as inferior as it was several times portrayed internationally.
The Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, has said he cannot contemplate relocating permanently from Nigeria, despite the growing trend of Nigerians emigrating abroad in investigate of preferable economic and career opportunities.
Drawing on his multinational exposure by manner of living, studying and doing firm abroad, he maintained that the country’s international image was countless times at variance together with its authentic reality. “We may not be the optimal country in the world, but we’re not the poorest.
Reflecting on the lengthy-standing trend of Nigerians emigrating abroad, Okonkwo acknowledged that what is now popularly described as Japa was not a modern phenomenon, but stressed that he personally had no intention of joining the trend. But the method we are being perceived and portrayed is nothing nearby to what we are,” he said.
· NIPR President Dr Ike Neliaku praised Nigeria’s resilience, during the time that Green said Africa’s worldwide reputation no longer needs current promotion
What’s Being Said
By framing the event as an likelihood to reshape universal perceptions, Okonkwo positions the forum not just as a competent gathering but as a soft power moment for the country, one that could sway how thousands of world visitors and their networks perceive Nigeria going forward.
There is furthermore a broader strategic dimension to his remarks, tied directly to Nigeria’s later hosting of the World People Relations Forum.
Justin Green ahead of the World Society Relations Forum
· Okonkwo made the remarks at an Abuja reception honouring Universal Alliance President Prof.
Bottom Line
NIPR President Dr Ike Neliaku echoed a similarly optimistic tone concerning the country’s resilience, describing Nigeria as a outstanding nation whose persons persist to demonstrate strength and joy despite substantial challenges. He said, “In spite of all we have gone through as a persons, we are still smiling, happy, and celebrating. That is the score of greatness and the resilience of Nigerians.”
Key Points
What’s Subsequent
Okonkwo’s comments touch on a uninterrupted tension in Nigerian society discourse amid the lived understand of citizens who persist committed to the country and the broader narrative shaped by the continuing emigration wave, a lot of times driven by economic hardship, insecurity and restricted opportunities. His framing suggests that worldwide perception has become disconnected from Nigeria’s genuine conditions, although this raises questions concerning how much of that perception gap is shaped by legitimate misinformation versus the particularly authentic struggles that carry on to drive sizeable numbers of Nigerians to pursue opportunities abroad in the opening place.
Obiora Okonkwo says he has no intention of relocating from Nigeria despite the growing “Japa” emigration trend
Source: Nigeria’s Image Abroad Far From Reality — Airline Chair
