ARTICLE; Array of counterfeit

I remembered when I was a Youth Corp Member in 2010, news filtered into town of an illegal Camp where youths who were denied National service were kept, supposedly as Corp Members too. 

Put together by some crooked set of individuals, participants albeit illegal Corp members coughed out huge sums, just to have a feel of what it was like to serve their fatherland.

Having been deprived of being called a graduate as a result of either being rusticated from school, or for some students who did part time courses hence not allowed going for youth service, finding solace in this pseudo camping was the only available option for them to ‘wear’ a khaki uniform.

Another time, an illegal military recruitment camp was uncovered. The men at the entrance according to eye witnesses’ account were said to have adorned military uniforms, and wielded guns even (a common military mien). Ironically, it was discovered to be a den of criminals where robbers and kidnappers were recruited before being absorbed into the society.

                Unlike the cruelty of the two examples stated above, in which there couldn’t have been a widely acceptable originality of it whatsoever. Sometimes ago, Nigerians woke to the consciousness of a Fendi t-shirt adorned by two of our favorite artists that were allies too, Tiwa Savage and Wiz-kid. The tee was touted to have cost well over two hundred thousand naira each. 

          But like a funny twist, our local market became flooded with the counterfeit, and it amazes me how the Mannequins displayed in front of the usually ram shackled shops that sells ‘counterfeits’ in Lagos markets, looked even more adorable in the fake fendi, than that of some other folks that bought the original.

There goes the power of counterfeiting.

“And this is being able to convince, maybe confuse even anyone into accepting what is seen as what it is presented to be”.  That is my definition by the way.

 Adulteration of foreign designers by Nigerians is even the most comical. Givenchi being wrongly spelt as Giveenshi, Lacoste becomes Larcurstey, Gucci- Gushi etc.

But personally though, I would have gladly embrace a t-shirt with bold inscriptions screaming: Emekus, Ndigbo, Ebelebe, Taiyelolu etc from Aba, Oshodi or Onitsha, than wear a givenchhhhy for a Givenchy. Never.

Part of the Nigerian problem is being clearly distinct and utterly original. And before anyone would begin to criticize those who do not wear Nigerian, how actually Original are they? I’m not talking fabrics, texture or quality now, I mean, like how many of her citizens can even afford to wear expensive items?          

       There should be a local identity attached to locally made products, which we could proudly identify with, and not some silly form of imitations. If only they know that counterfeiting only deprives anyone of the accolades that originality would have availed one.

Here's another one; in as much as Oprah Winfrey remains a role model in Media for me, a woman I so much adore, yet it would have remained very silly of me, if I’d named my blog (a platform that clearly represents my sole opinion) after her. Oprah Winfrey’s blog would actually come across to anyone as hers, but a contrasting discovery would sure not go down well with anyone, so let me maintain my uniqueness despite being yet unknown.

Linda Ikeji seemed to bring blogging to limelight in Nigeria and it was with gossip. She struggled though in the beginning, but she made waves eventually. Now every blogger wants to blog gossip, just because she had done same to buy a multi-million Naira house from it. Zero trial for most bloggers at being original.

It pays to stay original though, because in the actual sense of it, this planet can afford to have over six billion ideas, individual ideologies and spectrums. If only people of the world stayed original and remain gallantly/unapologetically unique.