February 12, 2026
The increasing visibility of Nigerian brands at major international airports and financial centers is a strong signal of the country’s expanding global footprint, according to former Minister of Aviation and ex-Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Osita Chidoka.
Chidoka noted that the presence of Nigerian institutions such as Guaranty Trust Bank and Air Peace at major airports including Heathrow and Gatwick represents more than commercial expansion.
“These are not only logos in foreign terminals,” he said. “They are quiet declarations of the Nigerian possibility.”
He recalled a similar strategic positioning during his tenure at the FRSC, when the agency adopted SAP Business Intelligence tools to enhance data-driven road safety management. At the time, Chidoka said he insisted that the global technology company publicly highlight the fact that a Nigerian public agency was deploying world-class systems.
“If SAP could advertise Hard Rock Cafe and other global brands at international airports, why shouldn’t they announce that a Nigerian public agency was using world-class technology to reduce road traffic deaths?” he asked.
The campaign went beyond advertising. Chidoka was invited to speak at the SAP HANA Conference in South Africa, where the FRSC’s use of data intelligence was presented as a model for public sector innovation. According to him, the initiative gained continental recognition, with the City of Cape Town adopting lessons from Nigeria’s experience.
“We became a reference point. FRSC was the African example,” Chidoka said.
He linked those experiences to the current wave of Nigerian financial technology and banking institutions expanding across borders, including OPay, Flutterwave, Moniepoint, United Bank for Africa, Access Bank, and Zenith Bank.
“What we are witnessing is a story of competence, courage and fearless execution,” he said.
Chidoka framed the issue as one of national choice and institutional commitment, arguing that excellence is not beyond Nigeria’s reach but requires deliberate leadership and standards.
“Every time a Nigerian brand plants its flag abroad, it reminds us that excellence is not foreign to us. It is native — when we choose it,” he said.
He concluded by challenging policymakers and business leaders to sustain the momentum.
“Nigeria can lead Africa. The question is not whether we can. The question is whether we will.”
