RE- BRANDING NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES FOR ENHANCING CUSTOMERS’ SATISFACTION AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: THE ROLE OF NIGERIAN CUSTOMERS

Aja E. Egele & Johnson U. Ozo

Marketing Programme,

Ebonyi State University

Email: ajaebekeegele@yahoo.com & johnsonubaka@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT: The exodus of Nigerians to foreign universities as a result of negative perceived brand image associated to Nigerian Universities has become a source of worry because of its adverse effect on national development. This study is therefore, aimed at establishing re-branding Nigeria Universities, by its students/graduates, as a strategy for improving the contribution of Nigerian Universities to national development and customer satisfaction. The method adopted in the study is conceptual review from which it was deduced that the application of re-branding strategies by students/graduates to Nigerian Universities will improve the level of customer satisfaction from purchasing Nigerian Universities. It identified modification of brand purchase behavior as the critical factor for re-branding upon which learning theory, word-of-mouth, intellectual disposition, moral exhibition, unique achievements and good alumni ambassadorship serve as re-branding strategies. These re-branding strategies will automatically re-build the brand image of Nigerian Universities for the world to perceive Nigerian Universities as brand equity associated with high standard, moral value, cultism-free and disciplined-culture oriented. Hence, increased number of foreign students will be attracted, while the rate of our indigenes seeking to study abroad will drastically be reduced. This in the long-run will make Nigeria’s economy education tourism-sector driven, positioned to earn  foreign currency for the country, helping Nigeria’s currency to appreciate in value, positively impacting on Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, Gross National Product and Per Capita Income, as more employment opportunities will be created and more infrastructural facilities developed. The implication of this finding is that, both the Nigerian Universities Commission and all the Universities should use re-branding strategies as an instrument for re-building Nigerian Universities’ image