A fool at 50 or just misunderstood?

For any that haven't heard Nigeria celebrates its independence anniversary tomorrow. Its been 50 years since the British handed over power and the country's development was left to the people. Or that was the idea.

The debate rages on in the country this week as to what it means to be 50 years old and where the country has come to. Many have called for a period of reflection at this time and the hope I mentioned in a previous post is strong within people that the next 50 years will be better. That phrase itself perhaps suggests the last 50 have been somewhat disappointing.

I'm not going to dwell on the history of Nigeria and the causes of its distress. If you want to read more click here or here.

I have touched on the talents this country has to offer in previous posts and its inherent problems previously and will do both again I am sure.

But for this post, lets look at just some of the headlines in the country's newspapers today:

Of course one should remember the majority of the papers themselves have political leanings and allegiances they will uphold. Expect another post soon referring to some of the papers I havn't mentioned here.

From the Punch the most widely read Nigerian paper comes news of Students of the five state owned universities in the South East declaring October 1st as a day of mourning for the state of education within the country. The students have argued that the education system has collapsed. This comes on the back of strikes by lecturers over pay.

In Next comes a story that doesn't particularly bring surprises; The long running 'Haliburton scandal' has thrown up a number of names and companies that have alleged involvement in the bribery case. One such company is Julius Berger the long standing construction company that has been operating in Nigeria since time immemorial and is responsible for numerous state and federal buildings, roads and other infrastructure projects in the country both now and in the past. According to the paper the company has entered into an agreement with the Federal government and while there is no admission of liability in the settlement the will make an "ex/gratia payment". The agreement will of course remain confidential.

PM News highlights the scuffles and 'commotion' that broke out in Abuja today as bags of rice were distributed to a crowd on behalf of Patience Jonathan, the First Lady of Nigeria. The paper delights in providing photographs of the scuffle and the resulting victors. As the papaer points out you may notice the victors happen to be wearing uniforms. It should be noted that Compass Newspaper alledges that 3 died in the struggle.

The Daily Trust leads with mention that the President is requesting changes to the Electoral Act to allow political appointees to vote as delegates during political party conventions. Perhaps a sign of GEJ shoring up his personal support before the primaries?

I'll leave you with a couple of final articles here and here that caught my attention. This first story has made big news here and there is a disgust in the eyes of a nation that almost revers their children. We await to see how the story pans out but it gives a hint as to what many Nigerians go through in this country, where kidnapping and robbery on the roads is a relatively common occurrence in some parts of the country. The other story is from the North and of particular concern due to the location of the extended family in that area.

I alongside many many people wish Nigeria Happy Independence.

Thankyou for allowing my stay here.

May the country grow from the toddler to the adult soon. May the adult be well balanced and responsible.

May Nigerians take lessons from the last 50 both the good and bad and move forward with responsibility and respect...

Have we all declared our intentions?

Jonathan, Babangida, Atiku, Ribadu and Saraki have all now formally declared their intention to run- who is next?

One name that the rumour mill churned out on Sunday was that of Aliyu Gusau, who resigned his position as head of Nigerian Intelligence Agency on the Monday. Though he has not declared formally as yet, rumours have it, this powerful yet publicity shy man may either run or support a single Northern candidate that may yet emerge from the pack. Gusau alongside Atiku and IBB all went through the Primaries in the last election but failed to get the ticket or election.
Time will tell as to how the PDP primaries fair. There are games afoot yet.

Saraki who formally declared Monday did so without the fanfare of Goodluck or IBB. The incumbent Kwara state Governor said " We are about to create a generational change. After 50 years of Independence, we are about to start another 50 years." He went on to state that he was the man to deliver on this change.
Though commentators are questioning the mans real intentions and chances, he is the current head of the Nigerian Governors Forum and as such may have some persuasion over those that may deliver the Presidency in 2011. (After all Nigeria for all its claims still has a rudimentary democracy in place, often controlled by those directly in power)
Finally Nihu Ribadu the darling of the intelligensia and diasporan Nigeria declared his intention to run under ACN. And will formalise his campaign in the coming weeks and months. The former EFCC head returned from self imposed Exile a couple of months ago after clearing his name and has been on the cards to run under an anti corruption banner ever since.
The one problem I foresee in this strategy is his funding; To run for President in this country as in all countries costs money, but it also costs you in allegiance. Political Godfatherism is rife and often the Godfathers are not altogether 'clean'. Ribadu must ensure his are whiter than white in order to maintain his strategy.
The race is warming up in other areas with suggestions that Goodlucks speech or part of it was plagiarised from Atikus in 2006. Next carries a story on this and refers to a similair event that unfolded in the US campaign last year.
Atikus campaign manager played down interest but it must have been a smug feeling to be told the major player in the race 'borrowed' the odd paragraph from an old speech.
It is a minor blow to the Goodluck camp in what had been billed both here on this blog and elsewhere as an impressive speech.

The support that Goodluck received at his declaration was initially impressive but questions remain as to the loyalty of the Governors. With the PDP primaries for them occurring before that of the Presidency, there are thoughts that once each has secured their position, the professed loyalty may change...

Goodluck by name; will it be by nature?

Those who understand Nigerian politics can see beyond the circus for the politiking that is going on. After all, it is pretty much certain that the results of the PDP primaries due towards the end of October, will give the country their president.

This week Nigeria came a step closer to knowing who will rule them for four years.
In a week that has seen the 'old guard' represented by Babangida declare it was now time for Goodluck. The man seemingly born with it on his side.

After 4 hours of standard PDP jamboree filled with musical dedication, medium to long speeches from the 'big boys' of nigerian politics in support of GEJ slogans a plenty from "we no want badluck O, we want Goodluck O" to "goodluck for you, Goodluck for me, Goodluck for Nigeria" and a flourish of short crowd rousing speeches by PDP governors (not all of whom were fully supportive of GEJ: for the uninitiated you can tell by the hats, though in reality there was outright support from the Delta region; Goodlucks area, cautious support from the North and some that wanted to sound a note that even after the primaries they would need tending to) from all areas of Nigeria it came to GEJ himself.

His speech sounded more like a campaign speech than just a declaration and re-reading it now it is obvious that some good writers have tailoured it to represent his strategy moving forward. Commentators have suggested it is different to that which has gone before and not since the speeches at immediately post independence has a man delivered such a robust case for transformation.

And it has to be said that people are yearning for change here in Nigeria.

The hope they have in this country is something that is relied on heavily: hope for something better, hope for a noticeable change in their lifestyle and hope for something different. While politicians worldwide play on hope and often use rhetoric to enforce it, nowhere else I have seen, has hope been so ingrained in people that any change is welcome. A faith that "e go betta" is strong yet time and time again there is bitter disappointment..
Any single improvement of quality of life will engender a warmth in the people. And from todays carnival some would say circus it was a message that hope will turn to reality.
I hope that Nigerians can discard their hope for something more solid...with PDP primaries running till end of October, and INEC registration in November time will tell..

elections...online...A new form of campaigning for Nigeria

Lagos incumbent Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola or BRF has packaged a smooth modern campaign team for the upcoming elections in January. While the last four years have seen a number of improvements and developments in infrastructure it is the modern packaging of this politician that is of interest.

While other aspirants to the position of Governor in the state remain cowed and quiet, BRF is continuing to take the limelight in what is truly a one horse race. As we have seen with politicians in the West social media is increasingly playing a part in the campaign.

The President of Nigeria is making much of his Facebook page and unusually declared his intention to run through this platform. Within a couple of hours the declaration had garnered over 1,000 comments, all of which were supportive.

Many potential candidates for the Presidency have websites dedicated to their campaigns in support or against including the famed and sometimes feared former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. A point of note here is that all three candidates are from the dominant party the PDP. Other parties are yet to move their heads above the parapet in relation to the Presidential race.

But it is BRF who is currently stealing the show with his twitter account. Posts are regular, replies are given promptly and suggestions are more than welcome.

This is something unusual for Nigeria and perhaps a sea change for customer service especially by public servants. While it is more than obvious it is not Fashola himself who is responding to tweets his team are dedicated in their work and encourage the people of Lagos to take part in what amounts to a large consultation exercise.

A simple test by myself sending encouragement alongside a complaint garnered a response alongside a telephone number and name of someone to contact. Believe me when I say this but for Nigeria a country that is grappling with technology and its uses this is impressive. The phone number even worked and a solution to the problem has been given.

The grasp of social media within the forthcoming elections is impressive.

The big players have recognised that the youth of Nigeria (the largest demographic) are key to their power and all attempts are being made to reach them.

SMS is being used by most aspirants be they senatorial or presidential aspirant and with over 60 million subscribers to GSM it is an obvious platform to use.

There is a plethora of companies offering bulk SMS services and nearly everyone seems to be acting as an agent for them. After all the election season is big, big business with some terming it the "money season'.

While taking a rest in the UK recently a friend sent me a mail to encourage me to return quickly to Nigeria. His reason: 'Elections are coming; we need to hunt contracts'. Needless to say he wasn't happy when I arrived a month later.

What is clear is that this 'business' will not slow down until January when 'Inshallah' a new President will be in place or 'God willing' the old one returned to office.

Time will tell...

Juju...jazz...high life, afrobeat and naija jamz

Having discussed juju and jazz in my previous post here, it reminded me that these terms could be confused.

In Nigeria there is a plethora of music that cannot be ignored.

The rythmical beats and and dulcet tones are combined in a maelstrom of sounds.

Nigerians know how to create some great tunes that have worth not only in Nigeria but wherever Nigerians have travelled to.
So much has been written about Nigerian music here and here for example, that ill leave others to comment.

But I will leave you with a selection of some musicians of note both in the past and present.

It is a hopeful sign that a number of modern artists have pushed the boundaries and owned their own sound, asha, Nneka and NateoC to name a few.





I should also mention Storm records and Mohits that seem to hold the majority of recognised artists to their label.

Interestingly the effects of social media have come into their own when the artist Wande Coal allegedly had naked pictures of himself posted to Twitter, within hours the topic was trending worldwide. A sure sign of the times that Nigerian music had made it big, though questions remain as to whether the artist himself is. I'll let you make your own judgements.

I aint no number...Don't need no id round my neck...

The ever chaotic policy of the Nigerian government, can be witnessed once again with the new policy of sim card registration happening in the country at the moment.

A government directive holds that all sim cards shall be registered with their owners not by one but two thumb prints and photograph.

In a country where GSM is king and individuals often have 2 or even 3 phones from different providers the phone owning population is said to be around 70million and growing.

To give an example of this rapid growth, my client etisalat has grown 4.5million subscribers in its 2 years of operation; a respectable number being the 5th entrant into the GSM market.
Nigeria is not an organised country it has to be said. The ability to search for data on demographics is limited and in my job where research on target markets is necessary means a great deal of leg work for little gain. At first glance the potential for a database of subscribers can have a valuable use in many industries and in government.

However as with many things here it is not that simple.
The government has decreed it is up to each GSM company to bear the cost and logistics of registration. Compounding this logistical nightmare is the lack of infrastructure and understanding behind the reasons.
The government claim this costly time consuming exercise is intended increase country wide security and will stop fraud and kidnapping that is so prevalent in the country and what makes nigeria renowned in the rest of the world. (see previous post).

Unfortunately the security of Nigeria is put at risk by a distinct lack of data protection laws in place. And by farming out the job to the GSM companies many of which are foreign owned; MTN for example. In real terms the valuable data is now open to being sold and disseminated to any that have a contact and are willing to pay. Many of the bulk SMS companies have 'contacts' within the likes of MTN or Glo that pass on lists of numbers at request and of course at the right price.
Without solid data protection and a trustworthy government the data of much of the population is at risk.
Many Nigerians welcome this policy unnaware of the issues that present itself and swallowing the line of improved security. To English eyes who traditionally value their personal data it is a travesty.
Pandoras box is about to be opened; after all id cards won't stop hijacked jets.

Reputation II - the Sony battle continues

It seems that the Minister for Communications firm letter to Sony after their Playstation advert highlighted Nigeria as a hotbed of Internet fraud has had the desired effect. Sony have made a public apology and removed the offending advert. You can view and read about it in my blog on reputation earlier this month.

"It has come to our attention that a recent TV advertisement for PlayStation may have offended some members of the Nigerian community.... We never intended to create a situation that would upset anyone, and we have taken action to immediately remove the advertisement from the air. We apologise to anyone this may have offended."

The turnaround by Sony must be a welcome boost for the Minister, but the battle to 're-brand' Nigeria is far from over. The movie District 9 was on general release at the cinemas here over the last couple of weeks only to be pulled, once again due to references to Nigeria as being a country of Gangsters, Cannibals and Prostitutes!

Sony Entertainment is the new target of the Honourable Minister this time and she has asked that all copies of the movie in Nigeria be confiscated...

Though it remains to be seen whether the Minister will have much luck battling Hollywood as well as the Gaming Industry...the Ministry seems to be heading for the style of the 3 wise monkeys rather than addressing the real issues at hand.

juju.....jazz...Jesus & Islam

I was talking to a friend today when they mentioned that they had caught their House girl with some form of 'charm' in their possesion. They were immensely shocked by this and had remonstrated with the girl. I just shrugged...after all in my culture all this stuff doesnt really have any effect! Does it......?

It did get me thinking about the cultural differences which when you dig deep can be immense. There are three major tribes in Nigeria (Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba) and a total of around 250 ethnic groups each with differing cultural nuances. Alongside this is the religous demographic generally made up of 55% muslim 48.2% christian and 1.4% 'other'. Needless to say as with other areas of the world ethnic culture is intertwined with religion to form various rules and norms.

One such rule seems to be the acceptance that juju or jazz as it is known is everywhere, from the Malam selling charms of islamic prayers to the Delta militant with his special charm to protect from bullets. This practice is widespread but talked about with respect and in hushed tones nonetheless.

Superstition of the type known in the west; the stuff your grandma used to tell you; such as a black cat crossing your path and never walk under ladders etc is an everyday part of life.

For example; People here will generally not pick money off the floor if they saw it, reason being it was probably cursed and you would go blind. Another is that you should not let a beggar touch you, again they would make you go blind. There are many of these rules to obey here.

In 'organised' religion the growth of 'Born again' christians is on an impressive scale. So much so that it's an industry all on its own, with branches opening up all the time.

The names of these churches could be the subject of a post all on its own:

• Jehova Sharp Sharp
• Huricane Miracle Ministry
• Healing Tsunami Ministry
• Satan in Trouble Ministry
• Fire for Fire Ministry
• Guided Missiles Church

• FIST OF FURY

• Run For Your Life Ministry and tell Ahab that Elijah is here Ministries

• God is Real Ministry. Motto: "Jesus no get muscle but he get power"
• Fire Burn Ministries
• JESUS THE LANDLORD, WE THE RELAXING PEW MINISTRY
• Happy Go Lucky Church of God Almighty In Jesus Name Amen
• Old time religion ministry
• Strong Hand of God ministry
• Best Spot In The Land of God Church

• Trigger happy ministry. Motto- "always firing the devil"

A week does not go by in Lagos without one 'crusade' or other by a church or night vigil where the congregation stay up all night to give prayer. The churches range from the biggest seating over 50,000 people in Canaanland Ojota just outside lagos to the shack by the side of the road numbering a congregation of 5.

All carry a similair message from their pastors. Pray to Jesus, pay your tithes (often 10% of a persons monthly income) and seek satisfaction that life will get better. It has to be commented here that many pastors do very well out of this 'business' with some driving brand new SUV or even utilising the churches 'private jet'. Something to my eyes sits untidily with the notion that much of their congregation are struggling to earn a decent salary. (The house girl I mentioned above receives the equivalent of £80 pounds a month)

What is clear through the myriad of beliefs, cultures and religions is the constant striving to improve their lot and the 'Nigerian hope' and belief that one day things will be better. This is something impressive yet perhaps disconcerting at the same time.

Inshallah, God dey, its in the hands of Jesus etc.

While we wait for hope to catch up with reality, maybe a charm or lucky rabbits foot is a harmless practice...or maybe Ill find I wake up blind?

Reputation....

What words & thoughts spring to mind when you hear the word Nigeria?
Lets be honest; Nigeria's international reputation is questionable.
The recent Playstation 3 advert is perhaps testament to the reputation Nigeria has abroad.


The advert, much to the chagrin of the Minister for Communication Dora Akunliyi and many others who have called to boycott Playstation; highlights the thought that Nigerians are renowned amongst other things for internet fraud.
419 (a reference to the Nigerian penal code for fraud) is a well documented and sometime celebrated fact in Nigeria. So much so that within the country it has almost become fashionable with various songs referring to it.


The Yahooze song refers to 'Yahoo boys' who utilise Yahoo email accounts to perpetrate international scams. The song above was a popular tune with immense airplay in the country last year. The song and the 'yahooze' dance was heard and seen in many events across Nigeria, and through all walks of life. I can distinctly remember seeing a number of high profile individuals (who shall of course remain nameless) dancing along to this song at many events last year.

My problem, is that while on the one hand many Nigerians are quite rightly angry at their reputation abroad, they on the other, celebrate an example of it.
Before I first came to Nigeria, my friends, colleagues and family were amazed that I had chosen this country. They filled me with horror stories; don't go out at night, its unsafe, kidnappings, corruption etc etc.
Not wanting to tempt fate, but now in my 3rd year I can safely say that so far I have not been kidnapped, robbed or scammed (apart from the usual inflation of prices for an 'oyibo'!)
I have found the people, though challenging and different to us in the UK, to be kind, generous, creative and honest.
The attempt to brand Nigeria, does however need a deep seated culture change in all aspects of life in Nigeria if it is to succeed. A strongly strategic plan, stretching through all areas of life, rather than tactical actions aimed at brand logos and pay off lines is desperately needed.


A couple of months ago The Minister for Communication inspired debate throughout the PR industry and within the people of Nigeria as to how Nigeria as a country should be branded. This occurred during the launch of the new Brand logo and collaterals developed by the Ministry.

An interesting paper on Country branding can be found here:
http://www.brandchannel.com/papers_review.asp?sp_id=604

Commentary from the PR industry through PRCAN on the rebranding exercise is available through the link below; a number of interesting articles discuss the challenges that present themselves in branding Nigeria:

http://www.blueflowerafrica.com/PR%20Review%20feb%20009.pdf

How Nigeria changes its reputation over the next few months and years will be an interesting topic to watch. Hopefully a change can occur where the people are represented for what they truly aspire too: A successful, talented country with a wealth that can be used for the benefit of all, not just Yahoo boys and the like...

Give me access...

A lot of talk within PR seems to be around 'social media'. While the Western world clamours for this 'new thing' a country like Nigeria is in some ways still struggling with the more traditional concept. That's not to say that it is misunderstood, far from it. Clients are tuned into the trend, however it is sometimes the understanding that its reach to consumers is not as extensive as other parts of the globe.
In a country of over 140 million people, where according to the UN 90% live on less than $2 a day, the internet is not a primary concern of the masses. The NCC has licensed over 500 ISPs, but only about 50 are active in the market.
An Africa Analysis study estimated the total number of dial-up and narrowband internet subscribers in Nigeria to be 1.5 million with a total user base of 7.75 million at the end of 2008. The same study estimated 27,600 broadband connections for the whole country at the end of 2007.
Cost of internet access is extortionate when compared to the UK, to buy a USB CDMA modem can cost up to £100, then you must pay at least £50 for either monthly access or 250 hours. All for less than 200mbps speed. With costs like this it is only the well paid that can connect. The rest are reduced to an hour here or there at a cafe.
Of course dependent on the type of product, there is an argument that the wealthy segment of society are a large enough market for companies to concentrate on, so targeting them through social media such as Facebook etc. is desirable. Unfortunately if you dont target the rest of the consumers the opportunity for sector growth is limited.
New backbone cables are connecting Lagos and Nigeria to the rest of the world in the next few months. Sat3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAT-3/WASC_(cable_system) which had problems earlier last month is already operating, Glo are to connect anytime soon and MainOne should be online June next year. These backbone providers will have the effect of crashing internet price to the ISP providers at least.
Hopefully we can expect this to be passed on to the consumer at some point in the future. This of course is dependent on maintenance and the desire by companies to discount.
Until then online social media remains mainly a preserve of those with money, whilst the rest will be left to be social on the bus or through text and phone calls.

PRNigeria

I thought long and hard before deciding to begin this blog. Is there anything to say that has not already been expressed? What content will truly set this apart from other blogs? And is anyone really interested in ramblings and information from an 'oyibo' who has only been here nearly 3 years?

Well I can't answer any of these questions so it's down to what feedback, hits and comments I receive.

What I do know, is that Nigeria is a country of sharp contrasts. One day you will feel like the country is a dangerous messy place with little or no organisation and no potential to be a member of the Global society. The next day you will feel that everything is possible here, and with a little bit of luck and good management the country, its people and yourself will improve.

You can be driving in Lagos, after a hard day's work, in the foulest of moods, cursing and spitting wrath at all comers until you see a sight on the road that just makes you burst out with laughter at the sheer lunacy or beauty of the world around you.

It's that type of place; up one minute, down the next and as sure as the sun will rise so too will your spirits once again.

When I first arrived I loved Nigeria, particularly Lagos. It reminded me of the city of Ankh Morpork in Terry Pratchets fiction: Dusty, chaotic and disorientating. I buzzed off it and would drive with the windows rolled down talking to anyone and everyone who shouted to me.

3 months later I hated every Nigerian, and despised Lagos for exactly the same things I had loved.

After that, I seemed to have mellowed, fitted into the life, begun to understand the Nigerian psyche in business and social circles and accepted my lot.

Today it seems like anywhere else in the world, it has problems, crime, chaos, but also a strange sense of order and common sense. You just have to know where to look.

The idea of this blog is not just to give a semblance of direction to life here, be it business, government, religion or culture, but also to commentate on the PR/communication industry in local and global terms.

Much like Nigeria it will no doubt be chaotic and varied in content, but you should see a semblance of order come through amidst the colour!