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| Killing Brands Without Daggers .... The Emerging Culture of Silencing Plurality |
 PRINTABLE VERSION |
While, I do not hold brief for the personal views of Simon Kolawole, I find it funny that some government officials are referring to him as uninformed about the dynamics that guide the formulation of socio-economic policies. I recall very well that this was the same Simon Kolawole who canvassed support and participation of the civil society in the now botched National Political Reform Conference that was doomed to fail from the start. Though I and other Nigerians had reservations about Kolawole's article that attempted to rationalize the relevance of President Obasanjo’s National Conference we never called him names.
It is will however be dishonest of me to say I am surprised at the bashing he is receiving from some government officials and veiled spokesmen who are too timid to identify themselves.
I believe the debate on debt forgiveness offers Nigerians the opportunity to appreciate how the poor management of public opinion by government and the disregard for professional ethics by a private enterprise can contribute in a grave fashion to destroy an ailing and a thriving brand. For purpose of clarification the ailing brand is Nigeria that we all are desirous of positioning justifiably as the heart of Africa, while the thriving brand that is prone to being destroyed gradually is the ThisDay Newspaper.
I am of the conviction that the Nigerian government’s response to criticisms of the debt forgiveness package by concerned citizens was crude and unprofessional. Rather than calling critiques names the government ought to have used the debate as an opportunity to position itself as a sensitive administration that encourages debate of government policies and values the opinion of it citizens no matter how unpopular. Rather, government functionaries saw the debate and the debt forgiveness deal as a vintage opportunity to justify the several trips of the President abroad and castigate perceived enemies of the administration.
This attitude, by my reckoning, portrayed the government like a fiefdom that derives joy in being feared as against an administration that is respected for its proven commitment to the collective interests of Nigerians. I am sure foreigners who monitored the debate would readily lampoon the high and mighty posture of the government on an issue that affects the current and future well-being of all Nigerians.
One of the trademarks of countries with developed economies and stable political structure is that those plural views beyond being encouraged are used as strategic platforms for marketing government policies. A curious mind will ask how opposing views can be used to market a contentious government policy. I believe this end can conveniently be achieved if government functionaries responsible for selling specific public policies ensure that their public utterances logically address issues raised by aggrieved citizens. This harmless approach unfortunately has never appealed to those in government in Nigeria. The grave consequence of the style of labeling opposing views as unpatriotic views by public officials, is that Nigerians have trained themselves over time to view with suspicion the utterances of government representatives no matter how well intentioned.
This type of mindset obviously makes it almost impossible for people to buy into the vision of the government and appreciate the factors that drive government policies. The concerted effort to reposition the Nigerian brand as the heart of Africa locally and globally can only be successful if relevant government agencies succeed in co-opting all Nigerians as marketers of this great vision. The Nigerian government has for too long ignored the immense value of eliciting the genuine patronage of its internal customers, by deliberately refusing to build the confidence of this important target market. It is pertinent to emphasize that the best methodology for enlisting Nigerians as ambassadors of the Nigerian brand is for government to convince Nigerians that their views on public policies no matter how iconoclastic are welcome and respected. Ironically unfolding developments on daily basis do not in any way suggest that the views of Nigerians count for anything. I however believe that it is not too late for the current government to change its mind-set and re-consider the value it places on public opinion and the free expression of plural views on public policies.
The management of ThisDay runs the risk of killing a vibrant brand and the daily companion of Nigerians, like myself, without using a dagger if it continues to tender apologies that cast a doubt on its commitment to free expression. A lot of loyal readers of this medium felt slighted and felt that the management of ThisDay did not give any thought to what such an unprofessional apology can do its cherished brand name. The greatest assets of a newspaper that should not be toyed with under any garb are its commitment to professional ethics and the confidence it enjoys from its readers. I am of the view that the apology published by ThisDay to appease some assumed sacred cows in the current administration only succeeded in eroding the immense values of the ThisDay brand. It is instructive to emphasize that this piece is not in any way intended to discountenance the immense contribution of ThisDay to the practice of journalism in Nigeria. Rather this commentary is meant to call the attention of the paper’s management to the existence of often-silent loyal readers and stakeholders like myself who want the ThisDay brand to be guarded jealously.
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Writer Profile
Iganmode
I work presently as Head,Strategy and Clients Service with Bluebird Communications Limited, a leading integrated marketing communications consultancy based in Lagos, Nigeria.
Before Bluebird I worked as a Product Manager in the Consumer and Retail Banking Department of Afribank Nigeria Plc. I joined the Bank on the 15th of November 1999 after garnering rich experience in journalism, advertising, public relations and marketing. I have in the last five years had the opportunity of Heading Units such as Media/Investors Relations, Internal Communications and Publications and Advertising and Corporate Promotions in the Corporate Affairs Department of the Bank. I edited Afribank News, the Bank’s quarterly house journal between January 2002 and June 2003 and was also responsible for launching content of the magazine on the Bank’s website.
I started my career in Journalism with the Vanguard Newspapers as a Reporter on the Literary Desk of the national newspaper in 1990 and joined the services of Rosabel Advertising Limited in October 1991 as a Trainee Executive in the Media Department. During my stint in the Media Department of this highbrow agency I undertook schedules such as media planning, buying, monitoring and comparative rating of media audience.
I returned to the print media in 1995 by taking employment with the Guardian Newspapers as Editorial Supplement Executive. I, in this capacity combined successfully the onerous schedule of writing news and features regularly on various business sectors and marketing newspapers in The Guardian stable for profitability and acceptance. The Vanguard Newspaper again beckoned on me in 1997 to join the pioneering team of professionals that established the newspaper's editorial supplement Desk as a Senior Supplement’s Reporter. After a very brief stint with Vanguard Newspapers I took up employment with Tanus Communications Limited, a full-fledged marketing communications company, as a Senior Media Relations Officer.
While in the Media Relations Department of Tanus Communications, I consulted for several companies in the areas of media and public relations, press a gentry, events and issues management, publishing, monitoring and evaluation of media/public perception of issues, advertising campaign planning and monitoring etc. Prominent among the companies I consulted for were Union Bank Plc, Chartered Bank Plc, NAL Merchant Bank, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Mobil, NICON Insurance, and Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), Petroleum Special Trust Fund (PTF) etc. I was promoted as the Head of the dynamic department, before I left the firm to join Afribank Nigeria Plc in November 1999.
I am a 1994 graduate of Mass Communications from the Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta and also bagged a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree in the Upper Class category from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) in 2001. I am a qualified Associate Member of industry relevant professional associations such as the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Federation of African Public Relations Associations (FAPRA) and the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM).
I love reading, writing, surfing the web, watching films and discussing issues with contemporary and global relevance. I have been writing poems with different themes for over a decade and plan to publish my collection in the no distant future . I am married to an Industrial Chemist and we are blessed with two kids aged 4 and 2 respectively. I am the current President of Vision Club, an investment and leadership development-driven association of young and upwardly mobile professionals in the public and private sector.
Omo'ba Olumide Olalekan Idowu
Bluebird Communications Limited, Lagos, Nigeria
( Mobile) : 08023236493 ,
Website:www.freewebs.com/olumideidowu
E–Mail: o.idowu@afribank.com or mideidowu@yahoo.com
Web Resume Page: http://olumide.resume.4t.com
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