AAAN Takes Rebranding Nigeria Campaign to the Cleaners

Penultimate weekend, the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), at its AGM in Enugu, for the first time, took a position on the Rebranding Nigeria campaign, saying that it is not more than a mere sloganeering which confuses Nigerians the more, both in concept and in its execution. O’Lekan Babatunde attended the event which recorded less than impressive turn-out, especially from expected key government functionaries.

Taking a cursory look at the federal government’s on-going Rebranding Nigeria campaign, the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) has submitted that the Ministry of Information & Communications led by Prof. Dora Akunyili should reconsider the programme with a view to achieving better results.

The leaders of advertising agencies in the country made the submission at the just concluded 36th AGM congress of the association which held at the Nike lake Resort in Enugu, Enugu State.

Speaking on the theme, “Rebranding, Repositioning or Repairing Nigeria”, Sir Steve Omojafor, Chairman, STB McCann, painted a picture of the glorious past of the country and concluded that “Today, we are faced with a pretentious, inept, confused, arrogant and self-serving leadership,” blaming the incursion of the military in the political system for the huge decay in the system.

“The Military as an institution, destroyed our value system, looted and plundered our economy, assaulted our sensibilities and boasted that the nation’s problem was not money but how to spend it! Can you beat that? They surely spent the money to their hearts’ content, while Nigerians languished in abject poverty,” he laments.

“With the inept leadership that the current political dispensation is saddled with,” Sir Omojafor wonders who needs to be Rebranded, Repositioned or Repaired. “Is it the Country, its Leadership or the Followership?” he asks.

Making the picture more vivid, he identifies the target groups, claiming that at the peak is a hungry and completely dehumanized followership; a traumatized Nigerian youth population with no sense of direction or hope for the future. According to him, this group is followed by a productive sector that must provide electricity, roads, water and security to remain in business and fina1ly, a Nigerian populace whose dreams and expectations in life have been so shamelessly dashed.

Advising that the nation should get more serious, the STB-McCann’s chairman opined that the Honourable Minister has only succeeded in glamorising the word ‘Rebranding’, which, according to him, does not solve the problem.

“The truth, if it must be well told, is that it is the country’s leadership that needs to be repackaged from its current state of absolute disrepair. I find the on-going rebranding campaign rather superfluous and it does seem that the fire is already dying out.”

According to other experts at the forum, the nation’s rebranding exercise appears confused, both in concept and in its execution. They advocated that the minister needs to be more single-minded.

The evolution of a leadership with vision and clear-cut programmes, policies and strategies that will give the country a new lease of life is said to be the starting point. “Do Nigerians for instance, believe in the current leadership? No; not when it is reported that Senators take home close to N12 million monthly, while members of the House of Representatives go home with close to N10 million, or when N1.3 trillion of our N3.1 trillion national budget (about thirty per cent) is spent on salaries and allowances of politicians, while poor Nigerians are daily dying of hunger. How then can we have money to pay striking lecturers, provide electricity, repair our roads or fix the hospitals?

“If the President can fix the economy, provide jobs for the teeming youths, supply electricity, fix the roads, ensure security of life and property, bring the schools to international standards, fix the hospitals to provide world-class healthcare, tell me what more re-branding we need?

The truth is that mere sloganeering will never do the job. Focus needs to shift heavily to concrete government actions and policies to bring about a complete re-engineering and this must begin with the leadership which needs urgent and immediate cleansing. If Madam Minister manages to fix the leadership, the followership will fall in place,” Sir Omojafor submits, to a tumultuous ovation.

Also making his presentation on the theme, Prof Ike Ndolo, Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences, Enugu State University of Science & Technology, having painted a gory picture of the nation, submits that Nigeria today is at the crossroads of decadence and democracy. “Almost ten years of democracy have left people wondering if any blow has been dealt to decadence,” according to the don.

Quoting the sage, Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, he states that “the making of Nigeria is a task that calls for probity, dedication to rigorous planning, Spartan self discipline and exceeding industry,” saying he believes that the remaking of Nigeria is feasible only “if we, first and foremost, remake and recreate ourselves… that is to say those who offer to lead this country aright must strive constantly to lead themselves out of the unruly prompting of the instincts and liberate themselves from the ‘tyranny of the flesh’ in all its octopod dimensions.”

While concluding the session, Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi, the immediate past president of the association, shortly before the election, states that it is the humble submission of the association that repairing the already battered psyche of the nation and its people is of utmost importance before talking of repositioning or rebranding. According to Akinwunmi, who is a member of the technical committee on “Rebranding Nigeria”, the present attempt which though is commendable appears to be putting the cart before the horse, which, to all sound minds, is inappropriate.

Though, the Minister of Information and Communications, who was supposed to be the special guest was glaringly absent, Akinwunmi, Sir Omojafor and the association in general promised that a communiqué will be issued on the theme of the conference and sent directly to the minister with a view to making its professional impact felt on the exercise.

Other highlights of the AGM include the election of the new executive to lead the association for the next one year. Leading the body as its new president is Mr. Funmi Onabolu, CEO, Bates Cosse. Longley Evru, CEO, Angels Communications is the Vice President, Sunkanmi Ajiboye, CEO, Martlink Ltd is the Secretary, while the Publicity Secretary is Mr. Tunde Thanni, CEO of Explicit Communications. Other elected executives include Bunmi Oke, Managing Director, 141-Worldwide, who comes in as Treasurer; Debo Adedeji, CEO, Harmonee Concepts; Rufai Ladipo, Managing Director, STB-McCann; Wale Adepitan, Managing Director, 360 Degree and Gabriel Abah, CEO, Solutions, who will all serve as ex-officio members.

The Big Boys and Girls on AWOL

Is the AGM losing its relevance? The Nike Lake gathering provided a test. As the theme of the congress implied, the juggernauts of the industry were to use the platform to take a critical look at on-going Rebranding Nigeria project being undertaken by the Federal Government and led by Prof. (Mrs) Dora Akunyili, Minister of Information and Communications. But the madam was absent. It was, however, not only Akunyili that was conspicuously absent from the gathering. The Enugu State governor, Sullivan Iheanacho, who was expected as the host governor, neither came nor sent in a representative. Notable industry players like Biodun Sobanjo, Kola Ayanwale and Enyi Odigbo – all former presidents – were also missing from the gathering.

The Congress and Its Revelations

The conference started on a low key, with the expected keynote speaker, Prof. Dora Akunyili, sending her address via e-mail the previous night, through the out-going AAAN president, Lolu Akinwunmi. As such, one wonders how important AAAN is in the workings of the ministry of Information & Communications, and to the minister. Be that as it may, the former president, all the same, presented the paper which applauded the body for identifying with the Federal government’s Rebranding Nigeria project. It will be instructive to note that Akinwunmi serves on Akunyili’s rebranding committee.

“Nigeria…Good People, Great Nation”

Yes, the Rebranding Nigeria project is on good or bad. But did you know that Prima Garnet had to withdraw its entries from the logo entries already submitted for fear of Lolu Akinwunmi, who was the AAAN president then, being accused of using his office to influence the business in his favour. This much Akinwunmi made the gathering to believe before the screw driver was thrown into the “Nigeria…Good People, Great Nation” slogan, as championed by the ministry. Akinwunmi was called a lone ranger in the committee he served as secretary.

They Forgo Their Tea Break for the Great Debate

In demonstration of their burning patriotic zeal to deal with the bandied “Rebranding Nigeria” issue, Kunle Ogunmefun, CEO, Bluebird Communications, protested the call for a tea break by Longley Evru. Evru, who was only observing the agenda of the event as handed to him by the MC, was overruled with explicit support from doyens of the industry like Chris Doghudje, Chairman, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), and Ayo Owoborode, CEO, ServeWell and a former president of the association, who insisted that whatever the ‘other side of the table’ wants should stand.

The ESUT Don Takes a Position

Still on the theme, Prof. Ike Ndolo, Dean, Enugu Sate University of Technology makes his presentation, hinging on the Pastor Tunde Bakare’s “Only a cleansing rain from heaven can cleanse the nation of its decay.” Initially, it looked like he had no interest in the marketing communications and its potency, but alas, he alludes the “rain” to the “rebranding Nigeria project”. According to him this must reflect on the political, economic, social, educational and other areas of the country to achieve a rebirth for the nation. Unfortunately this is not the case now, but there is a silver lining on the horizon provided the leadership is re-orientated. His take was well applauded.

The Omojafor Profound Poser

Though a thoroughbred professional in the game of branding, Sir Steve Omojafor, as a prelude, announces that he would take the position of the common Nigerian, who wants to support the federal government’s effort. He reasons that “Good, vibrant, purposeful and disciplined leaders are wanted to repair the decay and rot in the system as a prerequisite for the rebranding to achieve result.” The only achievement of the exercise for now, according to him, is that “at least, that word is on the lips of every Nigerian.” “But how can a jobless, hungry man with no security, no power and no education think of rebranding Nigeria?” he queries.

Pete Edochie as Chairman of Rebranding is Laughable

The country needs complete re-engineering, and the association seems to agree with Omojafor, who says, “fix the leadership and the followership will join the rebranding process to produce better result.” Pete Edochie as the chairman of the technical committee on rebranding is laughable. “AAAN should put a crack team together,” advises the STB-McCann Chairman who insists that Lolu Akinwunmi is a lone voice among the 29-man team led by Edochie.

Doghudje Challenges AAAN

Apart from the leadership problem that has become the bane of the nation, Chris Doghudje, APCON Chairman, says the practitioners are not spared of what has become the lot of the country, branding and image wise. He challenges the association as an independent professional body to run a campaign independent of the government to rebrand the nation. Admonishing, he goes: “The funds? Go cap in hands to the clients! Yes, clients’ support. You wonder, how practicable?”

Rufai Ladipo’s Gullotine Hypothesis

This is not the first time somebody will call for the prosecution and possibly execution of corrupt government officials. But for the first time in an AAAN public forum, Rufai Ladipo of STB-McCann canvasses for a rehearsal of the Ghana experience in the Nigerian nation – to purge the nation and commence a proper rebranding exercise. “Our past leaders, who were corrupt, instead of rewarding them with contracts, need to be guillotined”. It is left to be seen if this hypothesis will be espoused further to become a theory to be included in the AAAN submission to the government. And who will implement it, that is, if such revolutionary idea is ever submitted.

The Rebranding Campaign Has not Started

It may sound antithetical for Lolu Akinwunmi, as secretary to the Technical Committee on Rebranding Nigeria, to pronounce that the campaign has not yet started, advising the government to take the campaign out of the ministry to the people who would drive the campaign. “What can N100 million deliver, especially when the strategy is suspect,” he reasons.

The Manifesto Evening

The Star of this show, if it can be so called, was the one and only contestant to the position of the president, Funmi Onabolu. Though he is sound on his own merit, the event was reduced to a mere drab compared to the Abuja election AGM that produced Lolu Akinwunmi as president. The manifestoes night was a fierce battle in good spirit between Akinwunmi and co-contestant, Rufai Ladipo. The inherent politicking then made the AGM an interesting affair. This time around, it was a “bi o tie campaign o ti wole (even if you don’t campaign at all, you’ve won already)” thing.

Could People be Scared of Onabolu’s Credentials?

A school of thought has it that Onabolu, as the serving Vice President and having served the AAAN in different capacities for over a decade, presented intimidating credentials. That was why no one actually came out to challenge his candidature. Having served the association for 28 years from its first office somewhere in Ebute Meta, in different capacities including two consecutive sessions as Chairman of the LAIF committee, Onabolu came eminently qualified. But Fillis Osubor, CEO, Rinet did not envy a man standing alone to take up the gauntlet of the AAAN president; what sould ordinarily have been contested by two or three people.

Onabolu and His RIVAR theme

Presenting his flow with the RIVAR agenda which is an acronym for Relevance, Improvement, Visibility, Accountability and Relationship, Onabolu urges the members of the AAAN “let’s go to the future”. His targets include creating more relevance with the government and corporate Nigeria, and improving members’ businesses by constantly engaging the stakeholders and wining their respect. His Business Health Bureau seems interesting; that is if it can be implemented. It got a good applause.