Pen for Hire! OSMOSERVE Rubbishes Blogger’s Attempt To Tarnish Company, MD’s Reputation
Necessity is the regular excuse of rapscallions. It is the mephistophelean plea used to legitimize devilish deeds, like the willful maligning of upright men by a hack writer, like Jackson Ude, the owner of Pointblankblog.com
Ude recently embarked on a mission to malign patriotic and industrious businessman, Scott Tommey, whose exploits in the business sector have become a source of worry and sleepless nights to Ude and perhaps, his sponsors.
Ude in a manner unbecoming of a journalist launched an attack against the businessman, writing to harass the latter with trumped-up allegations fed to him by his malefic cohorts.
In the performance of his hatchet work, he contacted the illustrious businessman, quoting slanted facts and outright lies, in the purported discharge of his journalistic role.
But since he has deemed it fit to whore himself out to corrupt and faceless elements with destructive intent, the Media Consultant to Osmoserve Global Limited, Obafemi Ajayi, has slammed the controversy-prone blogger, over his story in which he imputed wrong and malicious motives into the business transactions of the Managing Director, Scott Tommey.
In the latest tirade tweeted by one Jackson Ude, whose stock-in-trade has been to fabricate utter falsehood, and disseminate same via multiple social media platforms, the pen-for-hire writer alluded that Scott Tommey is fronting for the Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Godswill Akpabio.
In all ramifications, Tommey possesses home-grown intelligence that complements his sophistication. A shrewd manager of resources and a billionaire with benevolent mien, Tommey’s journey to the summit of entrepreneurial success is strewn with tales of struggles, determination and destiny.
Tommey has done extraordinarily well to have built a world class multi-billion business enterprise in the mould of Osmoserve, whose specialty has brought physical infrastructural transformation to the Niger-Delta region. In his bid to play down his ingenuity and business savvy, Ajayi attributes Osmoserve’s climb to the pinnacle of entrepreneurial success to sheer determination, providence and God’s grace. He is not anybody’s bagman.
Debunking the story as utter lies, Prince Obafemi Ajayi, considers “very laughable the fact that Ude and his sponsors, as well as those mischievously escalating the fake news, were so blinded by mischief and pull-him-down syndrome that they could see the clear holes in their fabrication. Mr Scott Tommey is well respected businessman and he is not Akpabio or anyone’s front. The assertion is not true”.
Ajayi explained that Jackson Ude “is in the trade of tarnishing Nigerian brands with unsubstantiated contents. He pointed to the petition of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to the Inspector-General Police, demanding a thorough investigation of the blogger after publishing malicious story, in which he alleged that the suspended acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, facing a presidential probe, told the investigative panel that he gave N4bn to Osinbajo. Not only has Magu debunked the claim; the panel has also released statement putting a lie to Ude’s allegation.
“This is calling on unsuspecting public to be wary of Ude’s shenanigans, as we also wish to sound a note of warning to all those who have made it their pastime to sponsor malicious write-ups, tweets and online publications against Osmoserve Global and our MD, that their day of reckoning is not far away,” Ajayi expressed.
“We have put our legal team on notice to deal with such malicious write-ups. We also urge the general public to kindly disregard the Ude mischievous tweets and similar others, for what they are: blatantly false and malicious,” he advised.
Ecobank Supports Reliable Credit Practice In Nigeria – Akinwuntan
The Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan has stated the readiness of the bank to partner with the Institute of Credit Administration (ICA) to create a reliable and enhance credit practice in the country. Speaking during an official visit of ICA Management team to the Ecobank Pan African Centre (EPAC) in Lagos, Akinwuntan observed that Ecobank as a Pan African financial institution is at the vanguard of deepening credit culture on the continent. He stated that that the bank has a robust risk infrastructure that supports the understanding of customers credit behaviour.
In his comment, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, ICA, Prof. Chris Onalo, who described Ecobank as a credible financial organization, said the visit was to solicit for collaboration and partnership in the area of capacity building and staff membership, with a view to enhancing credit management and policy advocacy relating to sound credit market system, stressing that the global economy works on credit.
Further, Mr Onalo reiterated that ICA is Nigeria’s only nationally recognized professional credit management body, solely dedicated to the provision of Micro And Macro Credit Management Education, award of specialist qualifications, development of skills and capacity building of people involved in everyday management of trade, financial, consumer and business credits.
he added that a rich credit culture will help to reduce poverty and develop the nation’s economy as more people will be engaged in productive ventures.
The Army Council has on Tuesday the 21st of December 2021, approved the promotion of senior officers to the ranks of Major General and Brigadier General respectively. A total of 41 Brigadier Generals were meritoriously promoted to the enviable rank of Major General, while 76 Colonels were also elevated to the rank of Brigadier General.
Amongst those promoted to the rank of Major General include –
Brigadier General CU Onwunle Director, Directorate of Army Data Processing Lagos, Brigadier General M Danmadami Research Fellow/Subject Expert, Indian Sub-Continental at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre Abuja, Brigadier General OJ Akpor, Director Military Training Nigerian Defence Academy, Brigadier General UT Musa of the Department of Administration Army Headquarters Abuja, Brigadier General AA Eyitayo, Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division/ JTF NE Operation HADIN KAI Maiduguri, Borno State. Others are Brigadier General V Ebhaleme of Defence Space Administration Abuja, Brigadier General LT Omoniyi of Department of Civil Military Affairs Abuja and Brigadier General NU Muktar Acting Director of Procurement at the Office of the Chief of Army Staff, Army Headquarters Abuja amongst others.
Those promoted to Brigadier General include,
Colonel O Adegbe Headquarters Training and Doctrine Command Minna, Colonel AA Babalola Headquarters 3 Division, Colonel NN Orok of Defence Headquarters, Colonel MO Ibrahim Army War College Nigeria, Col BO Omopariola Commander 25 Task Force Brigade, Colonel UV Unachukwu Army War College Nigeria, Colonel OAO Ojo Headquarters Nigerian Army Signals Lagos and Col HI Dasuki of the Forward Operating Base, Ngamdu, Borno State amongst others
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya congratulates all the promoted officers and their families, and urges them to redouble their effort to justify the confidence reposed in them by the NA.
ONYEMA NWACHUKWU
Brigadier General
Acting Director Army Public Relations
22 December 2021
DR DK OLUKOYA OF MFM LAUNCHES OVER 3O YEARS MUSIC COMPILATIONS CATALOGUE
He is known and called so many different names globally,depends on the side of him you meet and experience as an individual or a collective body.
Some generally call him GO, to some daddy, to some, a helper, for some a God’s general and to many others a philanthropist, a humanitarian, Gods battle axe of deliverance, a scientist, a giver, a blessing to mankind, an Elijah of our time and so on, but little do so many know that this wonderful father and loving husband who is the founder and General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries is a MASTER MUSICIAN, a composer, an organist and A song writer that has been penning down tunes and melodies for so many years.
In a few days, one of the most valuable music catalogues of CHORAL AND SOLO COMPOSITION will be launched, first of its kind in the world. I stand to be corrected but I think its one of the most voluminous African Arts music compilations, that will ever be released at a time, an art of over 30 years of hard work.
So, are you a musician? Composer? A classical Music Lover? keep the 25th of December in your diary and join the unveiling at THE GRACE HALL MFM INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS YABA LAGOS NIGERIA and experience music like never before.
Dreamfo Foundation Lagos Celebrates Widows, Widowers’ Children At Xmas Talent Hunt
The city of Lagos was set agog when Dreamfo Foundation gathered more than 300 widows, widowers’ children to throw a lavish special Xmas party and to allow the children to showcase their God’s given talents in the areas of modeling, fashion parade, songs/musical showbiz and dancing competition.
As organised, each category has first and second runner-ups and attached with reasonable, commendable and laudable prizes.
It was a gracious moment when the chairman committee for the programme, Olugbenga Sholarin engaged Oluwaseun Fabiyi, publisher of BethNews Media in a brief discussion. He said this stands as first event Dreamfo Foundation will be organising for Widows widowers Children in Nigeria, especially in Lagos. Saying further, it is necessary we cater for our children and always make them happy.
Mrs Olubunmi Ojo Afolabi a quintessential woman of repute and selfless service/support woman to humanity is the founder of Dr. Olusegun Afolabi Memorial Foundation (Dreamfo). She hails from Akure in Ondo State Nigeria and was married to Dr. Olusegun Emmanuel Afolabi for eleven years before his demise as a result of cancer some years ago.
Olubunmi, holds a B. Eng. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ondo State University,Ado Ekiti, Msc Information Technology from University of Greenwich in London and another Msc in Social work from London Metropolitan University.
During a phone conversation with Oluwaseun Fabiyi, her media consultant/publicist she described Dreamfo Foundation as an international organisation registered in Nigeria and known as one of the reputable charity foundations aimed at empowering widows, widowers and less privileged who seem to have lost their hopes of survival as the foundation has just demonstrated its great passion and relentless efforts to show kindness and to put smiles on the faces of some Lagos widows, widowers by gathering over 300 of their children for talent hunt to showcases their God’s given talents.
The memorable children Xmas fun/talent hunt was graciously attended by the parents of the participants, some dignitaries including five panel of judges who are Dr. Kunle Hamilton, Age Anthony, Ola Onabajo, Tosin Faleye and Sunday Adeyemi.
“We look forward to always Celebrating widows, widowers children at all cost and to do more in the years to come.” Olubunmi Ojo Afolabi added.
THAT THERE MAY BE JUSTICE FOR KEREN AKPAGHER By Ambrose Omoregie
Last week, the Nigerian Police conducted an autopsy on the body of the Late Sylvester Omoroni of Dowen College. The body was thereafter released to the family for burial while the Police would continue with its investigation.
The autopsy was said to have been witnessed by the family of the deceased, families of the students accused of the act of bullying as well as the police and State Ministry of Health officials. Autopsy, as is known all over the world, is the first and most basic legal pointer in investigating cause of death.
Remarkably all the parties in the Omoroni case are maintaining a commendable level of maturity and keen determination to cooperate and support the police investigation and ensure that the rule of law is allowed to operate unhindered, even as each party wants justice served.
It would be recalled that the Late Sylvester Omoroni was a JSS 2 student of Dowen College who was alleged to have been bullied by some fellow students in what later led to the death of the youngster. Thanks to the video released by the Omoroni family, the whole nation was able to listen to the disclosure by Sylvester on how he was bullied. Public sentiments was built on, at least, a foundation of verifiable disclosure.
Sadly, there is another case- the case of Keren Akpagher, the late student of Premiere Academy, Abuja- which also is being investigated by the police but appears to have become, of late, an agenda for serving a purpose beyond seeking justice for the dead.
As in the Omoroni case, the police had conducted an autopsy in July on the corpse of Keren Akpagher in the presence of all the parties involved in the case. Customarily, the result of the autopsy would have been read to the parties while police would continue its investigation.
Thankfully, the BBC has done a story – https://bbc.com/pidgin/tori-59453675 – in which it featured a screenshot of the said autopsy report. The cause of death is there for all to see.
Though the police has not publicly released the autopsy report and full report of its investigation, the BBC report has helped the public with a sneak preview of the autopsy report.
In spite of this public knowledge, the mother of Keren Akpagher, edged on by a fledgling body known as the Coalition of Gender Based Violence Responders, has continued to canvas a claim not supported by any autopsy report in a move that appears geared towards rousing public anger against the school and the entire police investigation process.
The matter is being investigated by the Inspector General of Police, at the request of Keren’s mother who requested that the investigation be transferred from the FCT Police to the IGP. That request was granted. The school was not known to have opposed it. The IGP table is the highest echelon of the police system. That is where the case is currently. It is, therefore, baffling that the same person that requested investigation to be transferred to a specific head of an institution would not allow the investigation to run its course but would rather seek to truncate it.
Could there have been two separate autopsy done on the corpse of the late Keren Akpagher? Was there another autopsy report known only to the mother and not to the other parties to the case, including the police?
Keren Akpagher’s mother and the NGO promoting her case in the court of public opinion need to be more forthcoming. To date, they have not shown the world the autopsy report upon which their claim of Keren’s death derives from. They have not shown the world a single audio or video recording of Keren’s confession or disclosure to them before she died to back the outlandish claims being pushed in the media. The Akpagher family, it should be stated, does not fit the profile of a rustic, illiterate and unintelligent family that would not understand how vital it is to get a weighty disclosure such as rape of their only daughter down on tape, audio or video.
There is also another baffling question of why Keren’s mother and the NGO would choose to rouse the social media against the school in what appears as seeking to build enough army of angry, misinformed people that could be mobilized to get the school shut down and/or vandalized at all cost? Why choose public incitement against another party in a case you are involved and that is under investigation? What is the Law Court for?
Curiously, throughout the various activities and undertakings of the group, there has been no single call on the police to speed up its investigation or release its reports. If truly, the aim is to get justice for the departed, why is the group not talking of occupying the Police Headquarters? Or, putting pressure on the public to get the IGP to act faster in the matter? Why, instead, is the talk about occupying the properties and residences of the owners of the school and their other businesses?
On the contrary, why is it only the school that has been calling on the police to publicly release the autopsy and investigation reports? To date, the school said, between August and December, it wrote the Police three times, pleading for the public release of the autopsy report and report of investigation in the case.
Why has Keren’s mother not made this her first demand, in the true spirit of seeking justice?
Tukur Buratai Research Centre Expands To Nasawara State
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, Alhaji Abdul Samad Isyaku Rabiu, Chairman, Bua group and other dignitaries, on Saturday, December 18, witnessed the laying of the foundation for Tukur Buratai Research Centre, Gora, Nasarawa State.
The foundation laying ceremony and fundraising for the Tukur Buratai Institute of Security and Strategic Studies & Peace and Conflict Resolution happened at the Tukur and Tukur Snakes Farm at Uke, Nasarawa State.
This is contained in a statement signed by Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman, Ret’d and made available to newsmen.
According to the statement, governor Sule laid the foundation for the multi-million Naira Tukur Yusuf Buratai Research Centre, TBRC, and this has partly addressed the quest for modern and sustainable security research centres in the country.
In his speech, the Comrade Vice Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Professor Suleiman Bala Mohammed, noted that NSUK is accredited as one of the fastest-growing state universities in the country.
He added that the event marked a new stride in the trajectory of NSUK, apart from the introduction of the Faculty of Engineering and College of Medical Sciences.
The former Chief of Army Staff and Ambassador, Lt. General Tukur Buratai who was the host of the occasion remarked that the institute will further chart a new course for resolving security issues that confront the country at large.
The event had in attendance the Executive Governor of Nasarawa state, Abdullahi A Sule, the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Air Staff, Distinguished Senators Ali Ndume and Abdullahi Adamu, chairman of BUA Group, Emir of Keffi, HRH Dr. Shehu Chindo Yamusa III who was the royal father of the day, other royal and titleholders within and outside the state and other well-wishers.
The event also witnessed the presentation of award plaques to the guests and pledges and transfers, which amounted to N220,950,000 from well-wishers, guests and highly respected dignitaries who assembled at the venue.
Clean Nigeria Initiative; Ecobank Applauds International Football Star, David Alaba
Ecobank Nigeria has commended David Alaba for his support towards the success of the Clean Nigeria Initiative being part of the Federal Government’s efforts to end open defecation in Nigeria by 2025, under the distinguished Chairmanship of Vice-President Osinbajo.
Ms. Adebukola Ademiluyi, Head Diaspora Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, said Ecobank will facilitate the disbursement of funds donated by David Alaba to build public toilets in Ogere Remo in Ogun State, but is also prepared to partner other Nigerians abroad who have interest in funding specific projects back home. Alaba, who is a private sector Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (OPS-WASH) Clean Nigeria Campaign Ambassador as well as a Real Madrid player recently donated N13.3 million towards the initiative to curb open defecation in the country, with Ecobank, the number one Diaspora Bank facilitating the disbursement of the project funds.
Further, Ms. Ademiluyi disclosed that Ecobank was working closely with Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), ably led by the Chairman/CEO, Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa towards the engagement of Nigerians in the diaspora on policies, projects and other initiatives geared at developing the nation, noting that the bank understands the peculiar needs of the Nigerians living abroad and has created tailor-made solutions to serve them effectively.
Stating what the bank is currently doing to support Nigerians abroad on easy repatriation of funds, she advised them to avail themselves of the bank’s Rapidtransfer solution to send money home to their loved ones particularly during this yuletide season, stating that “you can download the Rapidtransfer app to send money home and your beneficiary can pick up USD cash at any Ecobank branch nationwide or have it directly credited into their Ecobank domiciliary account. You can also send money through our remittance partners such as Ria and Small World for cash pick up and direct credit. Other partners such as Western Union and MoneyGram are available for cash pick up only. You can wire funds directly to your foreign currency account through our correspondent bank in dollars, British Pounds and Euro.” She noted that the bank is currently running an end of year reward scheme for remittances.
Ms. Ademiluyi added that Ecobank also helps Nigerians in the diaspora with resources for wealth management through investment in the money market, capital market, real estate and treasury products at attractive and competitive interest rates on both foreign and local currencies, stating that the bank offers financial planning advisory, including information on stocks, bonds, real estates and insurance products, in addition to helping customers retrieve outstanding dividends and missing shares. She advised them to open a multi-currency online account in Naira, GBP, USD and EURO via its website, adding that they can also download the bank’s award-winning mobile banking app, Ecobank Mobile, which is available on app stores to enjoy real-time access to their accounts from the comfort of their home. She further said the bank is offering mortgage loans to Nigerians living abroad to finance property ownership in the country, stressing that the terms and conditions are flexible and easily accessible.
FIRSTBANK UNVEILS 2021 DECEMBERISSAVYBE CALENDAR, REINFORCES ITS COMMITMENT TO ENABLING DREAMS
In the spirit of providing enabling opportunities for families of its customers and other stakeholders to come together to celebrate, live better and achieve their dreams, FirstBank – through its yearly DecemberIssaVybe campaign – has unveiled the 2021 calendar of events as it reiterates its impact on the arts and entertainment industry.
The campaign which started in 2018 has been making waves across the cities in the country and Nigerians across ages have started Vybing, enamored in excitement.
The 30-day activity loaded event include musical shows and concerts, comedies, fashion, arts and food fairs and are specifically supported to evoke joyful moods as everyone gears up for the celebrations of the end of the year, especially the yuletide. Showcasing an array of the hottest and coolest entertainment platforms, and superstars, FirstBank DecemberIssaVybe campaign offers free massive gifts and ticket giveaways to premium events aimed at creating fascinating and memorable experience for stakeholders in the Yuletide season as they bond with family and friends, whilst connecting with their favourite superstars, music, plays.
FirstBank DecemberIssaVybe is also designed to inspire kindness in all stakeholders. December is a season for giving and given FirstBank’s culture of showing kindness through initiatives such as SPARK (Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness), DecemberIssaVybe campaign integrates kindness and spreads its message of transforming lives.
Excited about the 2021 DecemberIssaVybe, the Group Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications, FirstBank, Ms Folake Ani-Mumuney said “we are delighted to be back with DecemberIssaVybe. The 2021 edition is enriched with loads of impactful and celebratory activities to build the excitement of witnessing the year-end as we celebrate into 2022. As a Bank woven into the fabric of society, we have ensured that the events are spread across the country and there is an event for everyone, irrespective of age.
We remain committed through resourceful partnerships to nation building; empowering all including the youth to achieve their dreams as these events promote the continued growth of the entertainment industry, unarguably an economic game-changer in the global business landscape, especially a country like ours that is blessed with talents and amazing creative minds.
We encourage everyone including organisers of events to please stay safe and adhere to the COVID-19 protocols. It’s important we all get vaccinated; get our booster jabs where necessary, use face masks, observe social distancing and play our roles to drive full observance and adherence to COVID-19 protocols so we enjoy the season responsibly” she concluded.
The FirstBank #DecemberIssaVybe and #FirstBankIssaVybe giveaway fest is open to everyone. To enjoy premium concerts, plays, fashion and food; lucky customers and followers of the Bank’s social media pages – Facebook: First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Instagram: @firstbanknigeria should look out for the posts on how to participate in the giveaways as there are exclusive tickets to partake in these celebrations promoted through FirstBank’s DecemberIssaVybe end of the year and yuletide celebrations.
The advertising industry in Nigeria: Maximising the post-COVID reality – Seyi Tinubu
Since the launch of the first news outlet in Nigeria in 1859, Nigeria’s advertising industry has grown to become a flourishing self-sustaining ecosystem valued at a whopping 425 million U.S. dollars as of 2017 and a projected foreseeable exponential growth in the coming years as a result of the dominance of internet revenue. While many other industries are gradually recovering and working to bounce back from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this economic powerhouse is set to remain on an upward trajectory Post-covid.
Amidst several months of grounded airplanes, closed churches and empty streets, several countries and global economies have experienced the shock waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. From real estate to finance and healthcare – especially healthcare – almost every sector of the economy has been touched in one way or another. One industry, however, has remained unshaken, resilient, withstanding all the knocks and shocks and continuing to thrive despite oppositions – advertising.
This is not to say that commercial advertising did not experience its fair share of economic downturn, even taking a significant plunge during the pandemic year. In fact, many brands reordered their priorities entirely, choosing to engage in COVID-19 awareness campaigns across social media. Some others took to leveraging collaborations with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as the government to consolidate efforts and flatten the curve of COVID-19 spread, and provide relief packages to vulnerable target groups within the society – although, in hindsight, this may have been a strategic move to ensure that brands are projected positively continuously.
In any case, the advertising industry globally is fast rising back to pre-pandemic levels and even experiencing exponential growth— a vast contrast from the diminishing returns that it had begun to experience a few years back — and the reason is not far-fetched. Several factors are responsible for this drastic turn of events. Firstly, it goes without saying that advertising thrives on consumer behavior. And if there’s one thing we can be certain about post-pandemic, it’s that consumer behavior has changed significantly. What thriving and innovative advertising companies did during the pandemic was to change with the times and seasons that consumers were in. This meant changing from regular TV and radio advertising to digital advertising. This switch was to align with the fact that consumers spent more time at home in front of screens. Commuting time was allocated to binge-watching videos online, and as a result, digital reigned supreme.
Today, COVID-19 has definitely expedited the process of transforming legacy marketing structures and practices for the digital economy. In Nigeria especially, the pandemic served as an exponential accelerator for connected TV and E-commerce marketing- which though were already in place, were struggling to gain widespread popularity. By dwelling more on social media and direct response selling, retailers were able to sell their goods to a wider audience due to shifting consumer behavior to online trade channels, thereby promoting the growth of Nigeria’s e-commerce industry.
This wasn’t the case in the last decade. Just a few years back, advertisers in Nigeria spent a large chunk of their time, effort and resources trying to encourage consumers to buy something they haven’t seen or tried on. Brands across all industries struggled to use the power of their online presence to engage potential customers and drive them down the marketing funnel through video adverts, blogs, email newsletters, or other types of digital lead generation activities. Even before the pandemic, converting that online presence to actual sales was a difficult feat.
However, COVID-19 has drastically altered the rules of the game.
With the pandemic keeping everyone at home, time spent on convincing was less, and many more consumers became more inclined to buy things and use services they needed online. As a result, several mega-companies across Nigeria took advantage of this, leaving advertisers no choice but to keep up with the times, spending about $350 million on advertising and marketing. Whilst there was no dominant sector, the likes of telecommunications giant MTN and beverage colossus, Nigerian Breweries led the table as the highest spenders in the year.
The influencer niche is one area that has been cemented fully into the world of advertising. If there’s one thing that took the internet by storm in 2020, it was influencers. With the rise of social media, apps like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook (Now Meta) became entertainment hotspots for millennials and Gen Zs, more and more people rose to the influencer status, making the position crucial to Nigeria’s advertising industry. In fact, a survey carried out by the Nigeria Influencer Marketing Report (NIMReport) revealed that over 30% of advertisers now value influencer marketing as part of their marketing strategy.
Although we are no longer in the heat of the pandemic, it is incontrovertible that the pandemic brought a lasting shift to Nigeria’s advertising ecosphere. We may have coined the term “post-covid era”, but in actual fact, the pandemic has ushered us into a new age, a new season that we may never return from. This means that the bar has permanently risen for advertising agencies and businesses across Nigeria as consumers are now holding them to higher standards. What they demand nowadays are tactful and mindful marketing strategies. They’re no longer asking if you have what they want but rather expect you to have what they want.
To navigate this new terrain, advertising in Nigeria will need to be more data and technology focused, with advertisers working to integrate some form of artificial intelligence or machine learning into the mix. With the right data, advertising companies will be fully equipped to create the right consumer experiences across one or more dimensions of the four Cs of marketing: Commerce, Community, Content, and Convenience. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to these four areas, consumers require a more personalized experience.
Experts such as PWC have predicted that Nigeria’s entertainment market is poised to reach $10.8 billion (N4.4 trillion) in 2023, having reached $4.5 billion in 2018. With the interconnectedness of advertising and entertainment and the recent tactic of presenting advertising as entertainment, it is imperative that relevant stakeholders properly harness the immense benefits available for the advertising sector. This can be done in several ways, with collaboration being paramount. Partnerships between sectoral groups in marketing and communications will expand the advertising landscape of the Nigerian market and will bring world-class advertising opportunities and a broader reach to the target audience, clients and agencies. Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), Media Independent Practitioners of Nigeria (MIPAN), Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON) and other Industry leaders should consolidate their cooperations expertise on growth-focused activities that will cause the advertising industry to skyrocket in the coming years.
The pandemic has undoubtedly elevated the status of advertising and marketing, with both taking their rightful places as drivers of digital transformation, a key leader of the customer experience journey, and the voice of the consumer — all of which are of utmost importance to C-suite executives. This means that advertising now has the opportunity to seize an ongoing critical role in high-level dialogue and decision-making processes, thereby driving the company’s broader objectives and innovation agenda.
For brands willing to be creative and experimental with their advertising strategies, the post-COVID-19 reality is a unique moment to aim for higher market share.
Seyi Tinubu is a Nigerian entrepreneur. Seyi is the Chairman/CEO of Loatsad Promomedia and a member of the advertising practitioners council of Nigeria
