NIGERIA IN DECEMBER

Hey guys, compliments of the season to you all, it’s been a while I visited my own blog, well duty calls and it’s been work all the way well I actually got something new I’m working on and its eating my blogging time, I am glad to be back.

A lot has happened within these few weeks that I have been off the radar and I think it would only be fair for me to refresh your mind on the brand Nigeria.

Our president has been out of the country for 25 days now as a result of ill health and this has almost completely crippled operations in Nigeria, the budget has since not been passed and fuel has become so scarce that people pass the nights in filling stations waiting for the station to open early the next morning and they would be the first to get fuel.  The queues are back in filling stations and there is no sign of it getting better even when the minister told us that about 12 cargo would be arriving our shores this week, I wonder why this is common with the festive season, there would always be one issue or the other.

Ohhh before I forget, about 3 weeks ago, the speaker of the house of assembly, Dimeji Bankole was in the news, apparently he spent over N40 billion on international trip in 2009, where on earth is this heard? Only the secretary of state Hilary Clinton has really travelled round the world and we all knew when she made all these trips, it’s no news, but when a Dimeji travels to about a handful of countries and spends so much with little result to show for it then that’s news. We love to waste money, there is huge power problem here in Nigeria, and the 6000 mega watts which was promised Nigerians this December cannot be achieved, I can imagine if this money was put into the power sector, I know it would be resolved. But they rather live elaborate lives and dream.

Years and months have gone by and any time election comes around, we hear more roads, water, light and all what not, but after they are voted in, all they remember is more money to loot, when would we change? I know a few people are laying the foundation for a better Nigeria, but when these few are building it, others are destroying it, when I drive to work all I see is people buying water…water….water a free gift from God is what most people cannot get, the government cannot provide for us, a friend from another country once said that every family in Nigeria is a local government, why you may ask? Well when one man generates his own power, gets his own water, provides his own security and other stuffs then he is a local government, I am of the opinion that Nigeria needs a revolution and those recycled leaders should leave the stage for the 21^st century youths who know the best for the country.

Fashola is doing so much in Lagos and he is laying a foundation on how things should go around here, he travels and tries to replicate all he sees.  This is applaudable and this would be the best governor that Nigeria would ever have, thumbs up man.

I wish all my readers Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year.

Thank you for visiting

ON A LIGHTER NOTE….vol 3

Sure he can dance.

Runway fever

Gymnastix

Oooppsss...hurts like mad

Hmm.. wat was dat?

Define stupid.

I guess by now you would be laughing your belly off… so many more to come on my “On a lighter note” series adopted from Jide Salu. I owe you this credit.

Can we get enough fun to cheer us up especially after a stressful day? Please feel free to drop how you feel.

Cheer up.

NUDITY IN LAGOS

Strippers in police custody

Guys this is a long awaited action by the necessary authority, Lagos has for long been hunted by the sins and abomination of the society, well it happens everywhere but seemingly being a religious society, this would raise eyebrows.

Recently about 33 strip dancers were arrested in different strip clubs across Lagos. Those arrested are soon to face prosecution for immoral behaviour, the case has since being transferred to the state ministry of justice for appropriate actions.

The call for decent dressing amongst women and girls in Lagos prompted this arrest on the basis that these ladies are promoting obscenity in the society. These ladies shows that women are only good for sex and nothing good can come out of them except to make money through sex.

Strippers with managers

The arrest included 33 nudists and their managers who have been released on bail but would report to the ministry of justice if need be. What have they become in life, criminals and undesirable elements, they are of no good, well that’s how they see themselves, most of these girls are school drop out who struggle to survive and end up in bad companies.

“Evil has taken over in Lagos State. The way things are going, when girls of between the ages of 15 and 25 dance nude and throw caution to the wind with boys and men watching them, then they are sending a wrong signal to the society. It portends danger

These girls are products of the society, they are the result of the failed educational system in Nigeria, most of them are orphans and do not have anybody to carter to their needs.

My question is, should the government just close these clubs? Adult fun exists in different mega cities, and also is there a guarantee of good standard of living for the average Nigerian, some those who have good education are still looking for jobs, and those who have jobs have either been laid off or their salaries have been slashed.

I totally support the closing of these clubs, but government should create a way where these strippers would make a legitimate living, these clubs should be made to pay huge taxes to discourage them from the business.

Despite the arrest, news have it that more clubs are emerging, and those closed are opening under new names, yeah yeah Lagos is certainly a center of excellence and City of Aquatic splendor.

Emma Ofor, manager of Club Unique who was arrested along with the 33 strippers, said that he joined the club in January this year, adding that poverty made him to accept the offer. Offor said that he could not reject the offer as he was in desperate need of a job. “That is the circumstance I found myself and it is because of my situation. I was desperately in need of job when the offer came and I just had to accept it,” he said.

This action is applauded and I hope measures are put in place to absorb these ladies into legitimate businesses or else they would flow back into the lifestyle.

Kudos Fashola.

ABUJA..our foreign city

Hey guys, I am hoping my letter to the president gets to reach him, well I was going through a friends blog and some real good pictures from my dear Nigeria, well no matter what any one says, These are just stunning pictures and it would surprise you to know that Abuja is still under construction.

This is my Nigeria and sure it looks good for a Capital city

Abuja road network

The National Church

The Senate Abuja

The National Mosque

Bolingo Hotels and Towers

GO TELL YAR’ADUA, THINGS ARE HARD

Friends with a fairly excited heart I write this letter to our dear president Alhaji  Musa Yar’ adua, it has become so pressing and embarrassing that things are not yet working in Nigeria despite all the money being spent in different sectors.

How sad the way things turn out now as our dear Nigeria still sees a decay in diverse sector, I fell so bad always writing about Nigeria I mean when I should be patriotic enough to talk positive and wish that things would only be good. Praying that despite the ill fated situation, the good would eventually come out.

I posted a letter to Hilary Clinton when she came to Nigeria and I only wish she had the time to read it, well this is another letter, this time to our dear president.

Dear Alhaji, sir, Dr.,…

With a pain filled heart I write to you as a fellow Nigerian to air my views about certain issues prevalent in Nigeria, happenings around our dear Nigeria has prompted me to remind you of the way we used to live at least from stories I read and heard from people who were born at that time, well even Wande Cole sang about the former days in Nigeria, in his song “Na so we go dey”.

Once upon a time, our Nigeria was peaceful, we had nothing to worry about as food and water was ready on your demand. There were times when companies would come to school to recruit graduates even during their final exams, jobs were waiting for you to graduate, there were times when fresh graduates could buy brand new cars immediately after graduation, and funny they could pay up immediately without having to suffer huge interest accrued from car loans.

Then as tales have it, you could travel to London without a visa, and the Dollar was just equivalent to the Naira. There was a time when you travel from North to south by train and not bother about hold up, there was once a time you could drive from Benin to Lagos under 3 hours without having to sleep on the road or having to buy a brand new shock absorber after your trip because of the bad road. There was once a time when schools graduated qualified professionals and they are ready to take on the world with their Learning’s, they spend just the required time in school, as neither strike nor riots would truncate their syllabus.

There was once a time when you could fly Nigerian airways to and from London and be proud to be a Nigerian, when the colour green white green meant a lot to people, that time projects were completed at the specified time line. There were times when people could play credible lotteries and win houses in posh areas like the then Festac and other areas. But is happening today?

The July 2009 Web ranking of African universities did not include any Nigerian university, at least among the top 30. but Nigeria is the biggest country on the continent – infact he most populous black nation on earth, beside Nigeria is the acclaimed giant of Africa. She has the highest number of universities on the continent, over 100 comprising federal, state and private universities. Yet, all our scores of Ivory towers do not amount to anything even in Africa. At first you would think this is a conspiracy to shut Nigeria out of the hall of fame of nations which placed premium on their universities. But a imply reality check would suggest otherwise.

Power on the other hand has become a menace in Nigeria, 6000Mega Watts by December….how?

Sir, Alhaji, Dr…please I would like to ask you as a citizen of Nigeria and a beneficiary to the wealth of the nation, what are your plans for this nation? Where are we headed? Why are you surrounding yourself with all these egg heads who fight to become Governors in their state? Why would you allow the show of shame in Anambra state? How can a man who fought corruption well in Nigeria be made to suffer this much? Why would the ministry of works deliberately ignore the Benin-Ore road year in year out? Why would CBN for years allow banks MD’s to kill these banks with huge loans…?

Sir, Alhaji, Dr,…things are very hard down here, I was coming to work 3 days a go and on my way I saw ladies gathered in a shop rushing for stuffs as the car drove by I wondered what they were doing until I saw that a woman just opened a bail of used bags and they rushed to get a piece of the action, you can imagine. Also it is a common site around newspaper vendors as people take funny positions as they pay little cash just to read the news apparently they can’t afford to buy the newspaper.

A lady I saw made her boutique where she sells used bags and ladies top near the gutter, well thats all she can afford.

People live in shanty houses where their head touches the ceiling as they step in, young girls are made to meet unreasonable targets in banks and other financial institutions, just because they need a job.

Graduates now open business centers where they sell recharge cards and make calls as they have struggled to get a job to no avail. Many families have lost their lives as fumes from exhaust of generating set enters their poorly ventilated houses.

Please I am heart broken as I spend so much running my generating set and it just blew my digital cable decoder, I need to leave home and get to work on time without spending hours on the road in hold up.

Why?  Why…

Please I would like to get a reply as soon as you receive this letter to enable me tell my friends what my president has in mind for us

If by chance you get to read this letter and you know a friend to a P.A to an S.A to the minister of clothing and kitchen affairs who can gain access to the president, please pass it on

Thank you

Yours in Nigeria,

Joseph Ekwu .

SOLUDOS FATHER KIDNAPPED / EAGLETS WIN

Hey guys, things happening now in Nigeria continues to amaze me, recently about 52 (sorry can’t remember the figure) candidates bought forms for the gubernatorial seat of Anambra state, I mean what on earth do these guys even women want to do for that state, and please note that all these people are from one party, that same party.

I am so pained that even when the party endorsed a candidate, the other one million candidates (or so) shouted from their noses and some even went to court. My ache now is why go to court if you have the interest of the state at heart? Why are humans selfish? Why would we never allow others stay on top, they think the man up there would get so much money in the office.

Today the political space in Anambra state has become so tensed that everyone is scared to walk or do anything in some states. Only yesterday a new twist took place, the father of the special one (the person picked from the party) was kidnapped.

The father of the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and PDP governorship candidate in Anambra State, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has been kidnapped.

The old man was kidnapped around 7pm yesterday at his Isuofia home in Aguata local government area of Anambra State. The kidnappers were said to have “stormed” his house in a Peugeot 406 car, according to sources close to his family.

DAYSTAR CHRISTIAN CENTRE walks for light.

I had a very good morning today; I was in church to join forces with my fellow compatriots as we started a revolution in Nigeria, you may want to ask what was I doing in church on a Monday  morning, when others are preparing for a new week? Well its WALK FOR LIGHT day;  Pastor Sam and Nike Adeyemi along side a host of pastors led over 4000 people to the government house in Alausa on a peaceful demonstration to change the present light situation to start a revolution as the power situation in Nigeria has refused to get better.We were received by the Deputy Governor on behlf of the governor.

Since I was born as that’s all I can remember, power situation has been poor, as I speak I have spent over N3000 on fuel to power my generating set. There are no jobs in Nigeria and companies are moving out, the economy is dying, well this is because our leaders have refused to pay attention to the most important sector that would sustain the economy.

The crisis of epileptic power supply is impoverishing us as individuals, as organizations and as a nation. Previous lives have been lost to explosion caused by kerosene and petrol. Whole family have died in their sleep because of fumes from power generating sets. Small and large businesses have folded up because of their inability to sustain the high cost of production. The list of woe goes on and on.

When would Nigeria ever get better? In physics I read that power is the ability to do work, so when there is no power what work can be done? People struggle to sustain their businesses, they pay through their noses and then add so much to the price, the consumers then suffer at the end, people are forced into dubious activities as they can not be employed nor open their own businesses.

We call on the federal government to break the monopoly of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria and allow private investors and state governments to generate and distribute electricity. The strategy that worked for telecommunications should be used to work for power supply. If there is no limit on the number of phone lines a telecommunications company should generate, there should be no limit on the volume of power a company should generate and distribute around the country. States in the Niger Delta who have gas flared in their backyards should generate and sell electricity locally and nationally. This will result in job creation in almost all facets of life in our nation.

I would like to call on all importers of generating sets and diesel, who have graciously helped to provide relief through their products, to support this call, and to subsequently divert their investment into power generation and distribution. We call on executives and legislative arms of government at the local, state and federal levels to show compassion for Nigerians, demonstrate leadership and facilitate the breaking of PHCN‘s monopoly.

It takes only 1 person to start a revolution, well Daystar Christian Centre has started it, so I am believing that others would emulate this act and help move Nigeria forward because what we did today would echo in future. We call on all Nigerians involved at all levels in the generation, distribution and consumption of electricity to accept honesty as a national standard and as a way of life. All forms of deal-cutting in the award and execution of contract must stop. The vandalizing and theft of power cable and transformers must also stop. Dishonesty and the greedy acquisition of money, though they may bring temporary prosperity, ultimately attract curses on individuals and the nation. To prosper corruption should be put aside.

Arise O compatriots, Nigerians call obey! We can create a New Nigeria, a paradise and the ultimate destination among Nations. I must say a big thank you to Pastor Sam and Nike Adeyemi, senior pastors of Daystar Christian Centre who birthed this idea, they are visionaries, model couple, God Bless you both and the church.

Well I know this would birth a change in Nigeria, let’s watch out.

OBAMA WINS NOBLE PEACE PRIZE AWARD

Guys I think this is truly news, I just have to write on this and make my contribution on the success of Barrack Obama the president of the united States. President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, a stunning decision that comes just eight months into his presidency.

Less than nine months into his presidency, Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it honored Obama for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

The decision appeared to catch most observers by surprise. The president had not been mentioned as among front-runners for the prize, and the roomful of reporters gasped when Thorbjorn Jagland, chairman of the Nobel committee, uttered Obama’s name.

Nominations for the prize had to be postmarked by February 1 — only 12 days after Obama took office. The committee sent out its solicitation for nominations last September — two months before Obama was elected president.

The president, who was awakened to be told he had won, said he was humbled to be selected, according to an administration official. Obama will make a statement Friday at 11 a.m. ET from the Rose Garden, administration officials said.

The Nobel committee recognized Obama’s efforts to solve complex global problems including working toward a world free of nuclear weapons. Watch the announcement of Obama as 2009 Nobel Peace Prize recipient”Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,” the committee said. Jagland said the decision was “unanimous” and came with ease.

He rejected the notion that Obama had been recognized prematurely for his efforts and said the committee wanted to promote the president just it had Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990 in his efforts to open up the Soviet Union. —– CNN

This is another accolade for Obama, barely 9 months into his inauguration he has bagged a nobel prize, this means a lot to Americans and the world in general, Obama has over the months tried to rescue the world economy by the stimulus plan which has seen the world stock market picking up slowly, also world peace is priority on his agenda, he is doing good on his health plan.

Minutes after the news broke, social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook were flooded with comments.

Half of the trending topics on microblogging site Twitter were about the prize and the U.S. President. Opinion was largely divided on Twitter between those who think Obama is a worthy recipient — and those who question how he won the prize after just eight months in office. Numerous tweeters said President Obama should refuse the prize.

One, jester from London, UK, wrote: “I think he should give it back until he has achieved real world peace.”

When would a Nigerian president win a noble prize? Since Wole Soyinka won a noble prize nobody has done it again, but this is a way to put Nigeria in a positive light in the world, well I am hoping our dear Fashola would soon be on the list of noble prize winners.

Welldone Obama, keep up the good work.

LEGEND EXTRA STOUT Relaunched

Hey guys, it’s been a while, well I have been so busy with work and forgot to blog, I really would like to appreciate those who have kept in touch via my blog, Thanks a lot. I would like to expand my blog tenet by starting digital PR and this would enable me give a lot more insight on our in-house brands here in Insight communications. Recently Legend extra stout was re-launched in Lagos to increase awareness about the brand which has been struggling to gain a share of the stout market.

The NB management may have decided silence may not always be golden, especially in brand management. Last week, on Friday 7 March, the management, at Jogor Centre, Ibadan, and in a show laden with pomp and personalities, re-presented Legend Extra Stout in a brand new and fashionable packaging. Two weeks earlier, the company’s officials had embarked on a tour of the North Central, East, West and South-South zones of the country to introduce the alcoholic beverage to its key distributors and retailers.

The new Legend Extra Stout, complete with new body and neck labels, also comes with a back label for the first time since it was first launched. To observers, this may signal a strategic repositioning for a brand which many consumers believe has the potential of rejuvenating the stout market.

Launched in 1994, Legend has always played the laggard behind Guinness Foreign Stout, indisputably the market leader on the sales shelf. NB plc is, however, resolved to seize the market in the next few years with Legend and has unfolded aggressive marketing plans. Mouthing a new pay-off line, Carry Da Touch, NB officials told distributors, retailers and consumers that for a long period, Legend had been too quiet. Now, they declared, it is time the drink made a loud statement in the stout market

The competition between the two major players in Nigeria’s brewing sector, the Nigerian Breweries plc and Guinness Nigeria plc, is itself legendary. Nigerian Breweries is the dominant leader in the brewed products sector in Nigeria. The company arguably leads in the lager and malt drinks sector, with its flagship, the Star lager beer and the Maltina range. Guinness fights back in these categories with its Harp lager beer and Guinness Malta. But Guinness’ Foreign Stout incontrovertibly controls the stout market and has been successfully warding off the Legend challenge.

Nigerian Breweries’ lager brands – Star, Gulder, Gulder Max and Heineken – control about 60 per cent of the lager market. Guinness Nigeria plc, on the other hand, derives its strength from its Foreign Extra Stout which controls a huge 91.2 per cent, leaving a meagre 4.6 per cent for Nigerian Breweries’ Legend, 2.4 per cent for Consolidated’s Turbo-King and 1.8 for other players.

Sustaining the Name ‘Legend’
Michael Jackson, Coca Cola, Mandela, Mercedes Benz and Fela Anikulapo Kuti have one thing in common: their names evoke originality, uniqueness and freshness.  Hate them or love them, it’s difficult to ignore them because of their legendary attributes. Either young or old, these attributes follow them like star and it never diminished.
When it was reported recently in some foreign newspapers that 83 year-old Brooklyn-born comic Legend, Mel Brooks, was still riding high with his raspy and assertive voice; it was not a surprise to those who knew the power of being legendary.

Market Segmentation
Though Legend was seen mainly as a brand that was out to challenge existing brands when it was introduced, its spin doctors had bigger plans; they saw a vacuum the oppositions didn’t see and quickly moved in.
According to an inside source, the company had before the introduction of the product, established through a research that the youth segment of the market was yet to be captured.
Having discovered this fact, NB directed Legend’s communications materials toward the youth. Like a call to order, nearly all the campaigns that have been used to build it since it was first launched in 1992 have continued to remind them that stout was not an exclusive drink of the old.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE- NIGERIA AT 49

It’s October again and as a Nigerian that means a lot to me, October 1st 1960, Nigeria got her independence and that sums to 49 years. My dear country is 49 years older and we are celebrating, rolling out drums. I had the best of times yesterday hanging out with my Ono, we went to see the movies and had a lot of fun shopping. It was worth the holiday.

I take a break to look into 49 years of independence, how are things coming, well enough on the sad side of Nigeria, I would like to say that we as a country are doing well although things are not coming out as we want but they are looking better, Lagos is a model city and is really growing, roads, hospitals, and streets are looking better, there has been reduced crime rate as an effect of street lights built around Lagos. There has been relative peace in Nigeria especially in the Niger-Delta, militancy has become history as the restive youths have laid down their arms and embraced peace. Just yesterday, Egberi-papa (not Timaya) surrendered to the federal government making him the toughest militant to be cracked. This tells a lot about the good side of Nigeria coming out already.

But for a minute I would not shy away from telling our leaders the truth, the power situation is getting better, but there is a lot to be done, the judiciary system is doing well but the killing of Bayo Ohu should be investigated and killers brought to book. The sport sector is in shambles, Samson Siasia’s eagles are doing so poorly now, and the administration of soccer should be given to those who know what to do.

I was in the galleria yesterday and while watching a movie, guys came up to offer free Lucozade boost to people watching the movie, this is a good engagement strategy for GSK, Lucozade boost is a non-alcoholic drink configured for instant energy burst with glucose as its major ingredient. Lucozade has been around for a very long time and has controlled the market for so long. Most people misconstrue Lucozade for a medicinal drink but this is as not correct as it has been recommended in hospital because of its high energy content and its healthy nature.

This kind of consumer engagement should be encouraged to build brand and keep them in the minds of consumers for ever. Ride on GSK way to go.

I wish Nigeria many more happy years and for those who wish Nigeria bad luck, you would be shocked at what you would get.

Happy independence my great 9JA.