The Nation Newspaper

Category: Brand week

  • Legend, the real deal

    In today’s fast changing world, manufacturers are constantly challenged with aligning their products and marketing activities to suit the ever changing needs of consumers. For major and upcoming brands, the goal has always been to capture a fair share of an ever changing market.

    To achieve this, deft marketing techniques become an imperative. Overtime, marketers have come to realise that to ensure consumer loyalty which ultimately leads to increased sales, there must be a strong connection between a brand and the consumer.

    Social and cultural trends have continued to dictate the taste, style and attitudes of consumers. The pace at which consumers attitudes change in recent times, has proved to even be faster than marketing can cope.  Marketing strategies that worked a short while ago may prove a colossal failure when employed again. Today’s consumer is now more informed, as a result marketers find it a bit daunting connecting with them.

    One of the hurdles involved in creating a connection between brands and consumers, is that there is no guaranteed path to achieving this even though certain fundamentals are often considered.

    Today, brands strive to find new strategies and innovative ways to dominate their markets. This explains why brand builders are constantly looking for diverse ways to connect with their target audience. It is therefore not surprising that a successful consumer engagement platform can spell huge gains for a brand with foresight.

    In Nigeria, brands are springing up from almost every sector of the economy. The implication of this is a huge increase in brand clutter. In order to differentiate itself from this clutter, brands look for meaningful ways to engage and connect seamlessly with consumers. It is imperative here to note that only a few brands ever get to truly connect with their audience and achieve their marketing goals.

    Legend extra stout, one of the strong brands from the stables of Nigeria breweries plc, is considered as one of the few successful stout brands in the country. Market results shows that the brand is the fastest growing beer brand in the country. Within a short time the brand has climbed up the market ladder to compete head-to-head with other so called major brands that have been in the stout market for decades.

    The brand has maintained over 65 per cent increase over the past years and this has continued to rise. How has the Legend brand been able to achieve this rare feat in such a competitive beer market? What factors, propelled this brand to the top echelon of the market? These are some of the pertinent questions on the mouths of market watchers.

    A cursory look at some of the workings of the Legend brand reveals that indeed the brand merits the current position it occupies. One of the most distinguishing factors of the Legend brand is its taste. Legend is regarded as the best tasting stout brand in the country. A blind test with several participants revealed that the taste of Legend was unique and tasted better that all others.

    Legend is also the only full brewed stout in the market. Another factor is that of cost. The Legend brand not only tastes better, but it’s also pocket friendly. The unique combination of cost and superior product has played to the advantage of the brand.

    Another factor, that has proved significant to the success story of the Legend brand, is its association with entertainment. Knowing full well that Nigerians are fun loving people, the brand in March 2011, introduced ‘Real Deal Nite’ as one of its consumer engagement platforms. The brand has been able to sustain the intensity and excitement of the event far beyond expectations. In doing this, Legend seems to have realized what its consumer’s desire.

    The brand also envisaged the challenges of sustaining such a platform and thus put in place strategies to continue to make the event captivating and highly rewarding for consumers.

    Overtime, the brand has been able to leverage on this platform to provide optimum entertainment for its consumers. The Legend ‘Real Deal Nite’, which holds at the Niteshift Coliseum hangout, Lagos, has become a monthly convergence of revelers, top entertainers and crùme-de-la crùme of the society.

    The fusion of comedy, an electrifying in house live-band and music by current A-rated artistes and living legends, seems to be delighting consumers as the number of attendees continue to leap each month. This year alone the event has been able to attract high profile entertainers like Basketmouth, I go Dye, Seyi Law, Mike Okri, Flavour Nabania, J.Martins, Gordons amongst others.

    It was all fun and excitement at the last edition of the highly entertaining Legend ‘Real Deal Nite’, which held at the Niteshift Coliseum, Lagos. Fast rising humour merchant, Bovi, held the audience spell bound as he thrilled them to rib cracking jokes. Also on ground at the event, was legendary musician, Mike Okri, who dazzled the audience to sublime dancing skills while performing vintage hit tracks like ‘Time Na money’, ‘Omoge’, and ‘Rumba Dance’.

    One of the high points of the ‘Real Deal Nite’, is the raffle draw promo where wonderful gift items ranging from generators, DVD players, refrigerators, standing fans and lots more are given out to lucky winners.

    Miss. Tokunbo Dosunmu, a civil servant based in Port-Harcourt, was the proud winner of a brand new generator. According to her, she came to Lagos to unwind with her friends. It was also her first time ever at the Niteshift Coliseum. “This new generator is a life saver because my canteen business will benefit very much from it due to the bad state of the old one”. Tokunbo said, she applauded Legend for making this possible.

    Mr Olamide Lawal who was also attending for the first time won a brand new refrigerator. He acknowledged that he was shocked when it was confirmed that he had won. “I came here to relax after a friend invited me. I never imagined that I would go home with a new refrigerator. I am really glad to be here today.”

    Funso Ayeni, Brand Manager, Legend Extra Stout, reiterated that the relevance of the “Real Deal Nite” is to create an atmosphere where the brand bonds with its consumers and make them understand the essence of the brand. “We are calling on people to follow the brand, try it and of course become loyalists,” Ayeni explained.

  • Driver sacks boss after becoming millionaire in Star Game Show

    Driver sacks boss after becoming millionaire in Star Game Show

    The stories emanating from the grand prize winners of the Star TV Game Show will delight any public relations and brand manager. Perhaps Nollywood scriptwriters and movie directors should come to the recording of the TV Game for story ideas.

    Every week for seven weeks, three people will win N1 million on the Star TV Game Show. Take Emeka John for instance. Emeka is a trailer driver, who was spotted drinking bottles of Star lager beer just at the right time and the right place. Unknown to him, Star was giving away instant gift prizes for Star drinkers through a raffle draw. Emeka was given some prizes including a raffle ticket to participate in Star TV Game Show in Lagos.

    He was flown to Lagos, all expenses paid, from his base in Benin, Edo State, to participate in the Game Show. Since Star Game Show is team-based, he was by sheer luck grouped alongside David Smith and Ugwu Chukwuemeka. At the end of the games, the trio emerged the winning team. Each team member pocketed N1 million for their victory.

    When he was asked about how he felt winning N1 million, Emeka did not mince words. “I am so happy at this N1 million I have just won. I am not sure that I would have been able to save this amount of money in 10 years. Now that I have this N1 million, I am going to sack my employer and get my own truck and be independent.”

    The joy of Chinedu Agoh, a 32 year old driver from Enugu State, knew no bounds when he won one million at the third edition of the Star TV Game Show. For several months, it had been his dream to be united with his wife and child, under the same roof. This dream for a long time appeared bleak due to his N25,000 monthly salary. Being the family’s sole bread winner, his savings could only pay for an ‘out of campus’ accommodation for his wife, a student of Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri, and his son.

    Luck, however, shone on him when he qualified to participate in this years’ edition of the Star TV Game Show and subsequently won the star prize of one million naira.

    Speaking on how he will utilise his prize winning, Chinedu said: “I have been staying apart from my wife and son for the past six months due to lack of money to get a befitting accommodation. I sleep on the pavement of the underground floor of the hotel in Enugu where I work as a driver. I use wrappers and a cardboard given to me by my mother in place of a mattress. The place stinks, but I have no choice but to lay my head there every night. With this one million naira; I will pay for an accommodation for us to come back together as a family and open a bank account for my son.”

    He obviously had kind words for Star, describing the beer brand as: “the best brand. Other brands make me sick but Star keeps me strong. Star is the leading brand. I love Star and appreciate the brand’s work as it keeps shining.”

    Chinedu was not the only lucky individual of the night. Chidiaka Onyeachonam, a 26-year-old unemployed graduate and Abiodun Ali, a 27-year-old cloth seller, also smiled home with a million naira each.

    Even though Chidiaka is unemployed, his one million naira largesse has brought him temporary succour. He said: “I have been job hunting for years, but with one million naira from Star, I feel as if I am on the moon now. I am yet to come to the reality that my account will be credited with one million. I pinched myself about three times, just to confirm that I was not dreaming.”

    For Abiodun Alli, who hails from Ogun State, he believes fortune had finally found him. “I have been out of work since November last year, which led me into buying and selling of clothes. My customers majorly are students; I do go to their various schools to sell to them. I am sure with this new status, that era is over” he stated.

    Interestingly, Chinedu and the two other winners on the night of the third edition of Star TV Game Show, Abiodun and Chiadika, all stated that they did not have up to N200,000 in their accounts. But they would be ending the day N1 million richer.

    The third edition of the show also experienced an outpour of emotions from Daramola Ladipo, a 33-year old beer parlour owner in Lagos, who was also a contestant. He shed tears when he qualified as one of the nine initial contestants to partake in the games.

    He said: “I never believed that the show was real until I became part of it. I shed tears after the first round of the show, which qualified me to contest for the one million because I never expected I will pick one of the highest numbers. Indeed, is a game of luck. It is the joy from within me that made me cry. Even though I did not win, I have the confidence that I will win if I have the opportunity to be part of the show again. For Star, I pray the beer continues this good deed and remains strong in the market.”

    There’s always something for everyone in the Star TV Game Show. Whether it is the excited crowd as they cheer their teams on during the games or the antics of the audience when the millionaires finally emerge. It could even be the rib cracking jokes the show anchor, Gbenga Adeyinka, never tires of dishing out during the show. Or the open show of emotions from the winners as they are unveiled to the crowd. Whichever way you look at it, one thing is clear: there’s never a dull moment on the Star TV Game Show.

    Take the case of Elijah Anayagher for instance. Moments after the Benue State based architect was announced as one of the new winners of N1 million in the second edition of the game show, Anayagher was suddenly the toast of the crowd. Just as he made his way to his seat to await the official handing over of his prize money, Anayagher received the shock of his life: “Out of nowhere, this beautiful lady just sat on my legs and said that she had been supporting me during the round of games. The truth was that I never knew her but she kept saying that she wanted to be my friend and that I should not forget her when I start spending my money,” Anayagher stated even as he tried to suppress the burst of laughter  about the incident.

    Anayagher was one of the lucky few selected to participate in the second edition of the Star TV Game Show. He had gone to his favourite drinking spot to unwind with some friends when he was given tickets to partake in a raffle draw. “I didn’t know about any draw. I was surprised when the stewards in the bar gave me the tickets. I wasn’t actually the only one because they gave everyone that was drinking Star that evening.”

    Anayagher won several instant prizes from the raffle draw. However, the icing on the cake for him was that one of the tickets won him a place to participate in the Star TV Game Show.

    “I couldn’t believe it. I thought that it was scam but my friends convinced me that it was real”. Two weeks after he is now a millionaire. And the memories of the TV Game Show continue to linger for Anayagher. “I can’t forget the entire experience in a hurry. I met lots of wonderful people who I didn’t know before and we just became friends. I am happy that I won the money but I will also remember the excitement of Star TV Game Show for a long time to come,” he added. As for his new found friend, Andrew intends to reward her for her ‘friendship’.  ”Definitely I am going to share my good fortune with her and the others. They are like friends to me and I won’t forget them,” he stated.

    Indeed, it’s hard to forget the crowd at the Star TV Game Show. Participants in the game are picked from the audience to form three groups comprising three group members. The groups, A, B, C, go head to head in a series of games to determine which group will come out tops. The winning group gets N3 million to be shared equally by members of the batch.  Boisterous and ever supportive, the crowd cheers their preferred groups on as they vie for the cash prize. Chants of A for Action or B for Brightness or C for Champion, depending on where the pendulum of the audience’s support swings, rent the air during the games. While the audience’s support spurs some of the contestants on, for others, the tension is simply too much for them as they bungle their chances of becoming millionaires. Anthony Okosa, a trader for Enugu, was at the third edition of the TV Game Show. Though he wasn’t picked to participate in the game, he still enjoyed himself as a member of the audience. “Everybody can’t be millionaires. Unfortunately I was not chosen to participate so I had to remain in the audience. But I am still happy because being a member of the audience is also exciting. The atmosphere is that of fun and little tension but I have absolutely enjoined myself,” he said.

    Much of the liveliness of the crowd is owed to the commendable role of Gbenga Adeyinka, anchor of the show. As anchor of Star TV Game Show, Gbrenga Adeyinka has certainly showed that he is more than just your average comedian. Adeyinka’s ability to bond with the audience as well as his knack for making the game show interactive only adds to the excitement of the Star TV Game Show. For example, during the games, when a contestant fails to complete a puzzle, the audience, prompted by Gbenga Adeyinka, taunts him or her with songs. Don’t be surprised to hear songs such as ‘John Bull My Son, I sent You To School, you don’t Know how To Spell Your name” during the Star TV Game Show.

    While Adeyinka’s antics along with the excited crowd make the games interesting and exciting, the winners and their stories also makes for interesting reading. As at press time, nine millionaires had emerged in the Star TV Game Show. Twelve other lucky people will be crowned millionaires during the seven week long Star TV Game Show.

  • Dubai Lynx Ad festival rebrands

    Dubai Lynx Ad festival rebrands

    The organisers of Dubai Lynx have announced that its name will change from ‘International Advertising Festival’ to ‘International Festival of Creativity’. The move is to reflect the evolvement of the industry from one that has previously focused on traditional creative advertising to one that involves creativity in all forms of communications.

    The Dubai International Festival of Creativity is the leading awards and festival for creative excellence in advertising and communications in the Middle East and North Africa and the must-attend event on the region’s industry calendar.

    Since its launch in 2007, the number of entry categories at Dubai Lynx has more than doubled due to creativity stretching across a greater number of forms of communications.

    Held at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, next year’s event will take place March 10 to 13, and will once again include an unbeatable line-up of international jurors who will use their expertise to award the best in creativity.

    Emma Lancaster, Festival Director of Dubai Lynx, said: “Entering their seventh year, the Dubai Lynx awards are established as the must win awards for the MENA industry.

    As organisers, we always strive to keep pace and what is clear is that creativity crosses a great number of platforms, from social media to technologies to user-generated content, meaning that to term the event as an advertising festival is no longer relevant.”

    The brand new 2013 Dubai Lynx website will be live from October 13 and will contain up-to-date information on the event including full details of how to register and enter. Held in association with the IAA – UAE Chapter and supported by Dubai Media City, the festival’s full programme will be released early 2013.

  • Rethinking pension scheme

    Rethinking pension scheme

    Governments all over the world get involved in pension matters in the form of laying down the legal framework, pension funds management and regulation of pension schemes. The Nigerian Government is not left behind. It has overhauled the legal framework for pension administration in Nigeria by promulgating the Pension Reform Act 2004 (PRA 2004). The PRA 2004 was passed into Law on June 23, 2004 by the National Assembly and assented to by President Obasanjo on June 25, 2004.  The PRA 2004 embodies the policies of the Nigerian government to solve the pension problem in Nigeria, both in the short and the long run.

    The thrust of the reforms has been in the direction of making the schemes contributory, thus the name Contributory Pension Scheme. Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) defines pension entitlements in relation to stated contributions of the employer and the employee. The CPS is funded in the sense that the contributions and the returns from the investment of such funds provide the resources for meeting the pension obligations. It also aims to bring pension funds under private-sector management.

    A summary of PRA 2004 as contained in Schedule 3 of the Act says PRA 2004  “seeks to establish Contributory Pension Scheme for employees in the Public Service of the Federation, Federal Capital Territory and private sectors in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” The objectives of the PRA’04, as stated in Section 2 of the Act, are to: Ensure that every person who worked either in the public service of the Federation, Federal Capital Territory or the private sector receives his entitlement as and when due; Assist improvident individuals by ensuring that they save in order to cater for their livelihood during old age; and Establish a uniform set of rules, regulations and standards for administration and payment of retirement benefits for the public service of the Federation, Federal Capital Territory and the private sector.

    The essential provisions of the new pension scheme designed to achieve the above objectives include mandatory coverage of all employees in organisations employing five or more persons in both the private and public sectors of the economy; employers and employees each contribute to the pension fund a minimum of 7.5 per cent of total emolument of the employee; an employer shall maintain a life insurance policy for each employee for a minimum of three times the annual total emolument of the employee and, in the event of the death of an employee, his entitlements under the life insurance policy shall be paid into his Retirement Savings Account (RSA).

    Other provisions of the PRA 2004 Act include that the employer and employee contributions shall be tax-deductible expenses in the calculation of income tax liabilities; every employee shall maintain an RSA in his name with any pension fund administrator (PFA) of his choice into which will be paid his pension fund contributions and accrued incomes from investments thereof; PFAs, licensed by the PenCom, are the only institutions to manage pension funds as from the commencement of the Act.; Pension funds and assets are to be held only by pension fund custodians (PFCs) licensed by the PenCom;  the PFA chooses a PFC to which the employer’s and the employee’s contributions are remitted by the employer to the exclusive order of the PFA.

    Under the new pension scheme, it is expected that all incomes earned from investments of pension funds are to be placed to the credit of individual RSA holders after deducting clearly defined and reasonable fees, charges, costs and expenses of transactions made by the PFA and no withdrawals shall be made from the balance standing to the credit of the RSA of an employee except on his retirement or on attaining the age of 50 years (whichever is later) and such withdrawal can be for programmed monthly or quarterly withdrawal calculated on the basis of an expected life span or for the purchase of an annuity for life from a life insurance company licensed by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) with monthly or quarterly payments.

    For public service employees transiting to the new pension scheme, their rights to retirement benefits shall be recognized in the form of an amount acknowledged through the issuance of a bond to be known as Federal Government Retirement Bonds (FGRB) respectively, in favour of individual employees if they have an unfunded pension scheme and Public servants with a funded scheme converting to the new pension system shall have their RSA credited with any funds to which each employee is entitled and, in the event of insufficiency, the shortfall shall immediately become a debt of the relevant employer and be treated with same priority as salaries owed.

    It was also noted that existing pension schemes in the private sector, which resemble the scheme envisaged in PRA’04 would continue to exist; otherwise they would be modified to comply with the PRA 2004. The PRA2004 requires all pension schemes in the private sector to be fully funded. The Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) shall cease to take contributions from workers with the commencement of PRA 2004 and shall make arrangements to transfer funds contributed and any attributable income thereof not required for the purpose of administering minimum pension as determined by PenCom, to their RSA accounts.  All pension funds and assets held and managed by NSITF shall be transferred to a custodian, as from the commencement of the Act and Pension funds and assets can only be invested in certain specified instruments. PenCom shall also undertake yearly inspection, examination or investigation of PFAs, PFCs, or the Pension Department to determine whether or not they are discharging their functions as set out in the PRA 2004.

    The benefits of the new pension scheme are enormous. Banks could witness enormous deposit growth from placement of pension funds in fixed deposits and from more regular payment of pension entitlements of existing pensioners. Also, the range of instruments on which pension funds can be invested means that the PRA’04 would boost the demand for saving products developed by banks. The new pension scheme is expected to generate N60 billion in contributions every year, it is expected that the growing and stabl mandatory purchase of life insurance policies by employers for their workforce.  In a few years time, when people begin to retire under the new pension system, the use of accumulated funds in individual RSAs to purchase annuities from insurance companies would also provide another major elixir for insurance business in Nigeria. It is appropriate at this time of expanding opportunities for insurance business that consolidation is taking place in the industry to foster well-capitalized and liquid insurance companies that could settle claims promptly.

    Stock broking firms stand to profit from the higher business volumes which the increased transactions on retirement bonds, corporate bonds and equities consequent upon the higher capital market operations that increased pension funds would engender. Similarly, mortgage and property development firms would experience greater profitable long-term opportunities for their real estates and commercial property development schemes as an increased build-up of pension funds forces pension fund managers to seek more and safer inflation-proof outlets for their funds by investing in these schemes.

    The challenge in Nigerian economy is that government has been financing infrastructure. In most part of the world, pension funds, because they are long term investment vehicles are the best source of investment for infrastructure like power, airport or road. The new pension scheme is a platform that can allow the private sector to take a lead and the government to provide a mechanism that would allow public/private partnerships to finance critical national infrastructure.

  • Etisalat introduces Easywallet Mobile Money

    Etisalat Nigeria has launched easywallet mobile money service, a secure and user-friendly SIM Application for Mobile Money payments and transfers. Easywallet, which is offered in partnership with leading Nigerian banks including FirstBank, GTBank, Stanbic IBTC and Zenith, is a more convenient and secure platform which allows Etisalat customers’ easy access to their preferred mobile money scheme for conducting secure money transfers and payments.

    With easywallet, Etisalat aims to bring mobile money closer to the customer and drive the CBN’s cash-less policy by growing the use of mobile payments and making it easy to use.

    The launch of easywallet is a landmark in Nigeria and progress towards mobile money adoption, as it is the first fully secure Mobile Money SIM application offered to customers with the easywallet application installed on their SIM cards. This unique application supports multiple languages – English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba and works across all makes and models of phones, smartphones and even tablet devices.

    Speaking at the media launch held at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos, Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Steven Evans, said the company’s strategy is to be a leader in providing its customer with cutting edge and secure channels for Mobile Financial Services.

    “Research has shown that mobile-banking and mobile-payments can help lower the transaction costs of money transfer, increase the flow of money by making it easier to send smaller amounts and introduce those without bank accounts to a means of secure financial management. By enabling people to use their mobile phones as mobile wallets, we hope to deliver lasting benefits not just for our customers, but also for the Nigerian economy.

    We believe the benefits of Etisalat easywallet to our customers will be immense and also has the potential to transform the way we handle and manage money in Nigeria. Mobile phones have already improved the African way of life in so many ways and it is exciting to think it now has the potential to replace notes and coins and give all of our customer’s access to world-class banking services”.

    Explaining the features of easywallet, Chief Commercial Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Wael Ammar said: “Easywallet allows users an easy and secure way to perform financial services using their mobile phones from any part of the country. This service works on all Etisalat SIM cards and customers are only required to register with any of the schemes in order to start using easywallet. Customers are not charged from their airtime for any transactions from the mobile money SIM menu.”

    Etisalat customers using the easywallet service are able to pay bills, pay for goods and services, receive and send money to friends and family, send and receive money to bank accounts, withdraw cash, top up their own airtime account or top up someone else’s and manage their bank accounts.

  • Nokia unveils Asha Smart phones

    Global phone manufacturer, Nokia has launched in Nigeria, a new range of Asha smartphones to further expand its successful Asha family.

    There are 10 Asha devices available in more than 130 markets, providing young, social consumers with a choice of phones to match their lifestyles.

    Speaking at the launch of the new range, Mr Kesiena Ogbemi, Campaign Marketing Manager, said the two new phones; Nokia Asha 305 and 311 are full-touch devices designed to provide an incredibly rich, smartphone-like experience to consumers who want to be set free from excessive data consumption costs and short battery life.

    While the Nokia Asha 305 is a fun and affordable phone, featuring the exclusive Easy Swap dual SIM, Nokia Asha 311 is a fast and fluid 3.5G capacitive touchscreen device, powered by a 1GHz processor to provide a great internet experience. Both devices offer a new, fully re-designed touch user interface, combining the proven ease-of-use from Nokia’s heritage with digital design innovations specifically fit for the purpose.

    “By introducing the Nokia Asha 305 and 311 Touch phones to the Nigerian market, we’re accelerating our commitment to connect the next billion consumers. These phones deliver on what young, urban people value most — a great-looking device; and an intuitive and affordable experience for connecting through the internet, to their friends and to a world of entertainment, web apps and content.” said Olajide Adeyemi, Retail Marketing Manager, Nokia West- Africa.

    Adeyemi said buyers of Nokia Asha 305 and 311 will be qualified for an amazing 30-day promo, starting from September 18. Every day of the promo, consumers who send the IMEI numbers on the pack of their purchased phones to 20050 will stand the chance of winning any of these; a trip to Dubai, Children’s school fees support, Lagos Business School short course, a sofa set, Airtime for six months, movie pass for two people for a year, a shopping voucher at Shoprite or Twice as Nice, a Nokia Lumia 9000, a Nokia 808 PureView, six months weekly voucher, a 6kva generator, a luxury watch, a DSTV PVR and one year subscription, an inverter, a High Definition TV, a five burner gas cooker, a refrigerator, a weekend stay at an Upscale hotel, a laptop, a home theatre system, a microwave oven or luxury Swarovski earrings amongst others.

  • Is this house safe?

    No. There is no safe house. No house, no matter how protected, is safe. Every house, even Aso Rock or the White House, is vulnerable to internal and external attacks. External attack is not as deadly as internal attack. That is because the defense mechanisms within a house could withstand and stave-off the firepower of external aggression to the extent that the attackers could surrender, lay down their arms and take to their heels.

    On the other hand, internal attack is the most vicious. Why? If there is no hatred, haggling and hassling within the file and rank of a household, external force cannot penetrate. In other words, if there were sound unity within the walls of a family, such a family would be indivisible. However, if a kingdom rises against its king, such a kingdom would collapse quickly than sand castle. If a wife joins hands with her children and in-laws against her husband, he would lose. If there are dissenting voices in a church with evil intent,peace cannot reign. If a company board turns the boardroom into a war-room there would be an implosion.

    That is because in a household, a kingdom or a marriage, there are deep-seated feelings, shared secrets and happy moments. When members of the community are united, there would be unguarded moments; moments when the parties are relaxed, reclined, and released. Usually, that is when the enemy within strikes. Aside, the mere fact that the culprit understands workings of the ‘house’ like the back of his hands makes the household an easy prey.

    This was the story of ‘Safe House,’ a movie starring Ryan Reynolds (a CIA rookie overseeing a Safe House in Cape Town, South Africa) and Denzel Washington (CIA’s most wanted rogue agent). In the movie, Washington was captured and driven to a Safe House: a house known to a privileged few and is safe from external aggressions; or so the CIA thought. However, mercenaries who needed Washington struck and overtook the Safe House. Bruised and battered, Reynolds and Washington managed to escape.

    To be at peace, they need to do two things quickly: Stay out of the gunmen’s sight. Find another Safe House. Did they succeed? Yes, they found another Safe House. However, no, they could not stay out of the gunmen’s sight. Why? Washington, an international criminal, had files from renegade MI6 agent. The CIA wanted the files because the content could incriminate a top-level officer.Therefore, the files must be retrieved. The custodian of the files killed. That is why mercenaries were after Washington.

    To lure him closer, the bigwig in the CIA created a semblance of security around him by asking Reynolds to take him to another Safe House. Reynolds did not know what was at stake. Washington knew. Meanwhile, the bigwig inside CIA controlled every move, every attack, and every gun-duel. The big wig was fighting from within. He was the insider enemy. He collaborated with external power to attack the CIA and turned the Safe House into an abattoir. When the Safe House was attacked again, Reynolds found himself on the run with Washington in tow.

    They were running from enemy within and the mercenaries. As Washington told Reynolds in Safe House, “no one is safe.”Exact picture was painted in the US Consulate in Benghazi (Libya) recently where several American citizens and Ambassador Christopher Stevens were killed when gunmen attacked a Safe House. The attackers were protesting against a movie, which depicts Prophet Muhammad in bad light. The concern here is how did gunmen know about the location of that Safe House in Benghazi?

    Definitely, there are enemies within the US Consulate working with the mob. Otherwise, it is usually near impossible for an outsider to have information about the location and security apparatus in place in an environment designed as a secure location. For, after the US officials had evacuated the Consulate by Libyan security forces, another wave of attacks were launched against US officials who had already been moved to a supposedly secure location.

    Just as investigators said in a recent report, the attack was “calculated and organised”. Meaning, the mob had prior, privileged information, someone working in the Consulate with links with the mob spilled the bean. That is what makes an enemy within deadly. It strikes any time, when you are relaxed, reclined and released. That is what makes Boko Haram deadly too. It is an enemy within and without. It has links with some insiders. That is why Boko Haram attacks are usually “well planned.”

    Boko Haram has attacked newspaper houses, churches, mosques, Police formation and other places in the country. However, the recent attack on telecommunications installations in the northern part of the country is further pointer that there is an enemy within. The implication of the attack is to severe communication flow, make it impossible for people and security operatives to dialogue, and thus paralyse activities in that region. Knowing the importance of telecommunication, the act of destroying the installations is targeted at the nation. Such thinking and action may not be too sophisticated for the sect to conceive and execute.

    Nevertheless, it is an insider’s job. Someone or group on the inside is aiding the sect to perpetrate violent acts on the outside.In that light, Nigeria could be likened to a house and Boko Haram as the external aggression with help from the inside. As long as the collaborator within is uncovered, this house is not safe. Once our house is not safe, we, the occupants have no respite. As such, the insiders [who benefits from the acts of terrorism undertaken by Boko Haram] need to be over-powered. That is when the Boko Haram sect, its mindless act of maiming and killing would be forgotten like vapour.

    In Safe House, Reynolds and Washington were running from the mercenaries, from gunmen.We all might as well start runningnow. If I cannot make a call to friends and family in the north and they too cannot reach me, are we not back to the dark days? MTN, Airtel, Glo and Etisalat have invested heavily to ensure telecommunication is as seamless as possible.

    Quality of service may not be as perfect, tariff may not be as friendly, but we can comfortably make local and international calls from our bedrooms. What does Boko Haram sect have in mind by bombing the telecommunication installations? Does it want to make it impossible for you and me to communicate; or, it would rather return the nation to the dark pre-NITEL days?

    Whatever is its agenda, we need to resist Boko Haram. The security operatives should re-strategise with the view to burying Boko Haram. If it cannot be buried, curtail it. If it cannot be curtailed, I do not know what else to do.

    However, this I know: we need a hero, a hero to demystify Boko Haram, a hero to kill the wolf in sheep clothing in our barn, a hero to arrest the enemy within, and a hero to stop the blood-sucking god that is Boko Haram. That is what Reynolds did in Safe House. That is what our hero needs to do to make this house safe for you and me.

  • MDA 6: Which family wears the crown?

    Tomorrow, the best dancing family will emerge in the Maltina Dance All (MDA) family reality television show season six.

    The winning family will get a brand new car and N6 million cash, the first and second runners up will take home N1 million and N500,000.

    The MDA is sponsored by Maltina, a premium non-alcoholic malt brand from the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc. After a rigorous and intensive competition process spanning more than a month, five families; the Efiokwu, Green, Eghove, Boyle and Zibe families qualified for the grand finale taking place at The Expo Centre, Eko Hotel and Suites.

    The race started on September 2, with 10 families in the picture; however, five families were unable to survive the various dance styles that were introduced in the MDA Academy: the “Wazobia” (contemporary Nigerian dances), Salsa, Pantomime, Gumboot, Hip-hop and Contemporary African dance styles.

    The five families that made it to this level were able to survive the six different dance styles. From the 10 families that made it to the academy, the first set to be evicted were the Ozurumba and Nwogwugwu families; they failed to convince the judges after the Wazobia and Salsa performances. The Wazobia performance had placed the Ozurumba and Nwogwugwu families for eviction while the salsa performance placed the Okasia family as the only family up for possible eviction.

    The second phase of the show was the contemporary African and Gumboot dances. After the performance, the Amilo and Onyebuagu families were put up for possible eviction. They could, however, not survive at the eviction showdown and were asked to leave the academy after gumboot performance. At the eviction show the four families came back to compete and the judges did what had never been done before in the history of Maltina Dance All as they saved two families – the Onyebuagu and Efiokwu families – and gave the audience an opportunity to vote between the Amilo and the Okasia families. The live audience voted the Okasia family back into the academy kicking the Amilo family out of the academy.

    After the second eviction show, the families were introduced to the last two dance styles which will usher them to the grand finale, the Hip-hop and Pantomime dance styles. After the hip-hop performance the Zibe and Okasia families were put up for eviction making it the third time the Okasia family was up for eviction. After the Pantomime performance, the Onyebuagu and Boyle families were placed on possible eviction making it the first time the Boyle family will fall into this category.

    The Onyebuagu and Okasia families, however, failed to convince the judges and they were evicted from the academy setting the stage for the five remaining families to compete for the grand prize.

    The families expressed their joy and promised to make it through the grand finale. Ifeoma Efiokwu, the family representative of the Efiokwu family promised to give her best and said: “being in the grand finale is a dream come true for my family and I and by the special grace of God we are going to come out with our best dance ever”.

    Mrs. Ngozi Nkwoji, Senior Brand Manager, Maltina, said they undertook the journey because the brand’s story has always been the story of “sharing happiness” within the Nigerian family and beyond with emphasis on the values of friendship, trust, togetherness and faithfulness. “It is all about bringing the family together in an atmosphere of friendship and bonding with other families so that as units they can share common problems and ideas effectively throughout their time at the academy and beyond. We are very passionate about the family institution and we will do the little we can as a responsible corporate entity to ensure that the institution continues to remain relevant because a healthy and sound family system will resonate on the nation as a whole, the family unit is the bedrock of any society.”

    She stressed that Maltina is interested in equipping parents and their children that come to the academy to be relevant to the society they are moving into.

    “Our motive is to equip them effectively to confront and proffer solutions to some of the everyday challenges we face in life and for them to use what they garner in the academy to help other families in the society and what better way to do it than through dance which is a concept that transcends tribe, religion, culture and what have you. Dancing has the capacity of drawing people together.”

  • James Bond stars in new global Heineken campaign

    Heineken, the world’s leading premium beer, brand, has unveiled a thrilling new TV and digital campaign, in anticipation of the release of the 23rd James Bond adventure, SKYFALLℱ. In the film, Daniel Craig will bring his explosive portrayal of James Bond to a Heineken ad for the very first time. Challenging consumers to defy his enemies and ‘Crack the Case’, viewers will be taken on an epic train journey alongside stunning Bond newcomer BĂ©rĂ©nice Marlohe.

    Launch yesterday, the interactive experience begins exactly where the TV advert leaves off, with viewers invited onto a train by the smouldering BĂ©rĂ©nice before it embarks on a voyage through a spectacular vista of snowy mountains. Putting viewers through their paces, a series of gruelling tests will lead them to ‘Crack the Case’ whilst protecting its contents from ferocious Bond villains.

    Building on a 15-year relationship with the Bond franchise, the ‘Crack the Case’ campaign takes viewers into a moving train somewhere deep in snow-covered mountains, providing them with the opportunity to be a secret agent themselves. Transitioning viewers seamlessly from the TVC, Bond actress BĂ©rĂ©nice Marlohe tantalises viewers by inviting them to help her crack a mysterious case and outwit the menacing villains – a challenge which encourages a virtual voyage of participation and discovery.

    The ‘Crack the Case’ campaign was created by advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam. The campaign TV ad, full details of which will only be revealed in time for September 20th launch, was directed by award winning Dutch filmmaker Matthijs Van Heijningen Jnr.

    Igniting global excitement and driving mass participation, an exclusive online teaser will be released ahead of the campaign launch on 20th September to a pocket of global super fans of Bond, incentivising these top fans to watch the TVC once it launches and leaving them wanting more.

    In addition to exploding conversation across digital, social and owned media platforms, the offline execution of ‘Crack the Case’ will bring the drama of the virtual experience ‘live’ to a broader audience across the globe in October. Several markets will host unique Heineken¼ experiences in iconic locations, inviting members of the public to test their nerve, win exclusive prizes and share in the excitement of the global release of SKYFALL this fall.

    Alexis Nasard, Chief Commercial Officer of HEINEKEN said: “The creativity and progressiveness of the Heineken¼ brand combined with the legendary James Bond franchise will provide viewers with high entertainment values. Not only a hero, Bond is the ultimate ‘Man of the World’ – confident, resourceful and ready for new experiences, personifying the values of the Heineken¼ brand.”