Category: Brand week

To become iconic brands leading their categories, experts have advised businesses to develop their manpowers. They concluded that since workers were ambassadors of companies, their quality training speaks volumes of companies’ brands.

At interactive lectures, hosted recently by Tom Associates, a business consulting firm in Lagos, HR professionals spoke on cutting- edge methods for getting the best out of employees, materialising employees’ potential, and by doing so, revamping the images of businesses.

The Human Resource Director of Guinness Nig. Plc. Mr Wale Adediran said: “Human capital development is a competitive edge to be leveraged by businesses. It is a key differentiator. It helps brands to standout.” He explained to the audience, some of whom are his peers leading human resources departments of well-known companies, that though the methods employed may seem generic, however some tweaking could be done to make it better.

Mr. Adediran proposed a middle ground of partnering with businesses that are into human capital development, rather than training the employees in-house or leaving them entirely in the hands of training vendors who might not understand the specific know-hows to be imparted. He however emphasised that the collaboration must be floated within feasible budget range.

He expatiated, “In partnering with businesses to help them train their employees effectively, a confidentiality agreement could be reached by both parties whereby companies would freely divulge information that will enable (third party) trainers instill the right training in employees to boost revenue and brand. This is not so when their is no partnership: companies only provide anecdotal evidence and have no real data to support their ROI arguments. The data is there, but HR doesn’t know where to find it. This impedes human capital development.”

He rounded off, “Since training budget is usually the first to be sacrificed in the face of budget-cut, human capital development professionals should make their work count to foster relevance.”

Director of Human Resources Department, Central Bank of Nigeria, Ms. Chizoba Mojekwu, had a similar approach to improving business brands: “The engagement of HR with stakeholders to develop manpower”. She said, “In private sector, good communication with stakeholders is pertinent if the organisation involved must succeed at what it sets out to do. As manpower development professionals, our engagement with our internal and external stakeholders will determine our effectiveness and define how efficient we are. It justifies our being accepted as business partners with our various organisations.”

She said all parties must be ready to lay bare on all necessary aspects crucial to meeting the goals of manpower development.

Ms. Mojekwu and Mr. Adediran both also emphasised on the strategic execution of human capital development by making it an academically evolving exercise rather than the prevalent traditional and rigid practices that ought to have been confined to the past.

Since the unfortunate crash of one of its planes in Lagos on June 3, last year, Dana Airlines has been in the eye of the storm both within the public and private sectors of the economy. More so, its recent recertification and commencement of operations triggered even more controversy in some quarters. Given this scenario, the airline’s corporate communications manager , Tony Usidamen, in this interactive session with brand writers at its office penultimate week explained why the Dana Air brand does not need to rebrand.

Given the magnitude of the tragedy, which definitely would have impacted negatively on brand Dana Air, are you thinking of rebranding?

A- It’s a very unfortunate incident that affected lots of people. But as safe as the aviation is, as per global statistics, it is still not 100 per cent accident free. As a result, accidents have been recorded in different parts of the world, including Nigeria.

In Europe, in the recent history of aviation, between 2008 and 2009, Air France and BA that suffered similar incident too did not have to change the names of their airlines. And if we come locally as well there was an airline that suffered a crash and continued with its operations with the same name and months after, for commercial reason, the management decided to rest the operations of the airline. So, management can decide for different reasons to either retain the name of an airline or change the name or re-brand as it were.

The only airline that we know that has changed name, did that because that airline was indicted because the processes and systems were grossly inadequate.  So, the airline wanted to get away from the link with that name. But most of these incidents sometimes are not due to the fact that the airline was not doing something right. When you change a name sometimes there might be a bad connotation, people might think well maybe they are doing something wrong.

Before the incident Dana Airline had a good reputation and so far the preliminary report, released by the only official body that can produce a report, the AIB, has never said anything to the contrary. So at the moment one can still rest on that reputation that we had, since no report has so far shown any deficiency on the airline.

We believe that we have nothing to hide, even though re-branding can’t be a good strategy. In the case of Dana we’ve decided to continue our operations with the same name, and the onus is on us to prove to the travelling public and allay the fears that they have, regarding the unfortunate incident. From the management perspective, we are not looking at re-branding, based on the reputation we have built over the years, based on the fact that the preliminary investigation report released so far, has not indicted the airline, in any way in its processes. This is why we are continuing operations with our name for now

There are allegations that the Dana brand is not demonstrating enough sympathy to the families and relations of the air crash?

After the incident, we tried to visit every family, from the Managing Director, Deputy Managing Director down. Everybody was part of the visit. Some were not prepared to see us, while some said I don’t want your money, even though we still went to the funerals. While I agree that a lot of things could have been done better, but in terms of funeral there are certain things we couldn’t do, even though we wanted to.

There were two things at the back of our minds in the communication we have been rolling out since the accident. First, assist the families of the victims as much as possible. This we communicated and tried to demonstrate in all the things that we do in the aftermath of the accident. Besides the visits made by everybody including directors of the company to the families, we also put in place processes to ensure that, even though money cannot bring back the dead, what they are due, they get. Just to ensure that as much as it is possible for a human being to do, we can make the process easier on the family.

Nothing that we could have done that would have brought back their loved ones, but we wanted to be there for them as much as we could. So besides the visits, we opened channels of communication for them. We had  toll-free numbers that they could call. Even before a lot of people started talking about compensation, we had started calling on the victims’ next of kins to please come forward because we understand our duties to them and we were willing to fulfil them. And this was why immediately after the incident; we took the decision to suspend our operations even before the directive from the federal government came.

Why did it take Dana Airline six months to regain  its operational licence?

This is one question we ourselves seem to be asking. What happened to us is an aberration from the norm. In strict aviation guidelines and rules, you do not ground an airline after the incident. Interestingly to the question of cost, this is not a subject we can talk about now because it’s an insult to the memories of people who lost their lives. For us we are not concerned really with how much money we have lost so far. The greatest loss to us is not money but families that we lost because at Dana Air, we consider all our guests as part of the Dana family. So, losing part of our family and our colleagues is our greatest loss. So the greatest loss to us is not money.

What are the strategies that would re-ignite customers’ passion in the Dana brand?

There is no extra ordinary strategy that we adopted, but we hope to keep the information flow as much as possible. May be we have not done enough in that regard, but we need to do a lot in pushing information on everything that we are doing out there. A lot of perception right now is based on inadequate understanding of how the aviation industry works, and secondly, sundry issues like accident investigations, people don’t understand.

Nigeria’s leading computer-based testing and talent management firm, Dragnet Solutions, has appointed Mediacraft Associates its PR agency.

This appointment, according to Dragnet’s Managing Director, Mr. Robert Ikazoboh, is a significant step in establishing the company as the most advanced computer-based testing company as well as a leading provider in technology- based screening and integrity solutions.

He said: “Without a doubt, we are Nigeria’s fastest growing computer-based testing and talent management company. In five years, we have grown to establish ourselves as a force to be reckoned with in computer based tests and examinations; technology based people screening solutions; e-recruitment as well as scholarship and bursary management. Despite all our achievements, we remain driven to move to the next level. That is why we decided to engage the services of one of the most professional PR and IMC companies in the country.”

The Chief Executive Officer of Mediacraft Associates, Mr John Ehiguese, said his firm was excited to working with Dragnet Solutions which he described as a “young, vibrant and innovative brand with a vision of revolutionising processes and systems.”

He said: “We are truly excited at the prospect of working with Dragnet Solutions. Dragnet may only be five years old but they have done enough to cement their reputation among their target market as an innovative company. I am confident that Mediacraft Associates will justify the enormous confidence reposed in us by Dragnet Solutions and help grow the corporate brand and its products even more.”

Cadbury Bournvita Yummy Life Promotion has produced more winners in the Week 8 and 9 draws held last Friday at the company’s head office, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.

Odera Obidimma from Abuja and Nnaemeka Nnawube from Ebonyi won N1 million at the electronic draws witnessed by regulatory agencies and the media.

Other winners included Timothy Ilelaboye, a factory worker in Agbara, Lagos and Michael Ndukwe, a tricycle rider from Imo State, who won N250,000 each while seven others got N100,000 each.

The two new millionaires brings the number of winners of N1 million to nine.

Cadbury Marketing Director Dele Anifowose said: “With the level of participation by the consumers, the promo has achieved its objectives, which are to create excitement, delight and to reward consumers for their loyalty to the brand.”

Anifowoshe congratulated the winners, urging others to participate in the promo to by buying either the 900g or 450g packs.

The representative of Advertising Practitioner Council of Nigeria (APCON) at the event, Mr Akinnola Adewale, praised Cadbury Nigeria Plc for the transparent manner in which the draw was carried out.

Outdoor advertising has its challenges. Among these challenges are conflicting regulations and multiple taxation, huge debts and demolition of their billboards. In the face of all these, the practitioners are undaunted because business is booming. Raji Rotimi Solomon examines these challenges and projects into the industry’s future.

Forming perception about a brand and stamping it in the mind of a consumer is the ultimate goal of an advertising agency. One of the highly rated brand building tools is outdoor advertising.

The former president of Outdoor Advertising Agency Association of Nigeria (OAAN) Rafiu Ladipo said: “Out-of-Home (OOH) is attractive and strategic to mass communication, hence, there is the need to pay close attention to this medium.

“This is why this kind of advertising is in high demand as many companies worldwide maximise its productivity potential to the optimum. Its efficiency in driving brand consciousness is unquantifiable.”

Mr Charles Chijide, OAAN president, said operators are now cash-cows for some government agencies.

In the beginning

In the past, billboards were made of rusty poles and planks on which were pasted materials that peeled off under severe climatic conditions. Due to lack of proper regulation, billboards were planted indiscriminately around cities, highways and roads, constituting nuisance.

Some caused obstructions as a result of their dilapidating state, some poles were bent, some fell on major roads. Posters were pasted without checks. Under-bridges, Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) poles, culverts, bus-stop shelters and the rest served as pasting boards. Professionalism in the sector then was at an all time low. Only few practitioners followed the industry standard operating procedures.

Digital age evolution

Out of home advertising has gone beyond rusty poles signage in Nigeria. The major turnaround featured segmented scrolling billboards, unipoles, ultra waves, crossway billboards (gantries) backlit, Hexa signs and the latest of them is the light emitting diodes LED screen billboards. These evolutionary billboards designs are meant to make the outdoor advertising functions more effective, less stressful yet delivering value for money.

These latest electronically controlled billboards could be managed from the agencies office without any stress. Another advantage and a delight to clients is that it could also be monitored by the clients from their offices removing the hassle of going to spy on a billboards post for monitoring. Just like other digital innovations, this one also comes with accuracy, ease, speed and trend. This new technology provides aerial beautification.

Demolition spree

The first act of billboard demolition took place during the Raji Rasaki military regime. This action marked the beginning of billboard extermination in the country.

In 2006, there was massive demolition of billboards in Abuja. The exercise was aimed at sanitising the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), but the resultant effect was the agony it caused some outdoor agencies, some even filed for bankruptcy. In 2007, Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA) went on a crusade against billboards in the state.

This exercise made many OAAN members groan in agony. In August 2012, Kano State also embarked on a demolition expedition. The timely intervention of OAAN relieved practitioners of impending and inevitable heartache. The legal intervention was to forestall a reoccurrence of the Lagos billboard demolition saga which shook the industry violently.

The association dragged the urban planning and development authority to court. Boko Haram insurgency was another major challenge; the destruction of billboards in the northern state caused practitioners some millions.

In July 2012, the over flow of the Niger River caused a great flood which affected the middle belt states initially. Gradually this flood spread out to the east, southsouth. It was recorded to be one of the biggest flood disasters Nigeria has ever experienced after the 1969 flood. This flood was responsible for the collapse of so many billboards. This has been the ordeal of the outdoor advertising industry.

Challenges

The three tiers of government lay claim to the control and regulation of OOH, each grabbing a body part to tear. The local government has the power following Section 7(1) and (5) Paragraph Item (k) the fourth schedule of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution to regulate OOH, but the state and Federal Government struggle alongside the local government in generating revenues from practitioners. When all these government agencies levy their taxes and OOH practitioners are to pay, what is left as profit? Little wonder Chijide aptly described the industry as swimming in shark-infested waters.

Economic benefits of OOH

Chijide highlighted the following as benefit and impact of outdoor advertising in his speech during the 2012 advertising stakeholders forum.

• Outdoor advertising propels the growth of trade and commerce in peculiar ways that has endeared it to highly successful brands as a must-use.

• It is the second biggest contributor to objective-driven media engagement worldwide.

• It is the most enduring and most effective among advertising media options, for the reason that it is ubiquitous and reaches markets others cannot.

• It helps to properly target the mass market, reinforces brand availability and provides retailers with proof of marketing support.

• Outdoor advertising is the only vehicle of advertising that is active at all times.

• Outdoor advertising is, forever, committed to supporting brands through offering value-added services, especially within the Nigerian local market.

• Even within the limited and meager resources, coupled with stringent environmental conditions, and stifling statutory restrictions, outdoor advertising continues to make significant contributions to the national economy.

To add to this, OOH is a major employer of labour in the industry.

Resolution and projection

OAAN, joins and partners with international bodies and the industry now operate with international standards the president promise to keep such standards and to continually bring innovations that would drive the industry forward. The association also resolves to protect the interest of its members from various forms of extortions and actions that would kill the industry and practitioners.

Lastly we urge different government agencies to support the industry and apply leniency and consideration while carrying out their duties. 2013 would see to the birth of bigger and better innovations, we are ready to do more to better our brands and grow our economy if only we are given the chance to blossom and not strangled.

Ads are the same. They come in either living colour or black and white. People share similar attributes with ads. You are either black or white. While ads seek to sell products or services to satisfy brands aspiration, people buy goods and services to gratify their desire. Around the world, people’s needs are the same. That is why Nigerians connect easily with foreign ads. That is because people build ads, not machines. On the other side, contest this if you like, ads do not build brands. People do.

A brand that would not deliver what its ad promises cannot be built be another ad. The ad campaign commissioned by an internet service provider (ISP) is a pointer to this. The brand’s ad was engaging. The teaser was spot-on. It jiggled the target’s brain with series of quiz: What is the name of the fastest land animal? What is the name of the fastest bird in motion? What is the name of the fastest reptile?

To illustrate this, each ad in the series showed pictures of the fastest animals, suggesting that the product has the same credentials as these animals, as such; the market should rely on it to meet their particular needs. The ads ran for months. The brand promised the target the “fastest wireless broadband speed allowed by today’s technology”. The concept was to convince the customers and would-be customers that the product under the wrap is the fastest in its segment.

The same ad encouraged the target to take their productivity to the next level at home or office; everyone can share reliable high-speed broadband connection and instant Wi-Fi cloud on “your laptops, smartphones, and iPads and gaming consoles working at 4G speeds”. Like all good ads, this ad was riveting. Consumers were wondering what is going on. They were in the dark. They could not comprehend the brand’s logic; neither could they get out of the maze. However, in the passage of time, light shone at the end of the tunnel. The masquerade was unmasked.

The ad achieved its objective: sell the brand. However, the ad failed to take the brand further. That is because the product failed to deliver what it promised in the ad.  When a brand fails to match words with action, it all amounts to sweet nothing. All motion and no action, big hat, no cattle. The ISP actually promised 4G broadband speed. What this means in local parlance is that your car would travel on Third Mainland Bridge without any hindrances, both ways.

With that analogy, you get a clearer picture of how 4G works.  However, now imagine travelling on Third Mainland Bridge in the morning or any time and your car moves at a snail pace. Does that match the experience the brand promised in the ad? Let us take it further. You are a subscriber of this 4G stunt from this ISP. Your team of 10 executives were connected. Thinking the 4G would run at the speed of a Cheetah, you sent a JPEG picture to the team from out-field. 24 hours later the teams have not been able to download the picture. Hey, the picture resolution is high! Your colleagues screamed at you over the phone. You reduced the resolution and sent it again. The team got the same result.

Meanwhile, 72 hours later, you were back in the office. Got the picture? You asked your team. No. What is up? Trouble-shoot your laptop. The system engineer commanded.  It was done. You had the same experience. Desperately searching for a solution, you turned to your BB. Immediately, the picture came alive on your phone and you transferred it to your laptop. All within seconds! Now, mobile download is the option available to most Nigerians, including you.

Warning: There is a limit to what you can achieve with a mobile application. With a one-off, light download, there is no stress. Nevertheless, with the kind of business you engage in, where data, video and information stream out of you like a river, you need a robust 24/7 internet connectivity. When you do not have that, what can you do? You directed the question, this time, at your system engineer. He looked askance. That is one bad experience. However, the ads did not give you false expectations. The brand did. Therefore, the brand failed.

Do not go away. Before you got to this stage, the ISP had cutover your link to 4G without a prior notice. Not knowing that the ISP had played a fast one on you by pulling the plug of your 3G internet connection, you were “trouble shooting” and “searching for internet connection” where there was none. When you discovered this, the ISP asked you over the phone to connect to the 4G internet speed. The essence of such an investment in 4G is to boost content download and upload.

This is important to how business manages its information. If it is a business with an incredible richness of information like yours, then it is frustrating not having the internet access for a millisecond.  On that score, when you eventually obeyed the “4G order” you thought your life, your business, and your clients would never remain the same. It was never the same because after the connection, activities slowed and you spent your waking hours shuffling between Lagos Island – where the ISP has its office – mainland, your office.

In the ISP office, you noticed several hapless customers: Those without a voice, without options, and without a clue about what was going on. They sat comfortably, waiting for ‘good luck’. Some of these people were hopeful; others were hopeless; some were expectant; others were in suspense. The customer service executives were unfriendly [why customer service executives in most companies are like that beats me!]. They know what was going on. They know that the ISP sold 4G “dummy” modem to the subscribers. They could not tell you. They dare not tell you. Why they could not tell you, beats your imaginations. The look on their faces painted a sad story, a sad story of indifference, total lack of care.

In retrospect, their body language said, “Collect the 4G modem and leave our office. After all, before you know that the modem is not functioning, you would have got to your office and ….” Meanwhile, these customer service executives earn their salary from the subscription of these subscribers. If so, is it too much to show a little care, a little concern, a little compassion for a subscriber who had to leave her office early in the morning and queue up in order to collect the internet modem she had paid for?

The hours spent waiting in that ISP’s office could have been used for something meaningful such as rendering a service to a client, conducting a research online, attending a meeting that would translate to more business opportunities…. Excuse me! You ran after a matronly woman. Goodness, she is the marketing manager. Breathless, you could only mutter two words: Madam. Help. She ushered you into an air-conditioned office. She did not move. She listened to your woes. She promised to help. She promised she would help. Deliberately, that sentence came twice because she had not helped you at all. Till now.

Take a pause, please. The ads did not let down the subscribers. The brand ambassadors failed the subscribers. The people employed to build the brand through consistent service delivery let down the subscribers. Therefore, the brand promised what it cannot deliver, not the ad. Let us examine it. The ISP put out a paid ad, saying it is the fastest 4G broadband internet service provider in town. No problems.

Now, face to face with a manager who represents the face and voice of that ISP, what you got was yet another unfulfilled promise. Four weeks after the encounter, you still have not been able to browse, download or upload any information. Shhh, no, the ad did not tell lies. The ISP promised; the ISP failed. No, ads do not build brands; people build brands through consistent service delivery. Is the ad good in execution? Yes. Can the ISP win back the subscribers’ confidence? Yes. Can ads convince subscribers to return to the ISP? No. Can ads build this ISP? No. How can this ISP build its brand? Practice what you preach.

Indomie Instant Noodles, from the stable of DUFIL Prima Foods Plc, has added another feather to its cap. It clinched the Product Excellence Award category at the maiden edition of the Nigeria Consumer Award (NiCA) organised by the Consumers Protection Council (CPC).

Indomie Instant Noodles was bestowed with the award at an event held at the Ladi Kwali Hall, Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, having won among other notable brands shortlisted for the category.

Indomie was voted the best by consumers which was verified and authenticated by an award verification panel comprising members drawn from the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the Media, Organised Private Sector (OPS), the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

According to the Director-General of the CPC, Mrs. Ify Umenyi, “the Nigeria Consumer Award (NiCA) is an initiative instituted by the agency to bestow honour and recognition on corporate bodies that have offered products and services adjudged by the consuming public as embodying the highest standards.”

Mrs Umenyi noted that the maiden edition of the awards featured 14 categories which included: Service Excellence Awards, Product Excellence Awards, Consumer Rights Advocacy Awards, Corporate Social Responsibility Awards amongst others and the designation of some eminent Nigerians as Consumer Ambassadors.

The Chief Host of the awards, the Minister of Trade and Investment Mr Olusegun Aganga who was represented by the Minister of State in the ministry, Mr Samuel Ortom, explained that the need to ensure adequate protection for Nigerian consumers cannot be over emphasised. He urged manufacturers, brand custodians as well as service providers operating in the country to ensure that Nigerians are given the best in terms of products and service delivery at all times.

What informed the clamour for international hotel brands by investors and patrons in Nigeria in recent times? A cursory flashback into the history of hotel and hospitality branding in Nigeria would perhaps offer a ready answer. Nigeria’s oldest hotel, the Lagos Airport Hotels, Ikeja was established as Ann’s Inn in 1942 by a Briton, Sir Joseph Harold until it was bought over from him by the Odua Group of companies under the regime of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the then Western Region.

Since then, the Lagos Airport Hotel has gone through a series of transformation including a recent rebranding pact with a foreign partner to make it more competitive in the market. In 1960 at the dawn of Independence, the federal government set up the Federal Palace Hotel currently owned by the Ibru family. The Festac Hotel established in 1977 in commemoration of the black Africa Arts festival was recently ceded to the Golden Tullip Hotel Group, an international brand.

The acquisition of these hotel brands by reputable or global brands has its root in brand and branding. And this is because the hotel and hospitality business has a lot to do with experience.

And that’s why a tourist who once patronised a Sheraton in China will definitely find it more convenient to sleep in a Sheraton Hotel in Lagos. Giving reason for this consumer behaviour, the mercuric British entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin Group, Sir Richard Branson in his book, Business Stripped Bare said: “Brands, remember, are about meanings. Every brand means something, and nobody can ever really control all the meanings a brand acquires. Brands are ideas. They are tangles of association. They are dreams. Whatever your brand stands for, you have to deliver on the promise. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver, and deliver everything you promise.”

This brand experience underscores the reason why most Nigerian hoteliers now partner renowned global brands in branding their hotels. In marketing parlance, this term is described as franchising. And so what is in a name? A lot.

A marketable name will attract positive affectation from prospects. According to Al Ries and Jack Trout in the book, Positioning, “Choosing a name is like driving a racing car. To win, you have to take chances. A good name is the best insurance for long term success.”

Besides, a good name, the quality of offerings, management and staff play salient role in the hospitality business. In defining hotel business, Ken Ojerinde, a former managing director of Lagos Airport Hotel said: “A hotel is an enterprise that offers food, drinks and accommodation to people who desire such services and have the ability to pay for them. The person who runs such an outfit is a hotelier and what he does is hotel management.

If you have to take care of people, to take care of their comfort and make them feel like they are home away from home, then you must be a warm hearted, open-minded person who is always willing to put people’s needs above your convenience. You must be patient enough, willing to help and make the client comfortable even at great personal risk.

You need much strength and perseverance because there are difficult guests you must of necessity be able to manage. A hotelier’s job has a high content of public relations. Food and wine, drinks and accommodation are things that have different standards and are served under different conditions.”

In Nigeria today, aside from oil and gas, the hospitality and tourism sector is a veritable goldmine. Besides, the hospitality and tourism sector if well developed and managed is a potential vehicle for rebranding a nation.

According to Otunba Segun Runsewe, Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation NTDC), “Tourism is a veritable tool for rebranding a nation. It is also a multi-billion dollar spinning sector if well harnessed by stakeholders in the country. That’s why countries where tourism is appreciated and well developed, all the stakeholders and even the countries are better for it. And this is one of the reasons that informed our campaign that, ‘Oil exhaustible, tourism sustainable.’ By the time the country’s tourism is well developed, Nigeria can make more money from tourism than what it is currently making from oil.”

Indeed the hospitality and tourism play a very important role in destination branding. Countries like France, Island of Malta, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Gambia and South Africa have been leveraging on this to draw investments into their countries. As a tourism destination point a country will not only attract foreign investments, it will develop beyond the expectation of its citizenry. But for a country to be recognised and acclaimed as a tourist haven, the issue of security must be tackled with utmost seriousness by those in government. Hotels will not only boost the tourism industry, they are also going to help in the sustenance of the aviation industry.