The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Influential

  • Afe Babalola among Africa’s most influential persons, says Adams

    Afe Babalola among Africa’s most influential persons, says Adams

    • ABUAD founder backs OPC chief as Aare Ona Kakanfo-designate

    The Aare Ona Kakanfo-designate of the Yoruba, Gani Adams, has said the founder of Afe Babalola University in Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), is “one of the most influential people in Africa”.

    Adams, who toured ABUAD yesterday when he visited Babalola with his entourage, also described the eminent lawyer as “an illustrious son of the Yoruba nation”.

    The Aare Ona Kakanfo-designate described the ABUAD Teaching Hospital as a world-class health institution that can end medical tourism among Nigerians.

    He urged the hospital’s management to charge fees that poor Nigerians can afford.

    The Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) coordinator said he was at ABUAD to seek Babalola’s advice as he prepared for his installation as the Aare Ona Kakanfo of the Yoruba on January 15.

    Adams said: “I came to seek elderly wisdom from Chief Afe Babalola, who is considered to be one of the most influential people in Africa.

    “He’s not only as legal luminary but also as somebody who has done a lot to unify the Yoruba nation.

    “I am here for his advice. He has taught me a lot about the history of the Yoruba race. For you to be put in an influential position and you don’t know the history of the Yoruba, you will not be resourceful.

    “He has taught me, even post-installation agenda, because it is one thing to be installed as the Aare Ona Kakanfo and it is another thing to perform in that position.

    “I am here to see an illustrious son of the Yoruba nation. I begged Baba not to relent on his efforts regarding the unity of the race. The Yoruba nation is great with about 250 million people across the world:  those in Nigeria are just 60 million; those in the Caribbean countries are about 100 million. In Brazil, with over 200 million people, the Yoruba are about 18 per cent of that population.”

    On his impression of ABUADTH, Adams said: “Afe Babalola University Teaching Hospital will become a medical tourist destination with the kind of equipment I saw here. I can compare it with the one I saw in Germany.

    “Afe Babalola University Teaching Hospital will ease the problems of health challenges in the Southwest and other parts of Nigeria.

    “I have just appealed to the management that it should allow the fee to be moderate. With the kind of equipment I saw there, I can imagine what a patient will pay for a medical check-up. We don’t need to check out again for medical check-up with what is in the teaching hospital.”

    Babalola said: “Everybody knows he (Adams) has been nominated by the Alaafin as the next Aare Ona Kakanfo. He came personally to give me my invitation to attend his installation. I am 100 per cent in support of the appointment of Gani Adams by the Alaafin.

    “If you followed the history of this young man, he has been very dynamic, highly focused. I think this is part of the characteristics that made Alafin to appoint him.

    “My advice to him is that he is holding a very sensitive position in Yoruba land, the position held by great people who made Yoruba a nation. He will continue to do what others before him did: think of making the race greater and to defend its cause.”

  • FUNKE AKINDELE IS 2016 MOST INFLUENTIAL YOUNG NIGERIAN

    FUNKE AKINDELE IS 2016 MOST INFLUENTIAL YOUNG NIGERIAN

    CROSS-OVER actress Funke Akindele, one of the strong faces for endometriosis campaign in Nigeria, has been voted as the 2016 Most Influential Young Nigerian in a public ranking poll by reputable rating establishment; Avance Media.

    The actress who is known for her lead role in the TV series ‘Jenifa’s Diary’, was stated to have made lots of waves in the entertainment industry in 2016.

    The actress is reported to have gotten more accolades as she also got voted as the 2016 Most Influential Young Nigerian in the Entertainment Industry.

    The ranking which features 100 young Nigerians between the ages of 15 to 40 was launched by Avance Media in 2016 and drew participation from over 80 countries across the world who voted for the 100 nominees to make up the final selections.

  • ‘MTN’s Nigeria’s most influential brand’

    • Milo, Close-Up, Coca Cola, others on the list

    For the first time in five years, a research firm, Ipsos Marketing, has listed MTN, Milo, Close-Up, Coca Cola, Peak Milk, Indomie, Etisalat, Bournvita, Omo and Maltina as Nigeria’s 10 most influential brands.

    According to Ipsos, the brands were selected in a survey involving 1,000 Nigerians who assessed 100 brands based on various parameters, such as influence, trustworthiness, leading edge and corporate citizenship.

    However, during the survey, which was administered on consumers in Lagos, Kano, Rivers, Enugu, Bauchi and Abuja, MTN ranked number one, followed by Milo, Close-Up, Coca-Cola and Peak Milk.

    Indomie was sixth; Etisalat (7th); Bournvita (8th); Omo (8); and Maltina (10th).

    “Beyond our own measures, metrics, and surveys, there are a number of other factors very much related to brand influence. Influential brands invest, and this investment pays dividends. A number of the Most Influential Brands have healthy media spend levels. In other markets, Influential brands also show positive trends in share price. When comparing the growth of the DOW/ NASDAQ over the past several years with the stock of our Top Ten Most Influential Brands, it is clear that influential brands have more value and that this is consistently the case,” the survey stated.

    However, each of the brands is the only selected product in its category except MTN and Etisalat which operate in the same category.

    “For the first time in the five years of this global study, we traversed the country to ask 1000 Nigerians to assess 100 brands. We spoke to Nigerians in Lagos, Kano, Rivers, Enugu, Bauchi and Abuja, males and females, aged 18 to 65 years. The selection criteria for a brand to make the list of 100 were based on media spends and also factors such as market share and penetration across Nigeria. What follows next is our Top 10 countdown overall influence index score and the top three influence drivers associated with each brand. We also include some of our own thoughts about why these brands performed so well in this year’s study,” the report stated.

    Underscoring the heritage of the brands, Ipsos said all but two of the brands in the Top 10 were established before the 21st century, adding that these brands have been around for so long and have made themselves ‘part of the family” that Nigerians forget that they are actually foreign brands.

    It also stated that the top 10 brands are big advertising spenders hence bringing positive results to their table in the ranking. “Nigeria’s top Influential brands are all heavy spenders in the advertising and sponsorship space. They are spending millions of Naira every year to continue to be visible to consumers. Continuous innovation and Visibility – Influential brands are still around and successful because they have not rested on their past triumphs but continue to look for ways to remain visible, and above all relevant,” it stated.

  • Sobanjo is Africa’s Most Influential Personality in Advert

    Advertising czar, Mr. Biodun Sobanjo, has been presented with the Most Influential Personality in Advertising in Africa Award.

    The event held at the Third African Development (ADM) Award of Excellence in Development (Ghana 2014) at Novotel Hotel, Accra, Ghana.

    According to Ayo Ilesanmi, Chief Executive Officer, Playhorse Communications Limited, publishers of the ADM Magazine, the awards’ organisers highlighted that Sobanjo was counted worthy of the award ‘in appreciation of his contributions to the advertising industry in Africa.’

    According to Ilesanmi, it has become necessary for African leaders to refocus on the continent so as not to reinforce the stronghold of neocolonialists that emphasise on minor divisive tendencies to milk Africa. “There is no better time for business leaders of African origin to position to harness the economic strengths of domestic economies of the nation states of Africa. No one else is going to develop Africa but Africans,’’ he said.

    He explained that acknowledging giant strides of illustrious sons and daughters of Africa was ADM’s small way of thanking those who have demonstrated faith in developing Africa by investing their God-given resources in the hope that it gingers both present and coming generations to walk in the steps of worthy leaders.

    “We hope to grow the awards to motivate Africans so that people can aspire to earning it through diligence and honesty in the coming years. That way, worthy leaders become role models and inspiration for African development,”said Ilesanmi.

    The award was chaired by Ing Robert Wood, chairman of Fateco Limited, Ghana.

    The next edition of the awards is billed for Nairobi, Kenya.