‘Nigeria @56: We lost our values and we need them back very fast’

Akonte Ekine is the CEO of AbsolutePR, a foremost Public Relations agency based in Lagos. In this interview with Daniel Obi, he takes a critical review of  Nigeria brand as Nigeria marks  56 anniversary, its challenges and suggests way forward to getting the brand right. He said Nigeria has a challenge of  instant result, without building long term objectives. Excerpts

After 56 years, do you think Nigeria as a brand has been well managed?

We can only talk about a well-managed brand in the case of our country if we look at the starting point and set objectives against a backdrop of a vision: So what is the Nigeria vision established by our founders? That will be ideal to define our success rate in terms of brand management. However, if we look at the national anthem, the pledge and may be our constitution, we can draw some level of conclusion on the subject of the Nigeria brand and its vision. And even using those three documents we are far from a well-managed entity 

What are the challenges with Nigerian Brand?

The challenges are extremely enormous and they are all interesting. They are challenges that if we solve some of them properly and harness the potentials will turn us to one of the greatest on planet earth. The challenges are endless list from lack of basic vision, to objectives as our primary challenges. Take it further, culturally, morally as an entity we are not together and fundamentally we are throwing away human values alongside the dignity in labour. We are a nation of sprinters and not marathoners; we have the challenge of instant result, without building long term objects.

Is the brand too complex to manage?

No, from my perspective in management, I don’t think it is a complex entity to manage. We just need to have a direction, values are values everywhere. We are not too different from Singapore in the 1950s. That country was having all the issues we had back then from religion, tribal, economic as well as political but the difference then and now was that some people sat down to agree on a direction without any emotion or sentimental influence.   

Why are the brand managers/leaders not getting the product right?

I think this is a case of enlightened self-interest. In this environment, the interest is not enlightened but selfish. People are too deprived to realise that doing it for collective good is better than doing it for myself alone and that is why we are where we are or how do explain scenario where an oil producing nation finds it difficult to even sustain itself with functioning refineries? How do you explain a nation with so much land but still depends on imported agricultural produce. What happened to all the economic planning or the rolling plans? We are not even looking at the other raw materials like ore which led to the development of steel mills in the country. The objective of the government is different from the objectives of the managers. Our managers are driven with blind quest for riches against the wealth of a nation, is it not why we are now having people talking about assets; same people that will not sell their personal assets because they are broke want the nation to sell. They cannot get it right because the interest is not communal but selfish.   

In your suggestion, what shall the brand managers do henceforth?

We need to return to the drawing board. When people do not see each other as humans but rather animals and choose to kill in the name of religion, when people cannot see basic need of life ( food, shelter etc) is absurd. What we need is to go back to look for how to get them to return to that stage where they can see themselves as human. We lost our values and we need it back very fast. That is what managers of this brand should do. And you know the truth it is not going to happen immediately, it will take time but we must see it in the lifestyle of the managers. If you want someone to believe in this country and you are quick to go outside for everything from health to education and even vacation, then you are not someone that believes in the country. If you are a manager of the brand Nigeria and you are having accounts outside the country you are not fair to the country. The managers should set basic standard in their lifestyle and people will fall in line but when what you do is far from them as a role model they will also aspire to do those things and what we see is the result. 

Is there any example we can copy in managing the brand?

Yes, Singapore like I said earlier and lately we are hearing stories of Tanzania and even Ghana. Can the leaders or members of this government tell us our ten year plan without talking about political parties, we should have something we are looking forward to as a nation, something to keep us alive about electricity, education, health, transport and agriculture no matter who or what party is in power.

Daniel Obi