Picture Talk

Animal Farm: The Tragedy of the Ruled

By Yemi Olakitan

The plots in Animal Farm, an iconic novel written by British author, George Orwell in 1945 were re-enacted to fit the Nigerian context by Austrian trained, Nigerian Actor and Director, Nick Monu who gives a new touch to the novel and created a theatrical performance out of it. The play, written by Monu was produced by Terra Kulture, Nigeria Cultural center as part of their monthly weekly productions for the advancement of theatre arts in Nigeria. Adapted for the theatre to fit the Nigerian socio-political milieu, Anima Farm is originally an allegorical novel that largely made fun of the British ruling class at the time. It discusses corruption in high places and exposes the fruitlessness of regime change without individual rejuvenation in the face of greed and personal aggrandizement.
Monu’s version takes the plots of the original novel and wove it around the challenges of leadership in Africa, particularly Nigeria. It addresses the corruption of leadership in governance and portrays corrupt leadership as the major reason for societal backwardness. The story makes the audience realize that political change can only be beneficial to the majority if the leadership is upright and sincere. By changing the setting to Nigeria and reflecting his home country in the play; Monu is able to show his directorial artistry and the fact that the problems of leadership are largely universal. The playwright also made use of Pidgin English in his use of language and ensure that the audience and the actors were able to get an emotional connection to the issues discussed, ensuring that they see themselves in the scenes and the entire acting.
In the Original story, Old Major, the Old Pig on the Manor Farm, calls the animals for a meeting, where he compares the humans to parasites and enemies. He teaches the animals a revolutionary song, 'Beasts of England, in the adaptation, Nick changes the song to Beasts of Nigeria, Beast of Africa. When Old Major suddenly dies, two young pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, assume command of the farm and turn his dream into a philosophy, called Animalism. The animals revolt and drive the drunken and irresponsible Mr. Jones who becomes Mr. Obanjo in Monu’s adaptation. They also rename the farm "Animal Farm". Farmer Obanjo is the owner of the farm and he is cruel to the animals, which brings about the revolution that ousts him from his farm.
The Seven Commandments of Animalism are written on the wall of a barn. The most important is the seventh, "All animals are equal’’. This maxim did not last as eventually the story shows that some animals are more equal than the other since the pigs consider themselves cleverer than the other animals and are therefore born to rule. They begin to change the commandments to favour their corruption. The pigs steal from the farm while some of the animals complain that even in the days of Farmer Obanjo, things were better.
Snowball attempts to teach the animals reading and writing; food is plentiful, and the farm could have continued to run smoothly. However, the pigs continue to elevate themselves to high positions of leadership and set aside special food items, ostensibly for their personal conform. They sleep in beds and drink milk set aside in the farm. Napoleon even brought in a human being named Mr. Whymper, a solicitor living in Lagos to act as the intermediary between the animal farm and the outside world. Mr. Whymper visits the farm regularly and received instructions from Napoleon. This is clearly against the philosophy of Animalism as laid down by Old Major.
Napoleon and Snowball struggle for leadership in the play, which shows the mad ambition that often exits in political rivalry. It shows sow politicians sometimes antagonize one another to the detriment of the larger society. Snowball and Napoleon struggle for political power as modern day politicians do, often trying to outdo each other and to bring the other down.
Obanjo Farms, owned and managed by Farmer Obanjo whose name sounds like Obasanjo, except for the letter S that got missing, is a prototype of dictatorship and oppression. Obanjo owns and runs his farm the way he feels like, he is always cruel to the animals. It tells the story of the suppression the animals suffers and shows the effects of bad leadership. The animals decided quite wrongly that the only enemy they had in life was Man which led to a revolution on the advice of Old Major, the pig that motivated the animals before his passing. They however did not know that humans are not the problem, bad leadership was the problem of the animals, even with the change in leadership, bad leadership continues and the animals continue to suffer even more.
The production was a hilarious and thought provoking performance and a satire on the Nigerian society. It shows that even with the change from military dictatorship to democratic governance, there still remains the problem of greed, corruption, and man inhumanity to man, which keeps the governed in perpetual servitude. It was also a satire on Africa as a whole since Monu introduced Beasts of Africa to the animal anthem and the issues discussed are not peculiar to Nigeria alone. It concerns the entire continent. This fable calls for responsible leadership in a developing nation such as Nigeria and indeed Africa.
Nick Monu who acted farmer Obanjo is a brilliant actor who displayed his vast acting and directorial experience in the production. The set and costume Designs was done by Simone Monu while the commercial counselor of the Austrian embassy, Nella Hengsler, supported the production. The performance parades a handful of highly talented Nigerian actors and actresses such as Bayode abiflarin, Toritseju Ejoh, Titlayo Akinmoye, and Mawuyon Ogun, Nnamudi Ugbagu. It is a joint production of Terra Kulture and Monu and Monu Productions under the patronage of the Commercial Counselor of the Austrian Embassy, Ms. Nella Hengstler. Power Horse and Four Points by Sheraton sponsor it. Julius Berger Nigeria Plc provides stage elements. Supreme Lace Limited provided costume materials.
Born in 1965 in Lagos, Nicholas Monu has a career that spans the full range of his profession. He had a British education in the famous mill field and St. Andrews boarding schools; Nicholas studied Performing Arts in the United States. He studied at Webber Douglas academy of Dramatic art in London. Nicholas has been since then one of Britain’s most demanded young actors, playing in most of the islands major theatres including the royal Shakespeare company, the national theatre, and the royal court, the Moscow arts theatre and at the National Theatre of Nigeria

Nigerians Mourn Whitney Houston

As American celebrities and members of the black community in the US converged at New Hope Baptist Church , venue of the funeral to pay their tributes to the American star singer and six-time Grammy Award winner , Whitney Houston, Nigerians are also mourning the late singer.
Whitney was widely popular in Nigeria in the 80s and 90s. Most of her great hits were equally loved by Nigerians as they are loved in America. In a chat with Fadeke Adeniran, a university of Lagos post graduate student, Whitney was one of the most loved superstar among young Nigerians. "Her melodious voice would be forever remembered." She said. Another student, Paul Obe, said that Whitney had the greatest voice in the world, followed by Michael Jackson. He said that her high soprano voice cannot be rivaled by anyone. Emeka Ike, a businessman said, the world would forever miss Michael Jackson but Whitney would be missed more.

Reports say, Houston, 48, died Feb. 11 in a Beverly Hills hotel. The cause of death is still under investigation, but, over the past several years, her history of substance abuse and erratic behaviour overshadowed a stellar entertainment career as a recording artist, actress and producer.

Rev. Jesse Jackson, Bobby Brown , former husband of Whitney , Oprah Winfrey, Elton John, Bill Cosby, and Stevie Wonder were among the early arrivals at the New Hope

event.

There was New Hope's rousing gospel choir, which performed several religious songs ahead of a series of speeches and performances planned for the service, which lasted several hours.

Speaker after speaker paid tribute to the late Whitney Houston .

New Hope Pastor Joe Carter said, "We're here today, hearts broken, yet with God's strength, we celebrate the life of Whitney Houston.

Jesse Jackson , a leading black American activist and politician, said , "The memories are so powerful, the music will be with us forever. We have a lot to rejoice about.

Gospel singer Kim Burrell, a long-time friend, said, "As popular and powerful as she was, she was so brilliantly liberal and was generous with others.

Alex Ibru and the Nigerian Media

By Yemi Olakitan

When it was announced that the late Alex Uruemu Ibru, founder of the Guardian Newspaper has passed away, numerous observers were quick to recollect his celebrated escape from the hands of hired assassins who were sent to end his life under the administration of the late military dictator, General Sanni Ababcha under who Alex ironically served as a Minister of Internal Affairs from 1993 to 1995. Alex was a symbol of Nigerian journalism and freedom of expression although; he was never an active reporter. Many have observed with curious enthusiasm the hidden intention of the late dictator when he appointed Ibru as a Minister. It was clear that the junta wanted Alex to use the highly respected newspaper to promote Abacha’s political agenda in Nigeria. Abacha failed to remember that the motto of the Guardian Newspaper was Conscience nurtured by Truth, a motto that the newspaper had stuck with to this day. This has earned it immense respect in Nigerian journalism and placed it in a position of honour since it stood by its avowed codes of conduct. Ibru believed that journalists who loves the profession and are willing to use the media as a tool for societal emancipation should run the Guardian. Trouble started when the Guardian, contrary to Abacha’s expectations remained critical of the military junta. Ibru could have used his position as the chairman of the Guardian Newspaper to influence editorial content in favour of Abacha but he did not do this even at the risk of his own life. Alex succeeded in making the Guardian newspaper a force to be reckoned with in Nigerian journalism. He believed in the truth and he did not accept that truth should be purchased with money or even position. He therefore allowed his editors to practice journalism without any parochial interest and express what they sincerely believe, in accordance with the dictates of their conscience. This stance has earned the newspaper, the title: flagship of Nigerian journalism.
Anyone who is a journalist or has anything to do with the media at one time or the other has something to do with the Guardian. This is the high pride of place that Ibru’s integrity has placed the Guardian Newspaper. He allowed the Newspaper to serve as a tool for mass communication and professional journalism practice with a sense for national responsibility. The success of the Guardian Newspaper was an inspiration to other Nigerian newspaper and news magazines such as News-watch magazine, Tell, Tempo, The week and many others who were responsible for the emergence of guerilla journalism in Nigeria. It led to the rise of a Nigerian media that was determined to oppose anti democratic forces despite persecutions from the government.
An example of this scenario was the Nigerian press during the years of military rule. The Buhari and Babangida regimes utilized draconian legal instruments such as Decree 2 and Decree 4 to disturb the media. The notable collisions of press freedom and military dictatorship resulted in the incarcerations of many reporters under those regimes. Under the Babangida era, the suppression of the press was fired up with the parcel-bomb killing of Dele Giwa and the proscription of Newswatch magazine. The Abacha junta also declared war against the press. Reporters were tried as conspirators in coup-plots and jailed without appropriate trials. The regimes murdered journalists such as Bagauda Kaltho. Security operatives’ harassed even newsvendors while The Guardian were shut down on 14 August 1994. The assassination attempt on Ibru On February 2 1996 left him with one eye. His car was sprayed with machine gun fire from men who had trailed him in a deep-blue Peugeot. Both Ibru and the editor-in-chief Femi Kusa were flown to England for treatment of their injuries After Abacha's death in 1998, his Chief Security OfficeR, aL Mustapha and others were charged with the assassination attempt on his life/
Abacha’s demise in 1998 and the return to democracy in 1999 were seen as a much-deserved victory for the Nigerian press.
In addition, Alex ibru was able to simultaneously craft the Guardian Newspaper into a successful business operation without compromising those high values. It is clear that the media entrepreneur must focus on two goals: truth and profit. Truth is the correct information to give to a society and a society that must move forward require knowing the truth and nothing but the truth.
A newspaper is also a business and requires profit to validate its existence. Ibru was able to achieve this and this is what all media entrepreneurs should take from him; the ability to stand firm for the truth and to sustain the media enterprise as a profitable business.
A publication devoted to truth should yield profit. This ideal situation is also the rarest. Media entrepreneurs all over the world also find it necessary to balance the two objectives and it can be a delicate situation. The goal of truth is subordinated to the bottom line. It is in this tragic situation that the Nigerian press sometimes finds itself.
Ibru was also able to detach himself from the newspaper. He refused to influence the newspapers editorial content while holding to his post as a businessman. He gave the journalists freedom to do their job. According to Debo Adesina, the present editor of the Guardian, the newspaper will outlive Ibru and continue the good work.
Ibru was born on 1 March 1945 in Agbhara-Otor, in today’s Delta State. He attended the Yaba Methodist Primary School (1951-1957), Ibadan Grammar School (1958-1960), Igbobi College, Lagos (1960-1963) and the Trent Polytechnich in the United Kingdom (1967-1970), where he studied Business Economics
Alex Ibru was appointed chairman of Rutam Motors. In 1983 he met with newspapermen Stanley Mecebuh of the Daily times and Dele Cole also formerly of that paper and Segun Osoba, formerly of the Nigerian Herald. With 55% funding from the Ibrus, they launched the Guardian newspaper in 1983, with Alex Ibru became the chairman. Ibru also provided funding to the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), established during the military regime of Buhari's successor, General Ibrahim Babangida.
Alex Ibru died on 20 November 2011, aged 66

Broadcasting is a national service-Amin Moussalli

MD/CEO of Wazobia fm, Cool fm and Nigeria Info

Amin Moussalli is the CEO of three leading radio brands in Nigeria. He founded, the popular Pidgin oriented Wazobia fm, coolfm and more recently, Nigeria Info. Moussalli came to Nigeria in 1975 and founded AIM consultants, a company that is focused on architectural Engineering designs. His success in that field lured him into other ventures such as radio broadcasting which he considers a passion and a national service. He has since founded several stations in Lagos, Abuja, Port-Hacout, and Kano. In this interview, he speaks with Yemi Olakitan on his latest effort Nigeria Info, and many other plans for the future. Excerpts:

· How it all began
The story of AIM Group began in 1886 when the grandfather of my wife, Mr. Michael Elias immigrated to Nigeria. He was actually on his way to see to his grandparents in Brazil, but in those days the ships sailed through the West Coast from one port to the other, and from Lagos to Brazil. Mr. Elias was made to spend his money on gambling on board the ship and was therefore dropped off in Lagos. In 1975 my wife and I came on a visit to see my late in-laws. My late father-in-law, Mr. Fouad Elias asked my wife to see the late Gen Murtala Mohammed, who then had plans to build a new capital. We were so excited because we had studied about the planning of the Brazilia, built in 1957, and now a new Capital would be built! Since then we have made this place our home, because to us a home is where you spend most of your precious time, a place you have your friends, a land where you re-invest. As you can see my two daughters are now with us, and my two grandchildren are also here.
· Let us talk about your latest project Nigeria Info
Nigeria info is a total talk radio station that was created by my daughter, Tatiana. We wanted to start a completely new format that would compete with our existing stations. In order to start a new radio station, you need to do research. My elder daughter who started the whole project decided to rely on the research services provided by a Nigerian company, called Media Planning Services, MPS. They conducted a research and she found out that 40% of Nigerians want to talk when they are on the radio and 30% wants to listen to news and the other 30% wants to listen to sports. It means that radio broadcasting have changed from what we have in the 90s. It is no longer more music. Music is not really the number one attraction on radio. People want to listen to interesting talk and they want to participate. This prompted us to create Nigeria Info, which is a total talk station and less music. The station would be focusing on sports, news, national issues that affect every Nigerian. I think that people would be enjoying more sports on the radio now. It is more interactive than what they have been listening to before now and it is a big brand because Nigeria is big and it is about Nigeria. Anything, you want to know about Nigeria, you would get on Nigeria info. When you get on Nigerian info, you will listen to news and you get a very good opportunity to express yourself. Everybody has a chance to talk and be heard. You get to talk about issues that affect the nation, the family and the government and it is toll-free.
We wanted a station that would compete with Wazobia Fm and our other our stations. The problem we have and it is a problem is that Wazobia has gone on top of the roof and it has gone as far as it can go. When that happens if you don’t take action, the next place to go is down and we do not want that to happen. We would like to maintain equilibrium. In order to do that, you need a competitor and the next competitor to Wazobia is all the way down. We decided to create another competitor so that these guys in Wazobia would not feel relaxed. They can see what is happening now and we can put them on their toes. The facebook for Nigerian info is very active and we have Nigerians between the ages of 17-50 listening to Nigeria info. The research has been very revealing. What new thing are we doing with Nigeria info? We ensue that our listeners talk. Our broadcasters are moderators. What do the conventional radio broadcasters do? He plays music, he talks. The situation is different on Nigeria info, he introduces a topic, and he let the people talk. In every show, we have two people and it is like a cross frire.it is just like the CNN show in 1990 called the Cross Fire. The station is also toll free. We have about six lines that people can call free of charge. It is expensive but we allow everyone to talk. The situation is actually a national service because it is very expensive to run it as designed. We allow a man sitting down at the Bar Beach to express his mind although we put in some checks. When people become rude we have to correct them. NBC cannot monitor every thing, individual stations must take responsibility. If you want to talk about the President, you have to say, His Excellency or Mr. President. When a person becomes the president, he becom3es the number one person in the country, the leader of the nation. You have to show respect, there must be decorum, and there must be protocols.
We are the only radio station with scriptwriters in Nigeria. Scriptwriters are usually for the television but we have scriptwriters in our station now. This is all in an effort to ensure quality broadcasting.
· You brought in an American broadcaster called Bill Torch. Why and what is so special about Bill Torch?
Bill Torch is a veteran broadcaster in America, although he is retired now. We brought him in to train our people here. He started broadcasting in the United States when cable was free to air and nobody was on it. He used to come up in the morning and he brings a donkey with him to the studio and he reads the news. The next day, he brings a dog and he broke the norms. He makes the news interesting because he puts a lot of drama to it and everybody loves it. He was able to draw Americans attention. He would be coming back to Nigeria by January. I never knew in my life that we were going to work with Bill because we love him so much. When we first contacted him, he said, I have never been to Africa. When he came, he fell in love with Nigeria. He loves the country so much. He has been training our people. We have the sole license on him because we do not want other people to hijack him once he gets here. Don’t forget that he is a retired man, and he loves our girls. (Laughter)
· Who designed the Logo? It is an interesting one.

Our logo was designed by my daughter and it is a sign for talk. What the logo is saying is that it is time for talk. Come, let us talk about Nigeria.




· Can you share some of the challenges you are facing with us.
One of the biggest challenges that we face is electricity. It is a big challenge indeed. We set up a radio station in Kano; Coolfm and the experience is hell because of electricity problems and we have two transformers there and yet we still have issues with electricity. We have lights here and we still complain because it is always going and coming. We have to run on generators but Kano’s electricity supply is very bad. The electricity situation here does not help the generators because the lights keep tripping off. It’s a challenge. Our adverts rate is low compared to other countries. We have one of the lowest in the world. In Benin Republic, the rates are 30percent higher and they have stable electricity.
On air, the challenge we have is that we to beg people to turn off there radio sets. Everyone wants to hear himself speak. I am enjoying the process though with all the stress. It is like playing Tennis. I know that Nigerians are going to love it as much as I do.
· Let us Talk about the Broadcasters
I have engineering background and I have since left Broadcasting. I left it to other people to run it. I have to come back because my daughters said that if I have to maintain quality, I have to be more involved and this has basically increased my workload. You have to sleep by 3am and wake up by 6am. Sunday is a good day because you can rest. Well, about the broadcaster, we have Tolu, who used to be on the Midday Oasis on Coolfm in the nearly days and now she is back on Nigeria Info. She is on the morning show. She went to do some television broadcasting and she was on Channel 24 but when she listens to the station she likes it and now she is back. She is such a confident person and you need to listen to her in the morning. Katherine is also a very good broadcaster and her story is very interesting. She listens to the station and she got hooked and she wanted to be on it. She had not been with us before and now she is with us. You see, one thing about broadcasting is getting the right person. You can get a lot of people but to get the right persons is not very easy. The right person in the right place is the challenging part. Matse is another interesting person. You know, she said that I want to be on Nigerian Info. I need a change in my life. We say why? She was doing well on Wazobia Fm. Matse is a very intelligent lady and she made it a point of duty to do international courses online and I credit her for that. You know, she is the first Nigerian to break facebook record for the highest number of friends on face book. You can have about 40, 000 friends and she was the first Nigerian to break that record because of her show on Wazobia Fm. She is very hardworking.
· What is your relationship with your former staff members such as Dan Foster and many others that are no longer in your employ?
I am a very friendly person. You know people come and when they want to go, you cannot force them to stay. We always maintain a cordial relationship with all. Some have spent 30 years with us. Some have an ambition and they go out to make it work. Some time, it can be a success and sometimes it is not. You have to make sure that your ambition is a concrete one.
When I look at Nigeria. The first problem is see is unemployment among the youths. We have a huge population of youth who are out of school. When we create a new business. We are trying to help out by solving some of our national problems. We are not alone in these. We have other people such as Aliko Dangote, who is doing incredible things all over the country.

· About His National Honors
I have a MON and a very great Nigerian recently nominated me for another MON but I have to beg them to remove my name from the list because I already have an MON. To get an upgrade, you need to wait for five years. If they give me another MON, I have to wait for another five years to get an upgrade. I asked them to drop it.

· What plans for the future?
We know that the future belong to Internet radio and so we are working on that and getting prepared. We have Cool ink. We are working on that so that internet service can become so cheap that cybercafés can be built all over the country. We can work with the local governments in different communities so that Nigerians can have cheap access to the Internet. We have signed agreements with a certain company for the purpose of satellite services so that Internet access can be provided to all through cool link. Internet is going to become very cheap and we are going to ensure that every one have access to it all over the country. Next year, we are putting the issue of television into God’s hands and looking at what he would bring.

Long Walk To Digitization of Nigeria’s Broadcasting

By Yemi Olakitan
The switch over date for the digitization of Broadcast Media from analogue in Nigeria as set by the late former President Umaru Musa Yar Adua is June 17th, 2012. Few months to the date, Nigeria is still miles away from realizing the target. Yemi Olakitan examines the need for stakeholders to wake up to the task and deliver on the promise of excellence in broadcasting which is required for national development.


Aside from the importance of broadcasting to education, entertainment and information, the society cannot maximize its development and prosperity without a strong broadcast media which is also required for developing nations to move to the level of developed nations. Broadcast media organizations such as CNN, BBC, and Al Jazeera have contributed immensely to the economic strength of their host countries. Few can deny the power of the media in shaping the destiny of any nation. Powerful media entities have often shaped global perspectives concerning an issue, a person or a nation. Experts have opined that the fine national rebranding efforts of former Information Minister Professor Dora Akunyili failed to have the much desired impact because Nigeria do not have a major media that was globally strong enough to shape international percep
tion of the nation as a positive brand.
Mass communication scholar, Dr. Ibrahim of the University of Lagos, said in a recent lecture that the potentials of the media as a tool for political and economic power cannot be easily measured. This is why nations around the world are moving fast towards the digitization of broadcast media. The global drive is so crucial because, digital format of broadcasting is of higher quality than analogue. According to experts, it enhances sound and picture quality and makes multi channel viewing easily accessible. The introduction of digital television, observers concur, represents the most significant innovation since the advent of television itself. Digital broadcast delivery, in addition to multiplying the number of available channels, will also transform the very nature of the television medium by making it interactive. The process of digitization merges technologies commonly used in broadcasting, computing and telecommunications and offers the potential for a whole range of new applications, such as electronic retail services, Internet access and pay-per-view facilities. The International Telecommunication Union has been on the vanguard of ensuring that all its members made the switch with a deadline fixed for June 17th 2015 and Nigeria has fixed its deadline to June 17th 2012. However, few months to the deadline, Nigeria is still miles away from the dreamland.
Former Minister of Information and Communication, John Nweke Jnr. announced deadline of 2015 as the year for full digitization. In 2007, the late President Umaru Musa Yar-Adua approved that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) pilot the country's migration from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT) with a new switch-over date of June 17, 2012. The 2012 deadline is an attempt by Nigeria to meet the deadline three years ahead. However, it seems that the late former President was wrong in his assessment of the situation.
The nation faces many daunting challenges. One of the challenges of the switch over date is that of ignorance. Most Nigerians are unaware of the situation and many do not know that their fantastic television sets may no longer be in vogue a couple of months away since they will have to buy either a digital set-top box decoder or a new television. The costs of these can be best imagined among poor Nigerians. It means that all analogue television sets will no longer be useful for the consumers except they get a set up box. This is because for consumers to enjoy the benefit of the migration new television sets would have to be bought by television viewers through pay TV subscriptions. The United States of America has reportedly completed her own switch over about four years ago. Reports say that, even the US had to subsidize the purchase of a decoder for Americans. The project cost the US government about $2Billion. The situation in Nigeria, under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan does not show that the government is ready to invest in such subsidy for the teeming population of Nigerian radio and television consumers. Observers say, the problems of insecurity, particularly, the Boko Haram saga is enough distraction for the Federal Government. The issue of subsidy removal and the huge corruption in the public sector are some of the problems that might hinder Nigeria from meeting the June 2012 deadline. Besides, the Nigerian media has not given the subject much publicity.
Furthermore, The Federal government’s Advisory Committee on Digital Broadcasting had submitted a report, recommending the adoption of as new broadcast model. President Goodluck Jonathan had on receiving the report, resolved to present it to the National Assembly. The White Paper on that report is still being awaited. This means the federal Government has not given the transition a legal backing yet. Nigeria’s approach to the digitization project seems slow compared to other countries in Africa such as Kenya, Morocco, South Africa and Ghana. Nigeria needs to learn from the experience of some countries that began early digital migration and found the analogue switch-off date unachievable because of low consumer switchover capacity as well as others huge investment the sector requires to be success. Australia had originally planned a switch-off in 2008 but has had to delay to a date to be determined between 2010 or 2012. Another problem is the sole management of the digital transition project by the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), a government agency and the exclusion of key stakeholders such as the broadcast companies themselves.. The Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON) must urgently engage the private and public sector in the digital transition project. They must also involve all the state governments who own mostly analogue television and radio stations in order to work on the transition. The federal Government must rise to the challenge so that Nigeria can meet up to global standards of high quality professional broadcasting in the new computer age,

What happened To Next Newspaper?
By Yemi Olakitan

When NEXT Newspaper hit the newsstands, everyone that picked up a copy must have thought that the new newspaper brand that would give all the existing major brands a strong competition had arrived in the market. Next was actually a strong brand. It was colourful, classy. It has strong appeal to the newspaper audience in Nigeria. Its contents were accurate and incisive. It has its own style and it was unique. It was difficult to pick up a copy of the Next Newspaper and dropped it without reading it. The photography was excellent. It was something to write home about. Next was really promising. In the first few months of entering the Nigerian newspaper market, it really caught everyone’s attention. It was easy to predict a great future for Next. This was the newspaper that would put the Guardian, This Day, The Punch and all other powerful brands in the industry on their toes. However, this was not to be, as the story soon ended. Next was out of the newsstands as quickly as it came. It could not withstand the stiff completion that came from stronger brands in the industry. At some point, it was publishing fewer stories content than it started with. There were reports of some members of staff taking the publisher to court as a result of unpaid salaries and other allowances. Then it died. Next had followed the paths of other bright newspaper brands such as the National Concord, Daily Sketch, Financial Standard, The Daily Times, The Anchor, The Sentinel and many others. The questions on the lips of curious observers are: why do such promising newspapers die in Nigeria? Why do others succeed? What really happened to Next?
Next was founded and published by veteran journalist; Dele Olojede, who has an impressive journalism career. With over 25 years in active journalism practice, not many journalists can rob him of his place in Nigerian media. Olojede was the former foreign Editor of the New York Newsday and a Pulitzer Prize winner. He has worked in more than 85 countries and has been published in the world’s leading newspapers and magazines including: The Economist and The Financial Times. He also has an impressive management team that would make any media organization gaze with envy.
His Chief Operating officer was Bayo Oyewole who was the Regional Compliance officer and chief of staff for the Americas and EMEA region of Siemens Health care Diagnostics in New-York. His vice-President was Kofo Awonuga who was the CFO for Johnnic Communications West Africa, the regional subsidiary in Lagos of the South African media conglomerate that controls Business Day and several other properties in Nigeria. Toni Kan, the Director of Marketing and strategy is an accomplished author and former Head of corporate communications for Visafone, Nigeria. This is a glimpse into the impressive profile of some of the members of the management team that ran the affairs of NEXT.
What could have gone wrong with such an impressive team? In a statement released by the publisher, Olojede, he said, ‘‘We started with the basic premise that we would provide news and informed opinion fairly and accurately to the public, based on the best judgment of the editors and none other, uninfluenced by money, political or other affiliation. We believed, and still do, that an informed citizen will ultimately become a good citizen, and good citizens are the best guarantors of a fair and just society. We stake the bold claim that when citizens are armed with the facts, they will, we hope, make better decisions to ensure the progress of their communities for the common good. Our journey so far has been challenging and exhilarating. We have by all accounts done some of the best journalism anywhere, compelled our audience to face our true condition with sober senses, and stood up for decency, honesty, and human dignity and fairness. But we miscalculated the high price of honesty, and it's no secret that we have not been doing well as a business. Our journalists and all our staff have sacrificed greatly, but we will not give up.
As we consider how best to turn NEXT into a self-sustaining enterprise, we thought we should try to remind you of some of the work we've done in less than three years, as an indication of what is to come.’’
Olojede seemed to attribute the cause of Next’s failure to honesty in the statements quoted above. Can honesty and integrity ruin a business enterprise? We gave this question to Mr. Gbolahan Fasasi, an entrepreneur, who said, honesty is usually a source of strength in building a business. A business that runs on such values will create a sense of trust in the minds of its customers or clients. Speaking further, he said, honesty is an essential attributes in building a successful brand. He was of the opinion that instead of honesty to destroy a business, it would strengthen it. ‘‘This is because customers people will always do business with an organization they trust.’’ He said. Another businessman, Bayo Fayemi supported this stand. He said ‘‘honesty couldn’t bring a business down; instead, it will uphold it. He was emphatic in its answer that honesty cannot ruin a business, rather he said, a successful enterprise cannot do without such important values as honesty, integrity and customer service. It is the absence of them that makes a business insolvent. However, It is possible to take honesty too far. One can be so honest that one will refuse to receive money or other benefits that rightly belong to one as a result of personal or corporate philosophy even when such monies are not against the law. Therefore, in pursing, honesty in business, one must be able to draw the line between what is right and what is in one’s business or professional interests,’’ he said.
What then was the cause of Next’s failure? Some observers said that Next went daily too soon. Perhaps it should have waited a bit longer before going daily. The company, Timbuktu media started the newspaper as a weekly publication with plenty of arts reviews and stories. Next on Sunday was everyone’s delight. It was argued that Timbuktu media should have allowed a longer gestation period, for Next on Sunday to stabilize as a strong brand before attempting to go daily. It meant that Next went daily too soon.
Another argument was that Timbuktu did not have enough financial muscle to continue to invest in the brand long enough for it to become profitable. Efforts aimed at contacting the management team for more revealing information proved abortive. Tony Khan, who was Director, Marketing and strategy refused to talk about Next. ‘‘I will not talk about Next, any other issue is welcome but I will not talk about Next,’’ he said. Arts journalist and media consultant, Tajudeen Sowole, however said that the company may be down but not out. The team may just be in recess trying to re-launch in a bigger form. In another chat with veteran journalist, Economist and Guardian Columnist, Chief Bayode Ogunmupe, he said, ‘‘the death of newspapers in Nigeria is usually caused by overstaffing, duplication of duties, wasteful spending and poor allocation of resources. ‘‘For instance, a newspaper will have a fully staffed Abuja bureau, yet editors would fly from Lagos to Abuja to interview public office holders instead of instructing their staff in Abuja to do such assignments.’’ He said.
However, The good news, he said is that Next is still online and many Nigerians at home and in diasporas are still reading its online version. Next has described itself has an integrated media platform, that combines the traditional newspaper with a service that provides news and information on mobile devices, the Internet, Radio, as well as other broadcast and digital platforms. ‘‘Our goal is to produce the highest quality journalism, backed by integrity and credibility. Our long-term strategic goal is to broaden the scope of the business platform considerably, and to infuse our high standards into these businesses. The company will leverage different forms of digital media to produce news and information to our constituents.’’ The statement says.
Indications point to one thing, whatever the reasons for the failure of Next; It is clear from the company’s public statements that it is not about to give up. In the words of American Church leader and motivational speaker, Robert Schuler, failure is never final and success is never ending. Business coach and founder of the Lagos Business School, Prof. Pat Utomi, said, a dream will not die, if we are willing to bear the price and do the work. Perhaps, in building a newspaper brand, temporary failure is part of the price of eventual success. In a report by Newspapers Association of America it says, Newspaper in the world have not exactly been leaders in thigh tech-driven global business landscape. However, they are gradually beginning to see the Internet as central to their future. In recent times, Newspaper Internet advertising topped over $2 billion in the United States. Visitors to newspaper Web sites are increasing on a daily basis. Other international strategies that newspapers can use on the Internet are to translate their web contents to other world languages such as French, Arabic, Chinese and German. This will give newspapers more audience on the internet and increase online advertising revenue. One can only hope that Olojede and his team would find a strategy that is good enough to re-energize the dream that drove them. To create Next and learn from whatever mistakes they made.

How Alex Ibru Used the Media as a Tool for Societal Emancipation
By Yemi Olakitan

When it was announced that the late Alex Uruemu Ibru, founder of the Guardian Newspaper has passed away, numerous observers were quick to recollect his celebrated escape from the hands of hired assassins who were sent to end his life under the administration of the late military dictator, General Sanni Ababcha under who Alex ironically served as a Minister of Internal Affairs from 1993 to 1995. Alex was a symbol of Nigerian journalism and freedom of expression although; he was never an active reporter. Many have observed with curious enthusiasm the hidden intention of the late dictator when he appointed Ibru as a Minister. It was clear that the junta wanted Alex to use the highly respected newspaper to promote Abacha’s political agenda in Nigeria. Abacha failed to remember that the motto of the Guardian Newspaper was Conscience nurtured by Truth, a motto that the newspaper had stuck with to this day. This has earned it immense respect in Nigerian journalism and placed it in a position of honour since it stood by its avowed codes of conduct. Ibru believed that journalists who loves the profession and are willing to use the media as a tool for societal emancipation should run the Guardian. Trouble started when the Guardian, contrary to Abacha’s expectations remained critical of the military junta. Ibru could have used his position as the chairman of the Guardian Newspaper to influence editorial content in favour of Abacha but he did not do this even at the risk of his own life. Alex succeeded in making the Guardian newspaper a force to be reckoned with in Nigerian journalism. He believed in the truth and he did not accept that truth should be purchased with money or even position. He therefore allowed his editors to practice journalism without any parochial interest and express what they sincerely believe, in accordance with the dictates of their conscience. This stance has earned the newspaper, the title: flagship of Nigerian journalism.
Anyone who is a journalist or has anything to do with the media at one time or the other has something to do with the Guardian. This is the high pride of place that Ibru’s integrity has placed the Guardian Newspaper. He allowed the Newspaper to serve as a tool for mass communication and professional journalism practice with a sense for national responsibility. The success of the Guardian Newspaper was an inspiration to other Nigerian newspaper and news magazines such as News-watch magazine, Tell, Tempo, The week and many others who were responsible for the emergence of guerilla journalism in Nigeria. It led to the rise of a Nigerian media that was determined to oppose anti democratic forces despite persecutions from the government.
An example of this scenario was the Nigerian press during the years of military rule. The Buhari and Babangida regimes utilized draconian legal instruments such as Decree 2 and Decree 4 to disturb the media. The notable collisions of press freedom and military dictatorship resulted in the incarcerations of many reporters under those regimes. Under the Babangida era, the suppression of the press was fired up with the parcel-bomb killing of Dele Giwa and the proscription of Newswatch magazine. The Abacha junta also declared war against the press. Reporters were tried as conspirators in coup-plots and jailed without appropriate trials. The regimes murdered journalists such as Bagauda Kaltho. Security operatives’ harassed even newsvendors while The Guardian were shut down on 14 August 1994. The assassination attempt on Ibru On February 2 1996 left him with one eye. His car was sprayed with machine gun fire from men who had trailed him in a deep-blue Peugeot. Both Ibru and the editor-in-chief Femi Kusa were flown to England for treatment of their injuries After Abacha's death in 1998, his Chief Security OfficeR, aL Mustapha and others were charged with the assassination attempt on his life/
Abacha’s demise in 1998 and the return to democracy in 1999 were seen as a much-deserved victory for the Nigerian press.
In addition, Alex ibru was able to simultaneously craft the Guardian Newspaper into a successful business operation without compromising those high values. It is clear that the media entrepreneur must focus on two goals: truth and profit. Truth is the correct information to give to a society and a society that must move forward require knowing the truth and nothing but the truth.
A newspaper is also a business and requires profit to validate its existence. Ibru was able to achieve this and this is what all media entrepreneurs should take from him; the ability to stand firm for the truth and to sustain the media enterprise as a profitable business.
A publication devoted to truth should yield profit. This ideal situation is also the rarest. Media entrepreneurs all over the world also find it necessary to balance the two objectives and it can be a delicate situation. The goal of truth is subordinated to the bottom line. It is in this tragic situation that the Nigerian press sometimes finds itself.
Ibru was also able to detach himself from the newspaper. He refused to influence the newspapers editorial content while holding to his post as a businessman. He gave the journalists freedom to do their job. According to Debo Adesina, the present editor of the Guardian, the newspaper will outlive Ibru and continue the good work.
Ibru was born on 1 March 1945 in Agbhara-Otor, in today’s Delta State. He attended the Yaba Methodist Primary School (1951-1957), Ibadan Grammar School (1958-1960), Igbobi College, Lagos (1960-1963) and the Trent Polytechnich in the United Kingdom (1967-1970), where he studied Business Economics
Alex Ibru was appointed chairman of Rutam Motors. In 1983 he met with newspapermen Stanley Mecebuh of the Daily times and Dele Cole also formerly of that paper and Segun Osoba, formerly of the Nigerian Herald. With 55% funding from the Ibrus, they launched the Guardian newspaper in 1983, with Alex Ibru became the chairman. Ibru also provided funding to the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), established during the military regime of Buhari's successor, General Ibrahim Babangida.
Alex Ibru died on 20 November 2011, aged 66


A Closer Look at community Radio in Nigeria
By Yemi Olakitan

The benefits of community radio in the socio-economic development of a nation have been described as enormous particularly in a developing country such as Nigeria. The experience of other developing nations in Africa has shown that community radio contributes to the economic, democratic, social, cultural and agricultural growth of a nation.. It helps to solve health problems, disseminate information faster, it promotes education, and eradicates ignorance and empower people’ giving voice to the voiceless. Reports from other countries have shown that community radio helps in eradicating poverty and contributes immensely to the prosperity of a developing economy such as Nigeria. Community radio is actually important for a successful democracy and governance with the huge population of Nigeria and its diverse communities, cultural and language differences. Community radio, if used correctly can bring peace and stability to a nation, and contribute to successful governance. This is because of its capacity for public enlightenment, education, and mobilization and social reconstruction.
Despite the huge benefits of community broadcasting Nigeria is yet to take advantage of its huge potentials in tackling the nation’s innumerable problems. In 2006, former President Olusegun Obasanjo declared that Nigeria would embrace community radio. The president said that the high illiteracy rate of 67 percent in Nigeria was totally unacceptable. He declared that about 73 million young girls were not receiving any education in Nigeria at all. According to him, such a situation must be addressed if Nigeria must move forward as a nation. The importance of community radio broadcasting cannot be over-emphasized because Nigeria has enormous governance and development challenges to tackle and overcome. This is demonstrated by basic social data in a few key sectors. In the health sector, a report says, maternal mortality stands at 800 per 100,000 live births; infant mortality rate is 100 per 1000 live births; prevalence of HIV/AIDs stands at 3.8 per cent, and live expectancy for the average citizen is 43 years. In education: although the country’s 1999 constitution provides that the government “shall strive to eradicate illiteracy”, general literacy rate still stands at 67 per cent. Over 65 per cent of the country’s 140 million people live below the poverty line. Nigeria was ranked 158th out of 177 countries in the 2007 annual Human Development Index of the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP. Community radio can help solve these problems. It can sensitize the highly illiterate population on the dangers and fallacy of violent religion particularly in the northern part of the country, and sensitize the populace on security issues.
In 0ctober 2010, while declaring open the 8th biennial conference of Africa broadcasters held in Abuja President Goodluck Jonathan empowered the National Broadcasting Commission to license Community radio Stations in Nigeria without further recourse to the presidency provided such applications meet the stipulated conditions by law. Represented by Vice President Mohammed Namdi Sambo at the event, the President disclosed that, “Consequently the Federal Executive Council has considered and approved the guide lines proposed by the National Broadcasting Commission for the Licensing of Community radio in Nigeria. Months after President Goodluck Jonathan's pronouncement of the devolution of power to the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC to issue Community Radio Licenses, the directive has not been supported by concrete action from the Presidency, although the commission has given licenses to certain communities, particularly in the academic environment such as university of Calabar, the university of Lagos, the university of Ilorin and the National Open University. This, according to experts is merely a drop in the ocean considering the huge population of Nigeria, her diverse and pluralistic communities and cultural and religious differences. Community radio can used to promote harmony, peace and unity.
Globally, community radio is now recognized as a development medium, which gives participation to all for a pursuit of even development and sustainable growth of any society. According to reports, Nigeria remains the only country in West Africa where community radio is at infant stage. One of the most important reasons for having community radio is so that members of the community can speak to one another and to those outside their community about the issues that matter most to them. A village radio in a typical farming community in Nigeria will be useful in discussing and or announcing weather conditions, new seed hybrids, the problem of fertilizers and how to solve it; new methods of processing raw fish or drying melon; market days, meetings of farmers' union among others. A community radio can help the community to organize itself. A community radio can easily become the medium for mobilizing people to solve common problem or address a common issue. Community radio can bring development to the community. Information about health and disease control can be discussed on radio with community members Interacting with health workers. A community radio helps a community to realize the abundant resources it has for solving its own problems. It expands the list of options that a community has. For example, if there is an invasion by birds in a rice-farming community, a community radio can organize a group discussion where members of the community discuss various options for tackling the problem. From such discussion will emerge options that people had not thought about as individuals. It can bring government attention to the needs of the people. Community radio can help make this need a priority to the clinic management. It can be a medium for addressing and solving the problem posed by insecurity, poverty, natural disasters, harmful cultural practices, infrastructural decay and so on. A community radio will bring cultural development and relevant entertainment to a community. Very often, people in the rural areas are made to listen to foreign music. Local artists will feature prominently on community radio for the enjoyment of the community. This will encourage the artists to do more. Community radio can serve as a way to preserve and renew a community's cultural heritage. A community radio has advantages for individuals also: It provides relaxation and entertainment. It provides advice and information to individuals to help them in making decisions. It increases their understanding and enriches their knowledge of issues. It promotes creativity. It guides social behavior by offering role models. It promotes avenue for individual self-expression. It can move individuals to action by inspiring them. It provides topics for conversations and by that promote interpersonal relationships, moral values and cultural developments. When one look at all this benefits to the nation there is only one conclusion, Nigeria must set up more community radio stations. The federal government, state government and local government must step their activities on the issue of community radio in Nigeria.


ADVAN Awards 2011: Rewarding Marketing Excellence
By Yemi Olakitan

It was all glitz and glamour at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island as the Advertisers Association of Nigeria, ADVAN, staged its yearly ADVAN awards for marketing excellence amidst pomp and pageantry. Men and women attended the event from all walks of life particularly from the media and marketing communication sector. All the nominees and winners at the event came with friends, customers and well-wishers. It was indeed a night of glamour and the celebration of excellence in marketing communication. The event started with a welcome address by the President of ADVAN, Mr. Kola Oyeyemi. The President welcomed guests to the event and explained the importance of the awards to the marketing communications sector. He said the aim of the awards was to encourage innovation, creativity and originality. He stressed that the intention of the yearly event was to celebrate and encourage professional excellence in marketing communications. According to him, the ADVAN awards will serve as a platform for all stakeholders in the industry to fraternize and reassess creative progress in marketing. It will be a yearly rendezvous for everyone who is engaged in marketing communication strategies. He was convinced that such an event would contribute immensely to the growth and development of marketing in Nigeria.
Other industry personalities at the event included, Rufai Ladipo, the Chief Executive Officer of STB McCann, and the President of The Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria. ‘Triple AN’ There were numerous advertising elders at the event. Some of them are: Vice President Lanpe Omoyele of ADVAN, Treasurer, Bimbo Alabi, PRO, Oluwafemi Adediba, and other ex-officers such as Bayo Oke and Tony Agenmnomne who is the chairman of the ADVAN award committee, 2011.
Mr. Agenmonmen in his speech said the watchwords in ADVAN awards are credibility and integrity. According to him, the awards were given on merit and they are not for sale. According to him, his association is aware of awards merchandising in the country, stressing that a lot awards in Nigeria today have been commercialized. He insisted that ADVAN awards are not for sale and that the jury have been carefully selected and they consists of men of excellence and good reputation. According to him, the ADVAN awards would promote excellence and shun mediocrity. He expressed his association’s gratitude to MTN, Nigerian Breweries and other sponsors for their support and sponsorship. There was a brief lecture on the topic: Marketing in the midst of crisis and opportunity. Mr. Opeyemi Agbaje, a marketing expert, gave the lecture. He spoke on the impacts of the global recession of the year 2008 and 2009 and their effects on marketing. In his words, ‘‘ Inflation was over 15percent. There was a problem in the financial sector and great slump in real estate prices. People are still predicting the possibility of a second recession. It seems that America and Europe are not really out of the recession while the rest of the world did. The problem of infrastructural collapse and that of corruption still persists in Nigeria. However, in the midst of these problems, we can still find hope, ‘’ he said.
Using the telecom sector, as an example of what is possible, he said, the telecom industry has grown in leaps and bounds stressing that the capacity of the Nigerian telecom industry is enourmous. ‘‘The telecom company can conveniently place a phone in the hands of every Nigerian. There is a huge untapped resource in Nigeria. There is opportunity in tourism, transportation, entertainment, education and manufacturing. In the midst of the Nigerian undervelopment, there exist great potentials. All over Africa, Nigeria film and music is the lingua franca in many lands. There is an increasing preference for entrepreneurship rather than job seeking among Nigerians. He called for an exploration of the opportunities in Nigeria. ‘‘We must look at the underdevelopment as an opportunity and not a curse.’’ He stressed.
Honorable Minister of culture and tourism, Chief Edem Dike who was present at the event asked the marketing communication sector to market Nigeria to the outside world just as they are marketing other brands. He recounted the huge and enormous resources and opportunities in Nigeria and called for a new vision in branding and promoting the blessings of Nigeria instead of her shortcomings. Lagos state Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola who was ably represented by Mr. Lateef Raji expressed the Governors appreciation for the marketing communication sector. He called for a continuous focus on the value of excellence and productivity in the industry.
Winning brands at the event included, star Larger Beer, which took the campaign of the year awards for the television category. In the campaign of the year awards for radio, Lifebuoy won. The campaign of the year award in Print Media went to Bournvita while Cowbell won the brand of the year overall Award. The honorable Minister of culture and tourism who was present at the event presented this Brand of the year Overall Award. There was a special musical performance from Dbanj, Wande Cole, Zeed and other Mo Hits Records musicians, headed by Don Jazzy. Veteran musician and Afro-juju maestro Sir. Shina Peters rounded up the show, and played his brand of juju music with his band and team of female dancers backing him up.