MARKETING COMMUNICATION DIGEST

Cattle rearing, cattle breeding, cattle farming, cattle-living, cattle rustling, cattle rattle… call it what you will, but in recent times,  cattling  has led to battling of the tribes, of ethnic nationalities; fight against encroachment, fight to the finish for geo-political, and indeed economic relevance. Covertly to some, overtly to a whole lot more. In Nigeria today, “Fulani Herdsmen” is one phrase that has gone from several lips to more ears. The Fulani, by the way, are of a distinct ethnic grouping from the Hausa, but they have come to be grouped together by those who control the media, in a country where you won’t even try classifying as a group, the Itshekiri-Urhobo, the Efik-Ibibio, and not even the Ijebu-Remo. But it’s convenient, so we carry on. The Fulani are reputed semi-nomads, whose lifestyle can be compared to that of the Maasai in Kenya and Tanzania. They own most of the cattle in this land, they cherish their cattle, and will nurture and protect them at great

It’s been quite a while in the wait-o-meter of ever-impatient Nigerians. And this is to be understood. After several years in the furnace, Nigerians yearn for change, a positive change, true change, effective change, life-enhancing change – that which they could see, and feel. Consequently, majority of them voted massively for Muhammadu Buhari as President just about a year ago. Buhari had promised to rein-in, amongst other things, corruption, insecurity and unemployment, primarily. He spoke glowingly about his intentions, and how unthinkable it was for Nigeria to still be grappling with Boko Haram, Power and Fuel supply at this stage of our nationhood. Buhari and the APC designed one of the best manifestos there could be. And we joined the groove, buying foremost into his integrity to say and do, to save, and not fool us. With no prejudice to what efforts are being made, or what the new budget will facilitate, Nigerians today are groaning, and that’s not because it’s in

Nnamdi Kanu is that effusive man championing the now grossly misunderstood, nay, misdirected Biafran cause. He is eloquent for the wrong reasons, outspoken for the worse. It’s been 46 years since the end of the Civil War that first accentuated the agitation for self-determination by the Igbos and the other constituent tribes of the then Eastern region of Nigeria. Maybe it will be unfair to assume all Igbos supported that agitation then, or that they do today. The 1967 adventure was led by a fully-branded, pure Igbo man, the late lion-hearted Emeka Odimegwu-Ojukwu, the Ikemba Nnewi. Ojukwu, an Igbo man by all description, classification and understanding, felt obliged; as the Military governor of the Eastern region of Nigeria, the leadership was thrust upon him, more like, and out of sheer necessity, he had to lead “his people’ out of the bondage Nigeria represented to them. For the records, Ojukwu was not part of the events that led to any of both 1966 coups, although he w

And so, as if the mummies have now all woken up, Seif al-Din Mustafa , an Egyptian national hijacked a domestic EgyptAir flight en route Cairo from Alexandria last Tuesday. He then asked that the plane diverts to Larnaca, Cyprus. Why would a man want to hijack a plane, threaten people and put several lives in jeopardy? Why would he want to disrupt air traffic, civility, tranquility and world attention? A hijacker brings about tension, anxiety and agony, even to those not directly involved. Passengers with their friends, families and associates are agonized. And airport staff, crew, viewers of the drama, and indeed, the rest of the world with them. It is instant news, millions of people are on it as it breaks, and everyone gets focused on the situation, and more so, on the main character, the hijacker, as he relishes his 5 minutes of fame (sometimes more). And like a plot, he systematically, gradually and deliberately sets the stage for his communication. What is happenin