ARE YOU RE-BRANDED?

I don’t think anyone who has stayed in Nigeria or with Nigerians will disagree with this opinion: Nigerians are the easiest people to govern, any where in the world! They respond to leadership, they move in whatever direction their leaders bid. In clear and simple words: they take after whatever they see their leaders do, im most cases, they amplify it! While I am a Nigerian, I deliberately used the term ‘they’ instead of ‘we’. Why, you may ask? This is because I have time after time studied this country, the trend of things, the Nigerian people and how they all inter-relate. In all these, I deliberately looked away from my feelings and hid my personal frustrations. My conclusion? Our people are very easy to govern. I have been to a few countries outside Nigeria and have interacted with other nationals – Nigerians are outstanding!

We adapt to any condition. I mean any condition. We always find our way around the harshest of conditions. I have not heard of the effects of the current global recession in Nigeria like I have in other parts of the world I have been to. Just right now, the fuel condition is biting real hard. Whereas before now a litre of fuel sold for N65 per litre, right now it goes for as high as N250 per litre! Our people are still kicking strong; there’s been no riot, protest or anything unruly. When situation like this come up what do we do? We complain to those who are in position to do something, and when they don’t? We do nothing but stay alive! No doubt, we are configured to adapt!

While I believe the responsibility for the development of any nation must be a shared responsibility of the government and the citizenry, I also know that direction ideally comes from the top, and not the other way round. People only create directions for themselves when there is none provided by leadership or when the one provided by the ‘top’ is not ‘bottom-oriented’. The later is the situation our people are faced with.

That our people 'fear' leadership isn't something that should be celebrated or even exploited. Fact is, this so-called 'fear' for leadership has grown to become 'hatred'. I can’t but ask my brothers in leadership, why have alienated ourselves from the ideals of sincerity in leadership? Why do we distance ourselves from policies that we know will positively affect the average man on the street? Why do we exploit the vulnerabilities of people and yet seek to be seen as some national ‘heroes’? These questions I pose to our brothers and sisters who find themselves in various leadership positions. Irrespective of whether you are in the public or private sector, let's ponder on these!

By the way, the current buzz now is the ‘Project Rebrand Nigeria! I really don’t understand how on earth our leadership expects to successfully instill the concept of 'Rebranding' in the people it leads or how they expect to rebrand the image of this country with their current insensate approach to recent happenings in our nation.

It is no news that gas stations now witnesses the presence of long queues of cars daily, with helpless motorists fighting their way to get any quantity they can just to keep their cars moving; innocent citizens are being killed in Delta State (and the government is constantly in our face screaming: 'REBRAND, REBRAND, REBRAND….' without necessarily bothering how the current trend of things frustrates the idea of ‘rebranding’); our children have been sent home because secondary school teachers have gone on strike as a result of failure for government to heed to their plea for an upward review of their salaries; our university students have been sent home because the academic staff union of universities have gone home………. Our leadership seem to have so much on its hand at the moment like the killing of 'militants' in the oil rich Delta state. I don't think resorting to killing our brothers and sisters is the last option. It is not every youth in the Niger Delta that is a militant. They mustn’t all be treated as such. Government never seems to be as serious as it is when tackling issues concerning the development of the youths like it is when it comes to 'wiping' them out! Our military personals are supposed to be skilled in the art of fishing out criminals, but the current spate of killings in Warri leaves so much to worry about. The people are forced to see the present happenings in their area as a show of hatred for the entire people of the region! Meanwhile, this a community that has been badly raped, exploited and deprived.

Anyway, the easiest way the Nigerian people can buy into the 'Re-branding' project for the greater good of our nation is if and only if they see a re-branded leadership. We must stop deceiving ourselves. The people have noticed the double-facedness of their government, they know that trust seem not be a commodity their leadership cares about. For a most pleasant future for this country, it is important that we stop all the empty sloganeering and white-washing we have reduced the 'Rebranding Nigeria' campaign to! Our government must act RESPONSIBLE! No government exists for itself; it is always for the people!

More than ever, there’s a yearning for a government with feelings; a government with a human face. Our people want to see a government that values human lives, not a government that turns his face away whenever a Nigerian is killed in any part of the world.

If you must know, any act of hostility from leadership always snowballs. The irresponsibility we see today from the larger populace is a product of government’s various degree of insensitivity to their plights.

I believe if we really desire a better nation, we must stand face to face with the pressing need for an internally rebranded leadership. Let’s not just throw the whole 're-branding' concept in the face of the citizens, alone.

The whole world knows we are a great, a good nation…………but we’ve got irresponsible leadership! It is time we let our leaders know that they still have in them the capacity for positive change, they must pay heed to the all-important need to embrace this path of change for the greater good of the Nigerian nation!

SO YOU CALL YOURSELF AN ENTREPRENEUR?

Being an entrepreneur is serious business. It demands a lot of mental maturity. You cannot be cajoled into it; it is a conscious choice you make. As a matter of fact, entrepreneurship is a life in itself; it has a way of affecting every other area of your life. The question you may want to ask is: what are the key demands? There are three dominant ones: it requires intelligence, focus, and passion. This simply means the reason most businesses fail in the first year is because the entrepreneur either doesn't have these qualities, or he has been reduced to ground level by any one of the following mistakes... Listen to his lamentations...

I DON’T HAVE A BUSINESS PLAN:
The Holy book advices: “Write the vision... Make it plain, so that he that reads it can run...” It also says in another portion: “will any man embark on a journey without first counting the cost...?”

I WANT TO BUILD AN EMPIRE OVERNIGHT:
Real success wouldn’t come as a result of the quantity of deals you are able to secure, but by the excellent outcome of every deal that comes, they all add up. Good name is everything that matters in business; nothing substitutes for integrity and uprightness. I have great respect for entrepreneurs who are rich in contacts and are in good relationship with them. Folks, you don’t get contacts because of your skill proficiency, you get them by means of your integrity consciousness. A satisfied customer wouldn’t mind being a personal friend, no matter how well-off he or she is.

I AM WASTING RESOURCES

One other common mistake many young companies and entrepreneurs make is trying to appear bigger than they are by hiring too many [and unnecessary] employees, and getting a lavish office. A young entrepreneur who is yet to build his business’s foundation hires a personal assistance, a receptionist and a cleaner. One thing is clear: this fellow is just being insensitive and numb to the future of his business.

I AM RUNNING OUT OF CASH:
I have always said that failure is predictable. The Holy book says: “Seeth thou a man diligent in all his ways, he shall stand before great men?” I like to rephrase that portion for the benefit of all my patients in this business clinic: “Seeth thou a man without have a business plan, without good sales projections, without good budget for expense, he shall be a failure in business...”

I DON’T HAVE A CONCRETE MARKETING PLAN:
How did you ever think you will succeed without it! How are you going to reach your customers and target market? One thing I have learnt in business is that customers don’t look for you, you look for them, especially if you are just starting – you hunt for them!

I AM NOT CREATING A DISTINCT BRAND:

One of the greatest injuries you can inflict on your business is to effortlessly and passionately build a company that is exactly like somebody else’s. I dare ask you: “Who are you? Why should I buy from you and not from someone else? What makes you unique?” Friends, you must make sure you have a brand that reflects these traits, and you will be a winner. Your message must be in the heads of your customers.

I DON’T HAVE PASSION FOR THIS:
Passion is the fuel in your entrepreneurial car. A passionless man is a motionless man. Passion is everything! Host of TV series: The Apprentice, Donald Trump, one said: “If you are not passionate about what you are doing, do something else.”

I QUIT:
To begin with, I hate quitters! Nothing irritates me like a ‘quitter’. There is nothing great that comes cheap. You don’t stroll into success; you fight your way in. How dare you quit because of a few rejections and brick walls?