DEMUREN: A VICTIM OF POLITICAL MANOUEVERING

Nigerians woke up to the news this morning of the sack of the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren.  In a less than satisfactory statement released from the office of the Secretary to the Federal Government, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, the reason for the sack was given as “pressure from aviation stakeholders”.

I am extremely disappointed in the Federal Government for taking this decision which, in my sincere and humble opinion, will set back the numerous achievements of Dr. Demuren. Demuren is an experienced Aeronautical Engineer. He was retired in 1995 as a Director of Safety Services in NCAA because of his strict adherence to safety. He went on to float Afrijet, where he served as the MD/CEO of the cargo airline. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed Dr. Demuren DG of the NCAA after the Bellview and Sosoliso Airlines crashes to restore sanity to the aviation Industry. Dr. Demuren went on to help Nigeria attain the US CAT 1 status after those incidents. I honestly believe he has done well for the aviation Industry and he deserves a better treatment.

Furthermore, one wonders if this sack is as a result of the vote of no confidence passed on Dr. Demuren by the House of Representatives committee on aviation recently. It will be unfortunate if the Federal Government bowed to pressure from a group of political contractors and aviation illiterates parading themselves as legislators whose past time these days is blaming everyone else for Nigeria’s problems except themselves.

Many blamed the Demuren led NCAA after the Dana airline crash but the Ogun-state born technocrat and his agency were duly exonerated by the committee led by renowned aviation expert, Group Captain Obakpolor, who was appointed by the Aviation Minister, Mrs Stella Oduah.

There is no doubt that Dr. Demuren revamped, repositioned and restored confidence in domestic air travel in Nigeria. After his appointment, he immediately took on the challenge of reforming the Nigerian Aviation sector and restoring the lost confidence to the Industry, drawing up a strategic short, medium and long term plan anchored on Safety, Security and Satisfaction (consumer) in that order of priority. Dr. Demuren introduced a safety reform Agenda which enthroned professionalism, integrity and transparency in the conduct of Aviation business.

Demuren will remain one of the best DGs in NCAA’s history. He is competent and well experienced in the field. About a year ago, He was going to step aside honorably after his first tenure, but was reappointed to carry on.  Demuren was a silent achiever who knows his onions. He would be surely missed by those who have the nation’s aviation sector’s interest at heart. I want to use this opportunity to sincerely thank Dr. Demuren for his selfless service to this nation, and I wish him successes in his future endeavours.

Is Don Jazzy the right ambassador for loya milk?

Loya milk is one of the products under the stables of Promasidor Nigeria Limited. The product has been around for a while except that it didn’t really come into the consciousness of Nigerians until after the company decided to pick celebrity music producer and CEO of Mavin Records, Micheal Collins Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy, as the face of the loya milk brand.

Disclosing reasons for choosing Don Jazzy as brand ambassador for Loya Milk, the Commercial Director, Promasidor Nigeria, Mr Kachi Onubogu, said a brand ambassador assists the brand further in reaching its target audience.“Our choice of Don Jazzy as brand ambassador is driven by the brand essence and its proposition to its target audience. Loya premium milk is a brand with class and taste; it is a brand with distinction and excellence that constantly rewards its loyal consumers,” he said.

Mr Kachi made it known that “Don Jazzy is recognised for his charitable works. He is a multi award winning Nigerian record producer,singer/song writer and current CEO of Mavin Records and was rated recently as the 36th most powerful celebrity in Africa by Forbes magazine,” He concluded.
I. agree with Mr Onubogu on the fact that “a brand ambassador assists the brand further in reaching its target audience,” but what I do not agree with is if Don Jazzy is the ideal person to carry-out that assignment effectively. Don’t get me wrong - I do not have any personal issues with Don Jazzy; I have never met him before neither do I have any problem with Promasidor for that matter. In fact, I am one of the biggest admirers of Don Jazzy’s works..
My reasons for disagreeing with the choice of Don Jazzy?

1. There is no synergy between the brand and its ambassador. While the brand is targeted at the general public with emphasis on the family, Don Jazzy is a ‘hippy’ personality that only appeals to the youths with little or no buying power or time, as they are pre-occupied with other activities. The few of them who do have time to patronize this product already grew up with older brands like Peak milk and Cowbell milk already entrenched in their sub-consciousness.

2. Don Jazzy has just come out from a well-publicized brick-bat with his erstwhile partner, D’Banj. The bad blood generated from the constant back and forth in the media by both of them has rubbed off on them negatively. An allegation of Don Jazzy cornering all the financial benefits accrued from a deal with Samsung is still fresh in my memories. The proceeds from the deal, according to D’Banj’s media representatives, were supposed to be shared by both personalities – D’Banj and Don Jazzy - as it was obtainable before then. Despite the allegations being unverified, Don Jazzy has never openly denied them.

3. Don Jazzy is not a known talker. Many Nigerians will remember how Don Jazzy used to whisper into Dbanj’s ear in major concerts and award ceremonies while Dbanj ‘interprets’ to the audience. Despite his massive presence on Twitter, Don Jazzy is not known to be sociable; he is media shy, never attends events, and is hardly seen in major shows except when his artistes are involved. This is very much unlike serial brand ambassadors like BankyW and Kate Henshaw, who use every little opportunity to push their brand. Methinks Don Jazzy will just recoil back to his studio, tweet about Loya Milk, go for photo-shoots and attend their events when called upon. He simply can’t push the brand.

Ok! This is where I have to stop before I’m termed a HATER! I might be wrong in my analysis as I am not a brand expert. But it is my opinion and I have made my point. After all, it is my blog. *smiles*

THE GOODLUCK OF JONATHAN

Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is arguably Nigeria’s luckiest citizen alive. His parents would probably be thanking their stars for naming their son, Goodluck. A native of Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Dr. Jonathan, who is a PHD holder in Zoology from the University of Port Harcourt and a former Lecturer in the same University, comes across as a perfect gentleman.

One of Nigeria’s foremost magazine, TELL, in one of its recent edition profiled Dr. Jonathan. This writer read the article, and looking at his political history, it will be safe to say, the Acting President is not a typical Nigerian politician. Infact, almost every position he has found himself in the past practically fell on his laps with little or no effort or desperation from Dr. Jonathan. Seemingly contented with his job as a Lecturer and a Board Member of a regional government agency that concerns itself with Oil and Minerals development in Oil Producing Communities.

Jonathan was reportedly approached by all the traditional leaders in his local government advicing him to seek a political platform to contest the council’s chairmanship seat and be assured of their support.

According to the magazine, Jonathan was initially reluctant but later bowed to the severe pressure mounted on him. While preparing to slug it out in grass root politics, Dr. Jonathan was approached by former Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Diepriye Alameseigha to run alongside him in a joint ticket for the Governorship/Deputy race in the 1999 Gubernatorial Election. They won the election and enjoyed a cordial relationship, as Jonathan was said to be 100% loyal to his boss and the then governor trusted him too. Midway into their 2nd term in office, the wave of anti-corruption led by the indefatigable Mallam Nuhu Ribadu birthed in Bayelsa and consumed the former governor as reports in the media then suggested that the Economic and Financial crimes commission (EFCC) actually gave the British Metropolitan Police the tip off that Alameseigha was in possession of large sum of money in Foreign Currency and he was consequently arrested in Heathrow Airport, London and charged with money laundering.

Alameseigha later jumped bail, dressed like a woman, he returned to Nigeria Unnoticed by both British and Nigeria Airport and Security Authorities. Shortly after his return, he was impeached by the Bayelsa State house of Assembly for gross misconduct, financial misappropriation, bringing ridicule to the State e.t.c. The responsibility of steering the ship (State) naturally tell on Jonathan, who was again initially reluctant before he was advised that his taking over was constitutional and not an act of betrayal as he envisaged. Jonathan regretted the circumstances in which he became governor, while reading out his acceptance speech when he was being sworn-in as governor.

He pledged his continued loyalty to his former boss and this was made manifest when he refused to dissolve the cabinet, even though, he was under intense pressure to do so by the powers that be in the State.

Jonathan contested the 2007 gubernatorial election in the State and won, but he was picked by the hierarchy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to run on a joint ticket with Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua for the Presidential election after the initial favourite, Dr. Peter Odilli was dropped due to corruption related issues. Coming from the fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria (the ijaw nation).

Jonathan’s emergence was as a result of the struggles and agitation of the Niger Delta people for the control of their resources and higher government positions. Before assuming the role of Acting President, Jonathan was reportedly ineffective in key government policies, but visible in ceremonial capacity and duties. Jonathan’s Goodluck was once again brought to the fore when on the 9th of February 2010, a resolution was passed at the National Assembly empowering him to be the Acting President and assume presidential powers pending the return of Yar’adua.

Yar’adua traveled to Saudi Arabia on November 23, 2009 to attend to his health at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and research centre, Riyadh. He is said to be nursing acute pericardetis (An inflammation of the membrane around the heart). Yar’adua was away for over 70days without adhering to the constitutional provision which stipulates transmission of a written declaration to the National Assembly that he is on vacation (in this case, attending to his health), and properly handing over to Jonathan, as acting president, as enshrined in section 145 of the Nigerian Constitution.

Yar’adua’s absence heated the polity, caused panic and tension and was a clear invitation to Chaos, as it was politically dangerous to have vaccum in the seat of power especially in a democratic dispensation in this part of the world. Although, the National Assembly’s decision is practically not backed by law, it was out of necessity and political expediency in other not to put the country’s cherished democracy in danger.
Jonathan’s first task as acting president was to use his goodluck to uproot the badluck of the Yar’adua administration, Chief Micheal Kaase Aondoaka (S.A.N) from the sacred position of the Attorney General of the Federation and minister of Justice to the ministry of Special duties is a step in the good right direction. The Benue born lawyer was no doubt a clog in the wheel of progress of the Yar’adua administration. This writer wish Jonathan continues with the goodluck cleansing of the ideas-lacking and inactive cabinet of the go- slow and indecisive Yar’adua. On a lighter note, knowing most Nigerians for who they are, I will not be surprised if new born babies are named Goodluck either in English or their native language by their parents. Need I say more………………. GOODLUCK, MR JONATHAN.