Opinion
Media and Nigeria’s soft power conundrum By Rafiu Ajakaye
I thank you for the honour of asking me to keynote this event. I also thank you for the rare privilege of asking me to speak to any issue of my choice as long as it touches on this noble profession. I have chosen to share with you my thoughts on ‘the media and the Nigerian soft power conundrum’. The title looks a bit complicated. But I’m in the midst of very experienced media professionals and so there is no point in me defining what the media is — including the fact that the term has taken on wider meanings within the context of the internet age. My use of the ‘media’ shall, in this discussion, include all shades of meanings that the media has assumed in the 21st century. In other words, the media will refer to the conventional print, broadcast or multimedia platforms, as it does to all variants of the new media that were birthed by the internet: Facebook, X (Twitter), instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, LinkedIn, TikTok, and all others.
All of these platforms serve to send messages to wider audiences in nanoseconds. In the process, media stakeholders determine what people read or see, shape opinions, and influence how people perceive or relate with any particular phenomenon. In all of these, the media can determine the fate of individuals, brands, nations, and the world.
Throughout history, different civilisations have developed the art of using the media to shape how they are seen by outsiders through strategic image laundering. This is in the realisation of the global race for scarce resources. From the East to the West, countries have also been intentional in determining what is available to their populations through the media. Most of the sleek videos we see about cutting-edge technology in China or elsewhere are excellent image laundering projects, perfected to constantly give certain impression of their society, thereby attracting capital investments, talents, and quality traffic to their tourist centres. Similar efforts are made to reduce to the barest minimum, or gloss over, what outsiders see of the imperfections of their society.
Today, how we see nations or brands have deftly determined our relationships with or perceptions of them. Such perceptions dictate many decisions we make everyday. Some countries have succeeded in projecting themselves as tourist havens, tax haven, bastion of democracy and human rights, destination for world-class education, friendliest business place, humanitarian support, the hub of technology, entertainment, beautiful culture and arts, best place for talent grooming, military prowess, or invincible security network. This outlook, or how we perceive them, has helped them to shape global opinion around them and anything concerning them. With it they get things done. Because of it, we are persuaded to act in a particular way towards them without any military force or threat. This, ladies and gentlemen, is called soft power.
The term soft power was coined in the 1980s by political scientist Joseph Nye Jr., who defined it as the ability of a country to ‘influence others without resorting to coercive pressure’. The Foreign Policy , a publication based in the United States, says soft ‘power usually originates outside government in places like schools, religious institutions, and charitable groups. It is also formed through music, sports, media, and major industries like Silicon Valley and Hollywood’.
Soft power could well be the alternative to brute force. It is, in fact, the opposite of raw military power. In between the two is what is called smart power, which is a combination of both. However, soft power is said to be more effective for nations to achieve their national interest on the global scene, rather than military force, which most times backfires and instigates hostilities against the invading force and their countries. Many examples attest to this.
But soft power is not built overnight; it takes conscious efforts and campaigns to get, and is achieved through national branding, which is a collective effort of everyone, especially the media. In a world driven by fierce competition for scarce resources, human and material, nations arm themselves with the right tools to be the top investment destinations. National branding comes in here. What do we want our country to be known for? How do we want outsiders to perceive our country? Let us be clear: there is no society that is free of violent crime, corruption, and other social vices. However, what nations do is to manage their reputations and embark on aggressive country brand to gain global relevance. Nations create a perception about themselves. This is not the exclusive duty of a government. Indeed, as has been mentioned above, soft power is better projected through the third party, especially the media. A nation is not the property of a government; it belongs to everyone living within its space.
Over the last two decades, and even since time immemorial, we have seen different nations of the world embarking on nation branding in different forms. The Incredible India campaign is an example. While it was launched in 2002 by the government of India, we have seen how Indians, irrespective of their beliefs and affiliations, have helped to carry the message to every corner of the world. Our television screen is blessed with different positive portrayals of India. And this has paid off as India has emerged from the ashes of poor reputations of its past. Essential Costa Rica is another great example of nation branding, as is Enterprise Estonia.
“The effect of a nation’s brand on its economy cannot be understated. While a nation’s brand certainly affects its tourism industry, the brand also has powerful effects on the value and volume of the nation’s products and foreign direct investment, which have a direct effect on the nation’s GDP,” David Reibstein said in a publication titled ‘Improving Economic Prosperity through nation branding’. Perception, which is a product of branding, means a lot in how a people are treated. It is immaterial that perception is not always the reality.
Esteemed colleagues, I am urging all of us to take ownership of the Nigerian brand. Our population is surging every day; yet we have limited resources to get everything we need, especially human capital and foreign investments in our economy. But we cannot attract the right investments and human capital if we do not project Nigeria as safe and right for all. If all we do is to record the vilest videos of unsavoury development and splash same on the internet or make it the banner headline that everyone sees across the world, we will be telling the world that our country is not safe. We can tell ourselves about our problems and work together to solve them or make scapegoats of the culprits. What we should stop doing is to put constant spotlight on the downsides of our society. No other nation does that.
Distinguished colleagues, deaths linked to violent crimes in Nigeria stood at 15,245 in 2022. In 2021, deaths associated with gun violence alone in the United States stood at 48,830, a 23% rise since 2019. But while Nigeria is often portrayed as a scary place to be, the United States is seen as a paradise where all is well 24/7. The difference is in the narratives that come with these statistics. While the US media establishments are quick to explain away the violence in their own country, sometimes calling it the acts of lone wolves or depression, the narrative here is often that this is happening because this is a failed system, ran aground by failed and corrupt governments.
The image we carve for our country is what sticks to it. If we call it a failed state because of its imperfections and crises of nation building, which are hardly exclusive to it, the result we get is what we call it. All of the nations we call the bastion of democracy or glamorise with every positives have or have had their own failings or down moments — perhaps worse than ours — which they paper over with nice narratives and excuses in their pursuits of national branding. British author Otto English aptly said this in his work titled Fake History: “The truth is that history is a contested space, and it always has been. It is a battleground of ideas, a place where different interpretations of the past jostle for supremacy.”
Now, I am neither asking the media to abandon its noble roles of being the watchdog of our society nor saying it should renege its duty as the fourth estate of the realm. But I am asking that we strike a deliberate balance between being journalists who report developments and being patriotic citizens and stakeholders who, along with our generations unborn, are also affected by whatever happens to Nigeria. If many cable networks in the ‘democratic’ west deliberately do not convey to the international audience everything that goes wrong in their society or frame such in manners that do not damage their national brand, I appeal that we also de-emphasise negative profiling of our country. I ask that we filter out to the global audience every little downsides of our society. As the Yoruba say, bi onigba ba se pe igba e, la o baa pe. Bi o nigba ba pe igba e ni akufo, a o pe ni akikara.
Esteemed colleagues, editors, and media stakeholders, what we call ourselves is how and what others will call us. Please let us endeavour to give ourselves and our country good names at all times. We owe it a duty and responsibility to ourselves and our children to stand by this country that has given us so much.
Thank you.
•Rafiu Ajakaye, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Kwara State, gave this keynote address at the Annual Press Week of the Correspondents’ Chapel (NUJ, Kwara State Council) in Ilorin on November 29, 2023
By Best Agbese
The Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company, located in Lekki, a suburb of Lagos, is seven times the size of Victoria Island, another high-end area in Lagos State. The refinery boasts of more than 350 concrete bridges, a port for oil vessels, and approximately 5,000 neatly built apartments for its staff. The refinery also incorporates the largest granulated urea fertilizer complex in Africa and sits on 500 hectares of land.
Considering the gigantic scale of the newest refinery in the world, it would be apt to submit that Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the founder and CEO of the Dangote Group, is the epitome of courage, resilience, and patriotism. His readiness to contribute to the overall development and growth of the nation’s economy is evident in his numerous impactful interventions at critical moments in our nationhood.
Sincerely speaking, it takes great courage for an individual to envision a world-class gigantic project like the Dangote Refinery. In his case, Aliko Dangote not only visualized the possibility of constructing one of the world’s largest refinery plants but also saw it through to realization. For a businessman and entrepreneur to venture into such a capital-intensive project in an unpredictable business environment marked by policy flip-flops and unhealthy politicization is quite remarkable.
Only a patriotic investor who is deeply committed to the unity and economic growth of his country can attempt such a bold step. With this historic move in the oil sector, Aliko Dangote stands alone in the pantheon of patriotic business leaders in Nigeria.
One very notable fact is that the rising price of petroleum products in Nigeria has resulted in significant hardship, particularly for the average Nigerian. While the current hardship caused by the fuel subsidy removal, intended to address long-term economic challenges, has had a detrimental impact on many, the immediate effect of the subsidy removal policy has further exacerbated the wealth gap between the rich and the poor.
In the context of this harsh reality, one can conclude that the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company represents a glimmer of hope for Nigerians. As one of the largest refineries in the world, located in Nigeria, the refinery has the potential to refine petroleum products locally, eliminating the need for costly imports that have reduced Nigeria to a “beggar nation” over the past decades.
Local production of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) could reduce pricing, as there would be no need to factor in high landing costs associated with fuel importation. The Dangote Refinery, at full capacity, will process 650,000 barrels of crude oil daily, making it competitive with the United States’ largest refinery and over 50% bigger than the largest refinery in Europe.
Although the refinery is intended to refine domestically produced crude to bolster the heavily oil-dependent local economy, which has been marked by crises in recent times, it also can refine foreign crude. While the exit of Shell Exploration Company and other major international oil companies from the domestic market may pose challenges for the Dangote Refinery in terms of crude oil supplies and achieving its goal of changing the narrative in the nation’s oil sector, it is also important to acknowledge that the sheer scale of the Dangote Refinery will nonetheless turn Nigeria into an “oil market juggernaut”.
According to a recent New York Times report, although the refinery has yet to debut in the domestic and international market space, the Dangote Refinery is already making waves in the global market and has affected major market indicators and determinants. Aliko Dangote, the billionaire Nigerian businessman who spearheaded the refinery’s construction and development, is well aware of the challenges facing the nation’s oil and gas sector.
He has repeatedly reiterated his commitment to driving the troubled sector towards efficiency and reliability. His mission is to make a positive impact on the capacity and fortunes of local refineries across the country. To many, including cynics who doubted that an individual could successfully build one of the world’s largest refineries, the knowledge of the refinery’s impact on the global energy index must have generated a highly positive response.
It is noteworthy that the Nigerian economy, which has experienced slow growth over the last 20 years, is set to witness a dramatic turnaround in the coming months. The positive impact of the Dangote Refinery on the nation’s economy will translate to a better standard of living for every Nigerian. It will reflect directly on Nigeria’s foreign reserve, reducing pressure on the Naira and stabilizing commodity and fuel prices.
Certainly, the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company is a game-changer for Nigeria, meeting domestic needs and producing a surplus for export. Already, the refinery has resumed production of high-quality Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), which is set to enter the domestic market. Aviation fuel and other products are expected to be rolled out into both domestic and international markets within September.
Candidly, Aliko Dangote has put many naysayers to shame. They were wondering how possible it would be for an individual to accomplish what a country or a continent could not achieve. In a nutshell, the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company symbolizes not only the strength and potential of Nigeria’s industry but also the dedication, patriotism, and vision of one of Nigeria’s most esteemed business leaders, Alhaji Dr. Aliko Dangote.
Therefore, it is succinctly true to admit with all sense of patriotism that although Aliko Dangote is not a saint, he has given Nigerians something to be proud of as a country. The Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company may become what Toyota is to Japan and what Citroen is to France – a brand and a source of pride.
Agbese is an oil and gas expert based in Dundee, United Kingdom.
I was replying to my WhatsApp messages yesterday when a piece by one Wahab Oba, one of the former senate president Pastor Bukola Saraki’s minions, was shared across the groups I’m a member. Titled ‘AA, stop the shenanigans, leave the traditional rulers alone’, the article was a repeat of the lies against Governor Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman in the lead-up to the 2023 general elections that he ordered the traditional rulers in the state not to welcome members of the opposition parties to their palaces.
It was not long after the engine room of lies and propaganda in the state, Kwara People’s Democratic Party, PDP, shared the lie across social media platforms that his royal majesty Olofa of Offa Oba Mufutau Muhammed Gbadamosi Esuwoye II, debunked it and set the record straight. The revered monarch said Governor Abdulrazaq never ordered them to stop members of any political parties from coming to their palace to sell their candidacies. He said those who refused to welcome opposition parties did that at their volition.
The warped narrative in yesterday’s piece that the governor didn’t want the traditional rulers in the state to attend Saraki’s late mother’s burial ceremony was the recycling of the lie the PDP told in 2023. It’s only God who knows how the late Mrs Florence will be feeling on the other side of life right now after discovering that her beloved son and former governor has been using her passing to play his usual dirty politics. Is this how to pay a last respect to the deceased? Not. It’s only a child who does not respect their parents who bring them into political matters.
In the piece, the essayist also accused the governor of not showing sportsmanship because he didn’t personally visit the Sarakis and attend the burial ceremony. He mentioned some top members of the APC who visited him despite being in the opposition. However, he failed to acknowledge the fact that Governor Abdulrazaq was one of the first set of APC leaders who released statements to sympathise with the Sarakis a few hours after they announced the transition of their mother. What’s sportsmanship if not what the governor did?
Maybe Saraki and Wahab Oba wanted the governor to send all members of the State House of Assembly to the ceremony and empty Kwara’s treasury before they would know he cared. Sometimes, Saraki’s minions think others are as daft and deluded as them. Reading the article, I was expecting the author to mention how his paymaster paid a condolence visit to the family of his late predecessor, who he fought when he was alive and after his death. Instead, he went on to narrate how President Joe Biden and his family put a call through his archrival in the forthcoming presidential, Donald Trump, when the latter’s ear was shot by an assailant. Has Biden visited him?
Of course, Sarakites won’t commend AA for sympathising with the Sarakis via an emotional statement not until they review how their master has responded to the events of his political enemies including President Bola Tinubu who the writer said allowed his wife to pay a condolence visit to the bereaved in recent times. Since Saraki got his ‘wuru-wuru’ senate presidency which didn’t go down with many including Tinubu and the party, he has ignored anything that has his name on it. Just recently, President Tinubu celebrated his birthday and the ex-governor couldn’t wish him well. Or should we discuss how he disrespectfully ignored him at a certain event?
Mrs Florence is no more here with us and the best thing the former senate president and his siblings could have done for a loving mother was to organise a prayer session where people of her faith would beseech God to forgive her shortcomings and her among His beloved. Anything outside this is unnecessary. There is no point dragging the governor for not coming to pay your family a condolence visit when he had already shown sportsmanship by sympathising with your family in the open. A gesture you couldn’t extend when your predecessor passed on.
Muhammad, a political analyst, writes from Ilorin.
By Abdulwasiu Abdullahi
As Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission, KWSIEC gears up to conduct the local government polls on September 21, the same day as the Edo governorship election, some elements in the People’s Democratic Party, PDP and bootlickers of the former Senate President Bukola Saraki have been sharing articles written under pseudo names to call the state government names and accuse the electoral body of working in its interest.
While it is common in this part of the world to see opposition parties accuse the national and state electoral bodies of scheming with the ruling parties to subvert the will of the people, this writer feels such an accusation shouldn’t emanate from the deluded individuals from the People’s Democratic Party and Saraki dynasty under which the people of Kwara State witnessed all forms of daylight electoral robbery and subsequent suppression of dissents.
The last LG polls KWSIEC conducted under the Saraki dynasty, which had the opposition party sweep all the chairmanship and councillorship seats, was all manipulated by the agents of the banished dynasty in the Commission who declared the PDP candidates who performed abysmally, winners even as Kwarans trooped out in their thousands across the 16 local councils to protest the electoral heist Saraki and his agents of destabilization feigned deaf-mute.
Rather than Bukola Saraki and his cronies, who had found comfort in subverting the electoral will of the people to take a cue from the embarrassing defeat their party suffered in the last LG polls and prioritized the welfare of Kwarans, they continued their dishonorable leadership misadventures. They would later be sent to their political retirement by the revolutionary Otoge movement, which saw the APC claiming and repositioning the State for its deserved development.
In a recent article by one of the pseudonyms of the PDP and Saraki dynasty, they claimed that KWSIEC was working for the ruling APC because it extended the deadline for the party primary election — a decision observers say is in the interest of all the political parties. But Saraki’s bootlickers believe the shift in the date was part of the APC and the electoral body’s scheme to rig the election. Perhaps these guys are already moaning about their seeming defeats in the forthcoming LG polls.
There’s no gainsaying the Saraki dynasty was among those who laid the precedent for the problems the third tier of government is contending with today across the country. Aside from stealthily rewriting election results and rigging LG polls, they also pocketed the funds that should have ordinarily gone directly to the local government purse. The council chairmen under Saraki weren’t only denied access to funds; they were made errand boys with nothing to show for their years of service.
The chairman of KWSIEC, Alhaji Mohammadu Baba Okanla, has offered his words in his recent contact with newsmen in Ilorin. He said the Commission is giving all political parties a level playing field and promised that the LG polls will be free and fair. What is expected of a political party that has not been perceiving its own defeat is to continue its consultation and watch as things unfold. But because the Kwara PDP knows it is a rejected party, it has resorted to propaganda and defamation of character.
This writer does not doubt that the September 21 polls are another moment of rejection for the PDP and the Saraki. The election, which will take place at the 16 local government areas of the State, will have all the candidates of the PDP, including councillors, suffer an embarrassing defeat as Kwarans will, once again, halt them from coming close to the State’s treasury with their thumbs.
Abdullahi, a public affairs analyst, writes from Kaiama.
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