One thing we can learn from the ongoing dispute between Landmark Africa, owned by Paul Onwuanibe, and the Federal Government of Nigeria over the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Project is how some people and organisations understand the average Southern Nigerian person's love for bad news, and how they weaponise it, by using it to manipulate Nigerians.

On April 30, 2024, Landmark released a post on X claiming, "What we built in 6 years was destroyed in 6 hours."

The post showed before and after photos that gave the impression that Landmark had been completely destroyed and the company was in ruins.

Trust Nigerians, especially Southerners, and our penchant for negativity. The post went internationally viral, and almost 5 million people viewed it, with most insulting the President and some heaping curses on the Works Minister, Dave Umahi.

One fellow, @greatdarl on X, said, "Man it’s so scary to build anything in naija esp Lagos and they claim nothing would happen to number of lives employed and impacted by this resort."

Someone else, @Dycocoo, said, "My heart goes out to all the staffs that will be unemployed now".

Another famous person, Maryanne Moghalu, said, "Invest in Lagos at your own peril."

And we all sang a requiem for Landmark and went to bed.

But then a week later, on May 6, 2024, Landmark resurrected on X, posting that' "Landmark Lagos is Open for Business!"

Apparently, it was not true that Landmark's business had been destroyed. Only a small portion of temporary structures, which had encroached on the beach, which by law cannot belong to an individual or corporation, was demolished.

The demolished portion comprised less than 3% of their business, and the Landmark corporation was and is still thriving.

But here is the thing. While their post distorting the truth and de-marketing Lagos had 4.6 million views, this new and truthful one only garnered a million views.

Landmark pushed a false narrative, with the help of heavyweights, such as Peter Obi and the Moghalus, that the Tinubu administration had destroyed their business, because of their ethnicity, and their staff had all lost their jobs while they lost the shirts on their backs. But it was a lie. Their business was still very much open and thriving. There had been no employee mass firings.

It was just a manipulative publicity stunt to turn the public against the government and pressure them to allow a structure that had no standing in law to continue existing.

The first post had gone viral and was featured on many international fora, denting Nigeria's image.

After leading the world to believe that "What we built in 6 years was destroyed in 6 hours" and that they lost '$200 million worth of investment', the truth is that Landmark came out virtually unscathed by this exercise.

But the world would not hear that story. Only the lie. And stations like Arise TV, who were willing participants in perpetuating this lie, will move to the next lie, without skipping a beat.

Let me assure you that Landmark has no intention of leaving Lagos. Because, if they do, they will lose money, while Lagos will lose NOTHING! It is in their interest to remain in Lagos.

And even their second post was not done to correct the damage they did. It was actually motivated by greed. You see, Landmark had to clear the air because many people who used to book them for their events were moving elsewhere, since 'What we built in 6 years was destroyed in 6 hours'. And when they noticed that, they had to clear the air for their own selfish benefit.

You see? It is so much easier to destroy than to build.

Reno Omokri
 
Gospeller. Deep Thinker. #BuhariTormentor. #TableShaker. Ruffler of the Feathers of Obidents. #1 Bestselling author of Facts Versus Fiction: The True Story of the Jonathan Years. Hodophile. Hollywood Magazine Humanitarian of the Year, 2019. Business Insider Influencer of the Year 2022.

Landmark was able to open for business six days after what they built in six years was destroyed. The only other Person Who has been able to achieve this miraculous feat since creation is God, who created the world and everything in it in six days. Well, just as our Creator rested on the Seventh Day, we hope Landmark and their vuvuzelas, like Arise TV, Peter Obi and the Moghalus, can now rest from their Gbajue!
This is the same way they tried to divide Nigeria, and provoke an ethnic crisis by lying that a Yoruba Muslim JAMB Registrar General had cheated Mmesoma Ejikeme. And, like Landmark's story, it all turned out to be another Lamba!

#TableShaker

Cooldowntemper:
Destitutes need to take a break.

I am currently paying for buses to osun

Gbajue on Steroids

muhammaduyusufu:

You are calling someone like Reno that can buy your generation a destitute. LMAO.

muhammaduyusufu:

You are calling someone like Reno that can buy your generation a destitute. LMAO.