The Saka Phenomenon and Porting
By Ernest Omoarelojie
Ordinarily, Saka, a familiar name among the Yoruba
speaking people of South West Nigeria, has nothing
that makes people turn their heads when mentioned.
But in more ways than one, the moniker has become an
interesting subject among the country's
telecommunication observers. For all its worth, the
name has become the newest operational vocabulary in
the sector following directives for GSM network
providers to embark on number portability.
Incidentally, the involvement of Hafeez Oyetoro, one of
the country's quintessential dramatists and former
brand ambassador to Etisalat, a giant in the sector, is
the subject of a simmering stand-off for being the lead
character in a trail blazing portability sensitization
advertisement. Etisalat, it appears, is miffed at
Oyetoro's unceremonious (invectively pregnant I-don-
upgrade-o) exit from its stable as one of her brand
ambassadors. For Etisalat therefore, Oyetoro's action
for jumping ship to a rival is comparable only to Brutus'
dagger on Julius Caesar. It obviously is the "unkindest
cut...," that cannot be wished away.
The feeling is understandable if claims by one Kehinde
Bademosi, that Etisalat should be given credit for
birthing Saka, the character that launched Oyetoro into
prominence, is anything to go by. Specifically,
Bademosi insists that he actually created the character
for the telecommunications giant. According to him,
Saka "was a character we at CentreSpread designed for
an ad company that has come to take on a life of its
own." That done, he proceeded to even belittle the
character by his claims that before the Etisalat ads, it
was too nondescript to be worth any notice at all. Hear
him.
"First, Saka was not a celebrity used for etisalat.
Rather, he was a character we at Centrespread
designed for an ad campaign that has come to take on
a life of its own. When we did create the character
bible, we needed a talent that could act the role and he
came in for the casting like any other person. Looking
at the screen test later on, we had no doubt that Saka
was the man we were looking for. You must give credits
to etisalat to have approved of our direction and
choice."
Perhaps unconsciously, Bademosi gave out the reason
he appears to be in a hurry to lay claims to Saka as a
character he created. He was, he wrote, in a meeting
with some bank executives of a certain bank and the
advertisement was aired. The executives, obviously
bent on creating a monster hit of the same magnitude
were, according to him, so enraptured with the
character that they, almost literally, fell over
themselves in adulation. Some of them, he continued,
declared there and then that they were indeed porting
to MTN without delay. As a creative individual
obviously on hand to negotiate a deal, he sought to
know why they were so taken in by the character and
the answer, he quoted them as saying was, "we just
love this Saka." Little wonder he decided to sell them
the dummy that he created the character ostensibly to
land a hefty job from the bank.
A close examination of Bademosi's reason for claiming
ownership of the Saka character reminds one of the
choice a hungry man would make in order to address
both the pangs of hunger threatening him but also his
idea of a good meal. He does not need any persuasion
to head in the direction of Ijesha-Mama-Put restaurant
if, rather than Amala and Ewedu with Tolotolo, Iyan and
Ogbono soup, complete with Ogufe, serve the purpose.
Of course, he must be convinced that in particular, she
has the best recipe for the combination. Will it not
appear stupid for the same man to turn around and
claim responsibility for creating the recipe afterwards?
Does Bademosi's claim on Saka not appear reasonably
similar to a man claiming ownership of the recipe of a
meal he ate to satisfy a craving?
About the same time Bademosi's claim appeared,
those who knew how the Saka phenomenon evolved,
particularly his colleagues in the Thespian industry,
proved that they were not asleep. Clearly, they told
anyone who cared to listen that the character is a
carefully crafted and nurtured brand that has been in
existence long before Etisalat even realized that
Nigeria is an ample telecommunication business hob.
According to them, the character became television
drama enthusiasts' delight around 2004 long before
the telecommunication outfit came into the country.
Since then, they posited, it has won and continues to
win laurels for its exploits. They cited examples and
dates to back up their claims.
If nothing at all, their projections tend to lend credence
to facts of ownership Bademosi probably chose to
ignore. I am talking about the fact that people usually
associate with characters they know and share affinity
with. For instance, it can hardly be disputed that they
find Saka, as brand ambassador for Etisalat, the same
unassuming but compelling figure that epitomized
everything they have always associated with him on
television. That, arguably explains why in his
appearances for the outfit, he drew customers'
interests to its outlets, the reason being that they know
him as their soul mate. Would this measure of trust be
possible if they have not known or related with him
before? In other words, was the Saka character new to
them?
There is indeed, something to learn in the evolution of
Saka as a character. I expect both Etisalat and
Bademosi to be familiar with this fact that people tend
to love and relate with characters rather than adverts.
To that extent, rather than attempt to lay claim to
creating the character, they will do better accepting the
fact that it upgraded because they did not appreciate
its value. For crying out loud, Saka has moved on and
by Jove, it did so with a bang. "I Go Port o" is a damn
good copy to watch on tv if one needs to relax. Like the
bank executives, I just love this Saka, not Etisalat, not
MTN and certainly, not those others who want credit for
a character they never created.