General Muhammadu Buhari is a damaged brand, he cannot win the Presidential election on any platform unless his brand equity is restored. Any people or group of people who wants to do this will have their work cut out for them, it is a lot of work but it can be done. Buhari has the best brand equity any human being would wish for until religion was used against him. He is upright, disciplined, honest, devout, frugal and patriotic among other superlatives.

Who damaged his brand?
A. The political elite
B. The educated elite

What damaged his brand?
He is disciplined: Those of us who were old enough, knew how we all fell in line under Buhari/Idiagbon's War Against Indiscipline (WAI). The spectacle of civil servants who were publicly humiliated for lateness is still fresh in our memory. When he was in charge, everybody observed decorum at publics spaces by taking their turns. It was unprecedented in a country populated by oversized egos. Little wonder, the "do you know who I am" crowd do not want a return to an orderly Nigeria. They benefit from the chaos and indiscipline.

Buhari is frugal: Buhari instituted counter trade and improved Nigeria's balance of trade by curbing imports. Oil thieves, subsidy thieves, and rogue importers who gets free money from NEXIM will have no where to turn. Generator and transformer importers who pay people to steal cables and vandalize transformers will go out of business. Everyone in this country is an importer of something. How many of those emergency importers dare manufacture when trading is there and yields quick money? If Buhari is elected, how will they launder proceeds from drugs, gun running and conversion of public funds? The elite are neck deep in a culture of waste and loot for too long, they dont wan to be weaned from easy money. They no go gree lailai...tufiakwa!

He is honest: Buhari is as clean as a whistle. How many properties does he own? How much investment has he to his name?

A patriot: Buhari is a dedicated patriot. When he was called to serve on the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) we got results. Today the Anenihs use such funds meant for projects and road construction to cater for themselves and fund their party - the PDP.

He is devout: Buhari is a devout Muslim who obeys the central injunction of compassion in his daily life - his albatross.

Buhari committed sacrilege when he came to power and jailed politicians without due process, executed drug peddlers with a retroactive law and enacted decrees gagging the press. I do not in any way condone the excesses of Buhari's reign but even his detractors will agree he is a saint compared to the treacherous and murderous types we have and have had after him. Buhari knows Nigeria and her issues cold. He is not under any gauzy lens of delusion and he is prepared as always to dive in at the pool's deep end. That for me is the difference. Buhari is the leader that can save Nigeria from the evil of herself, he is the leader we are afraid to have. I know the Jonathans and the anti-Buhari crowd will come after me with their senseless and scattered rhetoric but you are forewarned to arm yourself with facts. Some of us are witnesses to history and are objective with facts.

How was his brand damaged?
Enemies of Nigeria damaged Buhari's brand by using religion against him. Buhari is a good brand because of the qualities I listed earlier, his enemies and enemies of Nigeria knows it. Actually, most Nigerians know it. How did they do it? During his regime, counter trade and restricted imports gave rise to unprecedented inflation. Purchasing power nosedived and Nigerians became despondent. In despondency, they embraced religion than never before. Pentecostalism and its posterity now doctrine gained ascendancy in Christendom and Salafism and Shia Islam gained currency among Muslims. The Universities embraced both with zeal. Money flowed into Christianity from the United States. Saudi Arabia and Iran struggled for the minds of young Muslims on University campuses. The Nigerian religious extremism hitherto unknown by previous generations was born, brewed fresh from the stables of academia and the elite; potently aided by the Iran/Iraq war. Inciting leaflets and literature saturated the campuses and the government as usual took no notice. A Christian America was seeing as aiding the decimation of Iran by Iraq. A symbol of the times, was the controversy of the cross and crescent at the University of Ibadan. A non-issue that dragged on for years.

Buhari's tarnish project began immediately Obasanjo was elected. The schism that began with ascendant pentecostalism and fundamental Islam was carefully exploited to Buhari's detriment. He was labeled an unrepentant and fiery fanatic on religion and nomadic education. We were reminded about purported Islamization of Nigeria and membership of the OIC. The Northern elite fed and funded the misinformation especially those whose only industry is the government. Access to the racket of federal gravy bound them to religious bigots in the South. The truth is lost on southerners that Buhari is an outsider among the power elite in the north. His only bastion of support is among the Talakawas, the Northern elite have nothing but thinly veiled hatred for him.

By the time Buhari declared his intent to run, the extensive ground work for their campaign of calumny has been laid. During Buhari's tenure at the PTF, the South benefited immensely but the message was lost. Unfortunately, in a country beset by bread and butter issues, conscience counts for nothing. The Talakawas alone cannot win anyone an election, the power elite controls the vote. Buhari does not have the resources to run against the establishment and counter their smear campaign. Most importantly, his campaign was enmeshed in hubris based on his anti corruption credentials alone. They were astoundingly shortsighted as they virtually ignored the south during the campaigns and that further cemented Buhari's reputation as a religious zealot in whose eyes the Southern electorate meant nothing.

Since then, Buhari has continued to contest without any reasonable attempt to repair his brand. He cannot win. He cannot win on his record. He should study the failures of Chief Obafemi Awolowo another man whose brand was damaged by the civil war. Whosoever tells him he can win is deceiving him. I was at my ward's polling booth on Lagos Island during the last presidential elections. I was almost lynched for talking about Buhari. Religion does not encourage reason, religion is faith nurtured by unreason. In Nigeria, all you need to win is to kneel in front of a pastor and the subliminal message is sent to millions of faithfuls to vote their faith. The religious divide in Nigeria is very wide and Southerners are now super sensitive to it. The treatment meted out to Jonathan under Yar'adua was the breakpoint, this must not be lost to any northerner interested in presidential politics going forward.

In marketing, good brands can have the damage done to them repaired if the brand equity is persistent, has strength and heritage, if the damage is not central to the brand’s value proposition, If the solution has credibility and if there is any change in prevailing context that can make the damage irrelevant.

Buhari is a good brand with remarkable equity and persistence. unfortunately, his persistence is viewed as zeal for islamization. Lately, his persistence has been interpreted as a call to arms and insurgency against the state. Jonathan has tried many times to link him with Boko Haram, religion exploits human fears.

His brand's strength and heritage is derived from his military background, religion and northern origin. In most quarters in the south, that amounts to triple Jeopardy. The negative publicity of the strength and heritage is too large with respect to its equity.

The seriousness of Buhari's religion and anti-corruption problem with Nigerians is central to his brand’s value proposition and electability.

What is the solution? I will propose that later, but the credibility of the proposed solution will determine if lost brand equity can be restored. Can Buhari convince a confused audience that he has solved his religion problem with so much distrust in the land? I don't know.

Has the Nigerian context changed such that the specifics Buhari's "past" now seem irrelevant? No.

What to do?
If any party must field Buhari as its presidential candidate, they must look hard and be prepared to do a lot of hard work, wining hearts and minds. Buhari is the only leader we have subjected to the exhausting task of being nice all the time. Obasanjo, warts and all does not have to be nice, we even invent excuses or his lack of polish. Buhari and those of us who believe in him have our work cut out for us. If the resources are not there, I suggest the hunt should begin for a fresh mind. Here is my proposed solution:

A. Buhari should take full responsibility for himself and failures of his reign and apologize where necessary
B. He should welcome change and get outside help
C. Leverage his record as Head of State and PTF chair
D. Be honest and transparent on his religious beliefs and his faith in humanity
E. Call Nigeria to action and spell out the dangers we face collectively.

That is all.



Bámidélé Adémólá-Olátéjú

http://saharareporters.com/article/general-buhari-damaged-brand-bamidele-ademola-olateju

Nigerians deserve the situation they found themselves today.

Why should choosing people to lead us ever have something to do with religion or tribe? That means we are all agents of intolerance. SMH!

IBB, why did you set this great country 200 years backward? Nigeria's derailment began when IBB overthrew Buhari's regime. I remember how Buhari and Tunde Idiagbon scared corrupt government officials out of Nigeria after Shagari lost control of government to very corrupt government officials who only knew nothing but stealing from the coffer of the government. The same corrupt officials are the same people who are spreading lies against the good man of Buhari because they want status-quo to remain. They are the elites in the North and very young Southerners who are mostly of SE/SS origins born after 1985.

I still remember war against indiscipline when orderliness was the rein of the day. I remember our people not throwing dirt on the floor in those days. I remember naira was stronger than pounds or dollars. It was N1-$1.13. I remember our police force being friends of the masses by doing their utmost duty. I remember market women getting shops to sell their goods and stopped street hawking. I remember importation of goods were frowned upon and our manufacturers were manufacturing goods everyday. I remember government employees going to work at the right time. I still remember our teachers were getting paid by the last day of the month and not waiting for months before getting paid. I remember Buhari's policy drove armed robbber to relocate to Rep. Of Benin. I remember Buhari drove the Niger's citizens and Ghananians out of Nigeria because he wanted no one to share anything with real Nigerians.

I remember going to the airport in 1985 seeing how well dressed our Nigerian Airforce Officers and Nigerian Police Officers were and how professional compare to the ones we have today. I remember during Buhari's regime Nigerian Airways was one of the top three Airways in the world. I remember there was no big man mentality because everyone was equal before the law. Imagine Nigeria of 1985 being Nigeria of today. I remember Nigerians didn't need visa to travel to any country during Buhari's regime except Saudi Arabia. Nigeria's image was better after he drove the rogues in Shagari's regime out of government and put them up for prosecution. Compare that to what we have today when people like Obasanjo, Anehni, Tinubu and others walking free when they all have graft cases to answer as government of the day is toothlessly fighting phantom war against corruption. Umaru Dikko knows better today when it comes to prosecution for graft. I agree Buhari went to the extreme to fight corruption because corruption was order of the day under Shagari and Shagari lost full control of the treasury.

Let's fast forward to taday. Many of our government hospital facilities of today were supplied by PTF headed by Buhari in the 90s as the PTF Chairman. Many libraries in our universities and politechnics of today still boast of books in their shelves because PTF provided those books. I remember when we were getting text-books supplied to us directly by Buhari's regime without paying anything for it. We were literarilly getting free text-books supplies from the Federal Government of Nigeria. It was this same good man called Buhari who did that. Many roads today had their last upgrades during the PTF headed by Muhammadu Buhari.

Buhari is a man of intergrity. Rumor has it that Obasanjo saw him as a threat in 2002 and set the ball rolling to probe Buhari but they came back empty for his role as PTF Chairman. Obasanjo later told his people he only wanted to find out because he knew him from when he (Buhari) was Petroleum Minister to be very honest and trustworthy. There was also rumor that Obasanjo narrated how Buhari reported the then IBB to Head of State (Obasanjo) that IBB wanted him to swinddle money and contract to certain people and enrich themselves but Buhari refused IBB's advise. This is the man we urgently need to arrest this corruption that is in our midst. El-Rufai once said Obasanjo secretely sent him to persuade Buhari to join PDP if he really want to become President and he (Obasanjo)would make sure that he realises his ambition under PDP but Buhari showed his true color by rejecting Obasanjo overture. This says a lot about his character. The man does not have thirst for power as widely reported. Buhari is the only military General who did not join PDP when the Party was founded. All former military Genarals got contracts worth tens to hundreds of million naira but Buhari did not participate. This is the man we all need. Our destiny in our hands and we should not fail our children and grandchildren. We have never had it so bad in Nigeria. I am not blaming Jonathan for our woes but he has shown in three years he has been in power to be part of the problem and not really interested in solving our problems.

God less Nigeria and God bless you Gen. Buhari for the good memory. Your regime was the last time Nigeria experienced the best moment in 53 year history. It will be a pleasure you set this country in the right direction again.

Front page material...................

wait, the authors name is Bámidélé Adémólá-Olátéjú? Very predictable people. Keep worshiping your slave masters that have no regards for you. Another thrash article

Fulani a/r/se-licking olateju aka prof corruption

Mr. Globe:
wait, the authors name is Bámidélé Adémólá-Olátéjú? Very predictable people. Keep worshiping your slave masters that have no regards for you. Another thrash article

You are a religious and ethnic bigot. Your parents have instilled a lot of vitriol in your mind. People like you don't believe in unity of a nation. That is why Nigeria is in the gutter today.

automaticcarzz: You are a religious and ethnic bigot. Your parents have instilled a lot of vitriol in your mind. People like you don't believe in unity of a nation. That is why Nigeria is in the gutter today.

Yes, why should I believe in your elusive unity? Do we have anything in common? You can call me names but remember Buhari is an ethnic and religious bigot too. Just like every Yoruba person by default

Convert it to book it's too long to read

Eeehm, Oga Bamidele. If Buhari is what you want us to believe, we want to see him institutionalize those ethos in states controlled by his political party. What exactly is different in the way CPC run Nassarawa? How many corrupt civil servants are being charged to court for corruption by the State government in Nassarawa State or are you telling us that Nassarawa State civil servants are saints?

Buhari have a serious problem in institution building. Tell me one single institution he put in place for his WAI battle? Nothing. And that is why he talk about anti-corruption war without thinking what exactly he would do differently from what GEJ is doing now in a democracy. He doesn't know that he scares people with his talk about anti-corruption war because ALL people see is a man that have always done things extra-judicially as a military man and still seem to promise one and the same thing again. He doesn't seem to understand that anti-corruption war in a democracy means plugging the leakage holes constitutionally, strengthening the agencies (ICPC, EFCC, police) with appropriate legislation to perform their duties and his job as executive head ends when these agencies take people to court. The judiciary should be an independent arm of government, not susceptible to executive influence. And how do you believe that a man that thinks that Abacha is a saint is out to do the right thing?

Buhari belongs to the last generation, not this. Probably not that Buhari does not love his Northern people, he does not just get it. He is unsellable. Lacks consensus building ability needed in democracy, seem not to believe in negotiation but having his way, not amenable to change, not the type of man that make compromise where necessary (he believes he is always the right man and others wrong) and obviously not a dynamic man. He should not be playing politics in 2013.

Buhari is not a damaged brand!

Buhari is a damager of brand!

He and his gang of greedy and over zealous "elite" army officers, damaged our democracy brand in 1983.

Those who used the gun given to them to protect our nation and government to trample upon our laws and our government, should either be in jail or at least hide their faces in shame; and not to have the audacity to insult our magnanimous endurance of their stupidity.

Buhari will never rule Nigeria again!!!

Next topic please!!

Thought they said that once the yorubas vote for him, he would win? Hahahahahahahha. Why are they scared now? Why this funny article? Well truth is, Buhari can never win a presidential election in Nigeria. APC should be real and find another candidate.

automaticcarzz: You are a religious and ethnic bigot. Your parents have instilled a lot of vitriol in your mind. People like you don't believe in unity of a nation. That is why Nigeria is in the gutter today.

+1000likes


Sai Buhari 2015!

berem!:
+1000likes


Sai Buhari 2015!

Berem, you have started again?

I am yet to forget the blood of the innocent flowing like rivers in the Northern Cities when this "Sai Buhari" album was first released!

You have started the sung again right? Look, if nay of my brothers are slaughtered again as a result of your music, I will hold you responsible. Be careful oo!


On a serious note: Buhari will never rule Nigeria again.

I only need to point out two contradictory portions of this write up as an example of the specious reasoning that propels the mythomania and revisionism that under-girds the Buhari Messiah cult.

Prof Corruption: Buhari instituted counter trade...During his regime, counter trade and restricted imports gave rise to unprecedented inflation. Purchasing power nosedived and Nigerians became despondent.

So we understand that Buhari instituted counter trade which gave rise to unprecedented inflation that lead to general despondency. Yeah, right. Buhari is indeed not the one. General Buhari has successfully hoodwinked many Nigerians into thinking he is different, but he isn't. He's cut from the same cloth as the thieving, ambitious, coup-making Generals like OBJ, IBB and Abacha. An objective examination of his history, trajectory, actions and utterances reveals it so (The Curious Incident Of Mohammed Abacha: The Limits Of Mythomania.).

For Nigeria's democracy to evolve to the next level, we must put behind us the rule of rapacious military men, no matter how benevolent they may seem. We must build up our institutions to provide us with the rule of law and to protect our fundamental rights. That is what Nigeria needs in 2013 not the rule of a benevolent despot.

You bigots should continue writing nonse about Buhari while people who love the continue looking for candidate who can appeal to all political spectrum. Keep chasing shadow, APC will not nominate Buhari. When it is all said and done, Jonathan will not be our President on May 29, 2015.

automaticcarzz: You bigots should continue writing nonse about Buhari while people who love the continue looking for candidate who can appeal to all political spectrum. Keep chasing shadow, APC will not nominate Buhari. When it is all said and done, Jonathan will not be our President on May 29, 2015.

Bros, it is not about Jonathan yet!

Any party that fields Buhari will be judged by our ballot papers!

You are all free to keep attacking Buhari as you want. APC will not be nominating Buhari. All of you will be shocked at the end. You think APC leaders are st.upid, don't you? Keep chasing shadow. It is a free world.

Another anti-Buhari thread?

Why do you think the ruling corrupt elite want to prevent the Anti-corruption Buhari from gaining power by unfairly discrediting him?

Young people please open your eyes oooh!!

I just actually read the thread and just found out it was not necessary anti-Buhari, however the title appears to be anti-Buhari - OP needs to change the subject heading of the thread.

He is not just a damaged brand, he is a bloody murderer!

By the time (Murtala) Muhammed got to Ikeja, Captain Martin Adamu, Lts. Nathan, Nassarawa, Muhammadu Buhari , Alfred Gom, Longboem and a bunch of NCOs were already in control of the battalion, having executed several Igbo soldiers and officers (including Major B Nnamani, one of the company commanders) and arrested many others by cordoning off the quartermaster section of the barracks or grabbing soldiers as they came out for morning PT.The battalion commander, Lt. Col. Henry Igboba, narrowly escaped a dragnet deployed around his house by Lt. Longboem and got away.

(Murtala) Muhammed reportedly gave orders to stop the killing

GenBuhari: Another anti-Buhari thread?

Why do you think the ruling corrupt elite want to prevent the Anti-corruption Buhari from gaining power by unfairly discrediting him?

Young people please open your eyes oooh!!

No body is discrediting Buhari!
The man never had any credit in the first place!

Open your eyes and see the deception caused by the photoshoping of his image!

The man, buhari, is damned; he is damnation personified!

Buhari has sterling anti corruption credentials.

Frank-C:
Eeehm, Oga Bamidele. If Buhari is what you want us to believe, we want to see him institutionalize those ethos in states controlled by his political party. What exactly is different in the way CPC run Nassarawa? How many corrupt civil servants are being charged to court for corruption by the State government in Nassarawa State or are you telling us that Nassarawa State civil servants are saints?

Buhari have a serious problem in institution building. Tell me one single institution he put in place for his WAI battle? Nothing. And that is why he talk about anti-corruption war without thinking what exactly he would do differently from what GEJ is doing now in a democracy. He doesn't know that he scares people with his talk about anti-corruption war because ALL people see is a man that have always done things extra-judicially as a military man and still seem to promise one and the same thing again. He doesn't seem to understand that anti-corruption war in a democracy means plugging the leakage holes constitutionally, strengthening the agencies (ICPC, EFCC, police) with appropriate legislation to perform their duties and his job as executive head ends when these agencies take people to court. The judiciary should be an independent arm of government, not susceptible to executive influence. And how do you believe that a man that thinks that Abacha is a saint is out to do the right thing?

Buhari belongs to the last generation, not this. Probably not that Buhari does not love his Northern people, he does not just get it. He is unsellable. Lacks consensus building ability needed in democracy, seem not to believe in negotiation but having his way, not amenable to change, not the type of man that make compromise where necessary (he believes he is always the right man and others wrong) and obviously not a dynamic man. He should not be playing politics in 2013.

1 zillion likes

he has done a hat trick at the pools (failed trice) and he is going for the 4th.
is it not the same Nigerians that rejected him trice that are going to vote again or they are importing millions of voters from space to vote for him come 2015? i just don't get it.

how are the cpc governed states fairing? ok- im expected to forget his antecedents or forget that cpc governed states have gone into extinction?

this guy is simply unelectable and no amount of epistle written on his behalf will make him the next president, so many books and craps has been written on his behalf for over 14yrs now just to make Nigerians vote for him but this method has ended up working against him and will continue to work against him.

he cried the last time and instigated his demonic faithfuls to unleash mayhem on innocent souls wondering what he is gonna make them do when he fails his neco electoral exams the 4th time.

if he is the most qualified candidate from the new merger gangs then i see him winning the world electoral losers award for the 4th time just like messi winning world player award for the 4th time.