Afrigather 
That Tinubu-Elumelu Video and the PR Stunt!
By Yushau A. Shuaib
After the Unbiased Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC) introduced the previous governor of Lagos State and Nationwide Chief of the All-Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu because the Nigerian president-elect, ethnic stress and rivalry ensued between supporters of the presidential candidates.
This anxiousness has been extra palpable and evident within the house state of Tinubu, the place his occasion misplaced the presidential election to the candidate of the Labour Social gathering (LP), Mr Peter Obi, who’s an Igbo from Anambra State.
The aftermath of the election has triggered the latent ethnic rivalries between the Yorubas – largely aborigines or family to natives of the house – and their Igbos neighbours – who’re largely from the South-East, in what could possibly be thought-about a supremacy tussle over the political management of Lagos State.
On this pretty unstable scenario, lots of the Yorubas seem to need the incumbent governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu to be reelected as governor of the State, whereas a seeming majority of the Igbos are keen to switch him with the candidate of the Labour Social gathering in Lagos, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, whose mom and spouse are Igbos, regardless of his father being Yoruba.
It was within the thick of those ethnic and political tensions that the Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu launched a video of a go to to his home by the President-Elect, Asiwaju Tinubu in Lagos.
In an Instagram put up via which this video has been disseminated, Elumelu writes: “Final (Tuesday) evening, I used to be honoured to obtain the Nigerian President-elect at my house. We mentioned methods wherein the incoming administration should empower and assist our immensely gifted Nigerian youth. We have now a lot younger potential to unleash.”
The enterprise mogul, who can also be the Chairman of United Financial institution for Africa (UBA) and the Transcorp Group, is thought for flaunting his movie star standing with highly effective connections. Elumelu has created a distinct segment for himself and a robust social media presence, via which he displays good-natured humour and sartorial sophistication to his teeming trans-generational followers.
Along with his pan-African Tony Elumelu Basis, the banker operates a enterprise mannequin he describes as Africapitalism, which is anchored on constructing a crucial mass of younger entrepreneurs to advertise social and financial wealth, whereas additionally growing the communities wherein companies function. Importantly, it’s hinged on a humanitarian and philanthropic method wherein the overall welfare is prioritised, as earnings are sought and made in the direction of doing good to humanity.
Due to this fact, the discharge of the video at a time that ethnocentric acrimonies have been brewing amongst two main ethnic nationalities within the nation, is from all indications a deliberate communication plot.
Quite than contemplating the video launched from an ambush advertising perspective, it’s extra of a publicity stunt that has parts of public relations (PR) messaging concerning the mutual relationship between entrepreneurs in enterprise and politicians in authorities.
The connection between the individuals in enterprise and people governments may be understood via a basic distinction between the politics of assist and the politics of energy. Whereas the politics of assist is worried with rallying to safe an electoral majority that results in profitable and which may be funded by individuals in enterprise, the politics of energy pertains to implementing programmes that may finally profit the individuals in enterprise.
The video could be very clear and thoughtful of the present temper within the nation, concerning the aftermath of the presidential election. It begins with Elumelu welcoming Tinubu to his house and referring to him as: “This man with 10 lives. The Final man standing and powerful man.” Tinubu shortly and jokingly replies by saying: “I’m nonetheless standing.”
The banker then turns to his left, the place Seyi, Tinubu’s son, is and jokes that that the youthful fellow is sporting the identical sort of gown as his father. He then provides: “Seyi you have to be very pleased with your father as he’s pleased with you. You’re a good man, Seyi.”
Whereas exchanging pleasantries within the sitting room, Elumelu introduces Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu to Tinubu: “That is the CEO of Tony Elumelu Basis. She is answerable for the Basis. So, when you want a younger feminine Minister to return and alter the ladies focus, I can mortgage her to you….”
Critics who assault Elumelu for internet hosting the President-Elect fail to grasp that Elumelu shouldn’t be an Igbo from the South-East however one from the South-South state of Delta. A median Delta Igbo is prone to be discovered and excelling within the public service, academia or within the enterprise world, somewhat than in partisan politics. The likes of Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Jim Ovia, Louis Edozie, and Godwin Emefiele, amongst others, from Delta State would somewhat thoughts their companies than interact in partisan politics, though as in most conditions, there’ll at all times be a number of exceptions.
As talked about earlier, it isn’t tough to see that the video is deliberate and designed to realize some strategic objective on the fragile relationship between politics and enterprise. Quite than an ambush advertising communication device, whereby a promoter “capitalises” on an occasion to place for optimum publicity, whereas gaining benefit over his or her opponents, the video is basically a publicity stunt designed to draw the general public’s consideration to the salient message of the sponsor or promoter.
The video deflects the eye of residents from the nascent ethnic acrimony within the nation and reinforces the truth that severe enterprise individuals and politicians aren’t involved about ethnic chauvinism and spiritual bigotry. Profiting making and repair to humanity are their main priorities.
The video could probably reawaken combatants to the truth that after the election, life should go on, and we’d as effectively not destroy relationships crucial for our progress resulting from surges of emotional reference to identification, as this previous presidential election appears to have provoked in lots of.
Extra importantly, all of us must focus extra on establishing and sustaining relationships constructed on belief, confidence and concord in the direction of a greater, peaceable and affluent society.
In the meantime, a few of the takeaways from the video is the truth that Tinubu is actually a Lagos Metropolis Boy who is easy, linked to his varied constituencies and pragmatic, as evident in his paying a private go to to worthy allies, regardless of what some may suppose are the sectional sentiments or ethnic and spiritual backgrounds of his host.
It additionally signifies Tinubu’s inclination to companion with those that can add concrete values in the direction of his lofty aspiration of youth empowerment, contemplating the information of the Elumelu Basis on this regard. It buttresses the truth that Tinubu’s allies are throughout Nigeria and in each sector, as main gamers who’ve supported his marketing campaign, each morally and financially.
The Tinubu-Elumelu video has succeeded in its publicity endeavour by staging a newsworthy occasion that has attracted public consideration. By staging the occasion in his home, the promoter (Elumelu) has additionally efficiently exercised agency management over what the media may report.
In a nutshell, as a PR practitioner, I can say that the Elumelu’s video has curated the most important parts of efficient publicity exploits, together with having nice information worth, coupled with video and sound chew alternatives choroegraphed primarily for media publicity. As well as, it has gained prominence, and human curiosity to embody the options of efficient public relations, which embrace fame administration, media (management) administration and probably disaster administration, within the very refined manner it explores the gentle energy of relationships to de-fuse ongoing political conditions.
I can see Tinubu hitting the bottom working after Might 29.
Yushau A. Shuaib is the writer of Award-Successful Disaster Communication Methods and An Encounter with the Spymaster www.YAShuaib.com
