30032019 - Appointments‘ll be on merits, national spread — Buhari

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26—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2019 Tuface chronicles the past, present and what future holds for Nigerian music Continues from pg 25 So what we see today are the fruits of years of diligent work of a few young passionate and tenacious people who have taken advantage of everything that has happened from broadcast deregulation, media expansion, live opportunities, to endorsement deals. MUSIC BUSINESS AND LEGISLATION In recent years, there has <strong>be</strong>en sustained engagement <strong>be</strong>tween stakeholders and mem<strong>be</strong>rs of the Federal House of Representatives Ad Hoc committee to pro<strong>be</strong> activities of telecommunications companies set up to resolve the issue of revenue share ratio. The current situation sees the telecommunication companies earning a lot more than the actual content owners, which in my opinion is unjustifiable. There have <strong>be</strong>en scenarios where telcos claim as much as 78 percent of total accrued revenue from music sale, leaving less than a quarter of the pie to <strong>be</strong> split <strong>be</strong>tween the aggregator, the record la<strong>be</strong>l and the artiste and anyone else in the production value chain. The <strong>be</strong>neficiaries from this anomaly of course, are not eager to give grounds. There is no tenable reason Nigeria should <strong>be</strong> different. There is a global <strong>be</strong>st practice standard that we should guide the conduct of business with the music space. We need to constantly remind aggregator platforms that no matter how well accepted and popular your platform is, at the end of the day, it is basically still a distribution platform. It is a store. When we get to a point where the person who provides distribution access is taking home more than 70 percent of the gross revenue, then it is clear that something is not right. We hope that sooner or later, everyone concerned does the needful, and we can enthrone a system that delivers a fairer deal to everyone in the value chain. THE STRUCTURE The lack of functional structure in the music industry in Nigeria is a reflection of the state of the larger society. Gaps in policy position and ineffective enforcement within the music space are some of the major reasons the piracy rate is as high as it is. The music industry has shown immense potential to grow and thrive, regardless of the major of the numerous challenges particularly the shrinking economy and absence of adequate support from the government. I expect the industry to continue to find smart solutions to some of these issues. We need a regulator that is <strong>be</strong>tter equipped to function effectively. There is a lot of work that needs to <strong>be</strong> done to ensure that the regulatory process is more effective. But more importantly, stakeholders need to embrace the task of working with all the relevant organizations and government agencies to ensure <strong>be</strong>tter results. As stated earlier, we have shown tremendous capacity to deliver great results in the face of crippling challenges. We can take a few steps further. The more positively involved the stakeholders are, the more likely we are to fix AKA showing off his Nickelodeon award •2Baba performing after the award what needs to <strong>be</strong> fixed. While it is great to look after and look out for your personal businesses, it is also important to spare some time and energy to get involved in helping to ensure that we grow the needed structures and create an enabling environment to operate optimally at your personal business level. THE ARTISTES As I close, I would like to pay tribute to all the heroes and heroines of the greatly inspiring Nigerian success story. True leaders and visionaries, everyone, too numerous to mention. The architects of the game – talents, la<strong>be</strong>l execs, media personalities, promoters, managers, directors, photographers, talent managers, PR consultants, bloggers, managers, agency personnel, brand managers, investors, stylists, ticketing solutions providers, venue owners, distributors, tech support resource and many more. You all have delivered one of the most powerful gifts to the coming generation – hope and concrete reason to <strong>be</strong>lieve. You will <strong>be</strong> forever celebrated. WAY FORWARD The Nigerian music industry has shown tremendous capacity for growth. And one thing is clear; it can get a lot <strong>be</strong>tter if things are done right. Another thing to note is that it can get worse. We can quite easily fritter away the goodwill, and this moment can easily <strong>be</strong>come a point in our history when we were on the verge of seizing the main stage but missed the opportunity. It is hardly time to celebrate and relax. If anything, it is time to double our efforts and put in the work necessary to sort out the issues. We need to strengthen policy, regulation, enforcement, engagement and cooperation. We need to sort out our collective system as a matter of urgency. We cannot grow a world-class industry without a world-class collective structure to support it. The likes of Michael Jackson, Bob Marley and 2Pac earned millions of dollars posthumously <strong>be</strong>cause of the existence of functional rights management systems. If we get lost in the euphoria of the present successes, which is but a tip of the ice<strong>be</strong>rg, we will lose out on getting to where we should <strong>be</strong>. Also, we need to fix the way the system works. For every Davido, for every Burna Boy, for every Teni The Entertainer, for every 2Baba, there is need for proper business management, proper road management, proper legal support, proper branding and packaging resource. Often times, we pay too much attention to the performer and the performance. We need to develop capacity. We need to train managers, publicists, lawyers. We need to have a system that provides certificate courses for each of these potential professions. The legal framework that supports entertainment in Nigeria needs to <strong>be</strong> considerably improved. People need to learn to respect their contracts. We need to see the law resolve decisively, issues of breach of contracts. We need legal precedence. The process of dispute resolution needs to <strong>be</strong> overhauled. If we guide and regulate conduct, the risk factors will <strong>be</strong> reduced. Investors will <strong>be</strong> more confident, knowing that their investments are protected. The entire system need to <strong>be</strong> properly fixed, for us to progress from where we are. It is time to roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty. Both South African and Ghanaian music stars, AkA and Stonebwoy have emerged as big winners at the 2019 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards which took place at USC’s Galen Center in Los Angeles, USA, last Saturday. The Fela in Versace, AKA, who travelled independently to the awards, walked the orange carpet at the Los Angeles event and won the award for Favourite South African Star. Ghanaian reggae dancehall artiste Stonebwoy, scooped the coveted orange blimp for Favourite African Star. Tonto Dikeh, Cee-C, Tobi Bakare, others spotted at 'Living Their Best Lives' dinner Last Friday, Amstel Malta hosted a num<strong>be</strong>r of stylish celebrities to a lovely dinner and of course, an abundance of the premium malt drink. From Tonto Dikeh to CeeC and <strong>be</strong>yond, the event hosted an array of chic A-listers, living their <strong>be</strong>st lives. Also in attendance were Tobi Bakre, Enyinna Nwigwe, Timini Egbuson, Linda Ejiofor, Ibrahim Suleiman and others. The elated bunch have, for the past few weeks, <strong>be</strong>en living their <strong>be</strong>st lives and telling the world about it as Amstel Malta continues to support Nigerians to <strong>be</strong> the <strong>be</strong>st version of themselves. MTV Shuga returns to Nigeria, set for audition April 4 MTC Shuga stars MTV Shuga, the award-winning drama series returns to Nigeria and seeks fresh talent for the new season, having <strong>be</strong>en premiered in South Africa and the announcement of upcoming campaigns in Cote D’Ivoire and India. MTV Shuga Naija, is a multi-sectorial partnership led by the MTV Staying Alive Foundation and supported by MTV Base Africa, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and NGOs. This year’s MTV Shuga Naija TV and radio campaign welcomes award-winning director Tope Oshin as producer. Known for setting the pace for female directors in the Nigerian movie industry, she has earned accolades for her amazing portfolio, featuring movies including, ‘Relentless’, ‘Fifty’, ‘Wedding Party 2’, ‘New Money’, ‘We Don’t Live Here’, and most recently, ‘Up North’. The campaign kicks off with open auditions, which will <strong>be</strong> held on Thursday, April 4th at the Classique Event Centre, Ikeja Lagos. MTV Shuga has <strong>be</strong>en at the forefront of attracting and developing new acting talent including: Timini Egbuson, Emmanuel Iku<strong>be</strong>se, Bukola Oladipupo, Helena Nelson and Jemima Osunde; last season’s open auditions attracted over 1700 hopefuls. MTV Shuga Naija would- <strong>be</strong> actors will <strong>be</strong> judged by a diverse range of industry experts and selected based on their acting skills and originality. Speaking on the auditions for the upcoming series, the Executive Director of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, Georgia Arnold said: “We are excited to bring back the public auditions for the new season of MTV Shuga Naija. Our aim is to continue using relatable storytelling to educate and empower young people about social issues like contraception, sexual health, family planning and genderbased violence. We can’t wait to discover amazing new talent to join the MTV Shuga family!” MTV Shuga remains the gold-standard model for use of mass-media as a vehicle to positively change the <strong>be</strong>havior of young people. MTV Shuga educates at-risk youth on sexual health and HIV/AIDS awareness, and also ensures that this education is followed through via on-the-ground testing and direction to health services, with proven impact of demandcreation among our audience. Alex Okosi Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Viacom International Media Networks and BET International commented: AKA, Stonewoy win Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards 2019 Alex Okosi, Executive Vice President and Managing Director for VIMN Africa and BET International said: “Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards 2019 unites children across the glo<strong>be</strong> by providing them with a powerful platform to vote for and celebrate their favourite personalities. Congratulations to Stonebwoy and AKA for their respective wins and for representing Africa.” This year’s party kicked off with DJ Khaled making his way to the Kids’ Choice Awards in style, with an assistance from friends Kylie Jenner and the Jonas Brothers. His next-level arrival <strong>be</strong>gan with a ride in a Rolls Royce Phantom, followed by a cruise on a luxury yacht, and a trip on board the “Kids’ Force One” helicopter <strong>be</strong>fore landing at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2019. The awards also saw some winners including Chris Pratt, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Ellen DeGeneres, Adam Sandler, Ro<strong>be</strong>rt Downey Jr., Shawn Mendes, Zendaya, Noah Centineo, Selena Gomez, Joey King, Jace Norman, JoJo Siwa, David Dobrik, Avengers: Infinity War, Riverdale and DJ Khaled.
SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2019 — 27 Why we supported Nigria’s Winter Olymics team By Princewill Ekwujuru Branding and marketing play a huge role in the success of any business and requires many different resources. What determines the amount of resources you channel towards achieving your marketing goals at a flight booking company in Nigeria? First and most importantly, we sell cheap flights to numerous destinations around the world. Our resource allocation depends on the message that we are pushing at that moment in time. When we are running a large promo, we are firing at all cylinders versus when we are pushing our daily deals or trying to engage with customers. It is important to know your objective and allocate resources in a cost efficient way. What campaign would you say you are most proud of and why? I am proud of all our campaigns to date. This is <strong>be</strong>cause of the work and dedication the entire team, from marketing to finance to business development to Operations put in to ensure it is successful. There are two campaigns that stand out for me; first is when we supported the Nigerian Skeleton & Bobsled team in their quest for gold to the Winter Olympics in 2018. We partnered with Air France- KLM to send the 32-passenger squad to South Korea. Second will <strong>be</strong> the “Based on Logistics” sale where for three days, customers were able to get a 25 percent discount on all domestic flights <strong>be</strong>cause of the elections postponement. The travel period was for any flight in 2019 instead of only for the elections weekends. These campaigns mean a lot to me <strong>be</strong>cause we were able to ease the financial burden and stress of the customers involved, showcase that travel is more than just a luxury (people travel for a necessity as well such as to vote or to compete), and show that we are a responsible company that is more than just about every day sales but about giving back in a meaningful and relevant way where and when we can. You have <strong>be</strong>en working for Travelstart Nigeria as the Commercial Manager since 2017. What informed your decision to join Travelstart and what does your role within the organization entail? I joined Travelstart <strong>be</strong>cause of the company’s aim to really make travel simple for customers and helping to fix travel in Africa. The entire company <strong>be</strong>lieves and works hard to use technology to improve the flight buying BukkyAkomolafe- Commercial Manager, Travelstart Nigeria in this chat with WW spoke on how the company has <strong>be</strong>en able to sustain its performance in the ticketing and travel agency industry, its challenges and the stunts it has pulled. Excerpts. process and delighting our customers. I saw the opportunity to work with young ambitious go-getter leaders that use data to improve process and product delivery. I lead the marketing team as Commercial Manager. My responsibilities include online and offline marketing, affiliates, sales and business development with strategic partners, and I work with the airlines to further promote their deals. All our hard work will make us the #1 Online Travel Agency in Nigeria. When Travelstart opened its doors for business in Nigeria on March 27, 2012, the barriers to travelling within and outside Nigeria were quite high from cost to unreliability of travel times. Where did the motivation to start come from and what makes Travelstart different from other travel companies in Africa? Travelstart is Africa’s Largest Online Travel Agency. Originally from Sweden, our founder, Stephan Ek<strong>be</strong>rgh opened the first office twenty years ago in 1999 in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2012, we opened the office in Lagos, Nigeria <strong>be</strong>cause we saw that customers had to go through many hurdles <strong>be</strong>fore getting the price for a cheap flight. Travelstart is the solution to that problem. We relieve the stress and inconvenience of booking the traditional way. No longer do consumers have to sit through traffic to get a quote, search the market tirelessly or wait for a call to get a price. We <strong>be</strong>lieve that if you want to travel, you should just <strong>be</strong> able to book your flight easily. Travelstart customers can just visit our website, www.travelstart.com.ng, to search for their preferred flight, book and pay easily & securely online. You know life has enough challenges and we <strong>be</strong>lieve that booking a flight shouldn’t <strong>be</strong> one of them. This great technology, in conjunction with our vast inventory, which includes access to 500 airlines flying to more than 11,000 destinations worldwide keeps us competitive. Within its 7 years of operating in Nigeria, Travelstart has <strong>be</strong>en able to make its mark in the industry. What would you say are some of the landmark achievements during that time? Steady and consistent growth year on year since 2017; even with the challenges that we faced along the way. We were able to get back up and keep going. We have gotten some incredible airline deals that have really differentiated us from the rest. I remem<strong>be</strong>r when the Royal Wedding was happening in England, last summer, we partnered with Virgin Atlantic to sell lower than N280,000 direct flights to London and an influencer trip to Windsor, the day after the Royal Wedding to see where the Royal couple got married. We are a small company with a mighty reach, we have a staff strength of close to 50 No longer do consumers have to sit through traffic to get a quote, search the market tirelessly or wait for a call to get a price people, but we are a proof that, sometimes, you don’t need a lot of people to <strong>be</strong> able to execute the work well. Being part of a team that is creating a recognizable brand – when I first joined, I would attend events and have to explain who Travelstart is and what we do. Now, when I attend events, I am still explaining but I have many more people nodding their heads in recognition as well as customers coming up to me to say they buy from us, giving great compliments about our service. Recognition amongst our peers in the industry has also <strong>be</strong>en a nice tough.! We have won a series of awards including Best Travel Agency 2018 from the Pyne Awards. Last year, you celebrated your 6th year Anniversary in Nigeria by offering very cheap flight deals and making ordinary people heroes in the 6 Days, 6 Destinations campaign. What should we expect for your 7th year Anniversary celebration? This year, our campaign is simply tagged, Sale-A-Brate” with us. Because we have recorded huge wins over the last seven years, we have decided to take our time to celebrate our most important people, our staff and customers. Through this campaign, we will <strong>be</strong> providing even cheaper flights to our customers’ favourite destinations from Emirates Airlines, Air Namibia, Air-France, KLM and more. We also kicked off this campaign with a pre-sale phase with Etihad Airways. We are also giving our Day 1 customers lounge and spa vouchers for use at Murtala Muhammed International airport. Travelstart Nigeria has direct and indirect competitors. What strategy do you have in place to retain customers who are tempted to switch attention to other travel agencies and remain competitive? Our overall focus is to run our own race, not someone else’s. The market is big enough for competition but there will always <strong>be</strong> one Travelstart. Our mission is to fix travel in Africa, and we are doing that one -day at a time by providing cheap flight deals, providing good customer service, keeping our cost-structure low and staying relevant with our communication. Recently, you were named as one of Nigeria’s 100 Most Inspiring Women in 2019 by Leading Ladies Africa. How were you able to achieve this feat? Simple! I kept my head down, worked very hard, remained consistent with my work ethic and stayed focused on my personal and professional goals. From a Travelstart perspective, I always had clarity around my KPIs so I knew what my team and I were working towards every day. Most importantly, in my journey, I wasn’t trying to <strong>be</strong> anyone else but the <strong>be</strong>st version of me. Self improvement is key to me. I am constantly trying to <strong>be</strong> the <strong>be</strong>st version of myself every day.
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30032019 - Appointments‘ll be on merits, national spread — Buhari

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