Six months ago, my crew was shocked but energized when I told them about the idea to launch a concert series (Enchanted Concerts) and start it off with the first edition (Greatest Nigerian Classics) to celebrate Nigeria at 65. I told them of the dream of building a production that was part theatre, part music and part wonder with different themes each season and that could be in dozens of cities around the world in 10 years. For the first edition, it would be a delight to reimagine music by the likes of Osadebe and Olaiya and Uwaifo with an orchestra. Then maybe oldies like Sound of Music and then eventually, original productions. I told them that for the first edition, we would do a world tour, in multiple cities. ‘This is hard, Funmi’, they said, ‘but if anyone would do it, it would be you.’ And so, I set to work and gathered a team.

Building out the team

I had planned events and travel experiences for a decade so I was clear on what my forte was. This meant that I also knew where I needed help. I needed the best theatre professionals. To find this, I reached out to the founder of Samkook Agency. His company is quickly becoming the foremost brand for talent engagement and travel services especially for entertainment professionals, so I knew he would know exactly who to contact. He was in the midst of securing visas and accreditations for his clients for Cannes Film Festival when I reached out to him with the idea. Quickly, he asked me to contact Ifeanyi Barbara Chidi for the script and to make sure I get her at any cost. I am thankful that I did not know her credentials before calling her or else, I may have been too intimidated to call. I simply reached out to her with ‘he said you’re a good writer and acting director and I need your help.’ For your pleasure, these are her credentials. Then I called Gbenga with the idea and he said there’s only one composer you need; here is his number…his name is Kehinde Oretimehin. Kehinde the maestro would write the musical scores for all the music. Ifeanyi and I would audition acts across all our cities and end up with the absolute best on stage: Oluchi Odii in Lagos, Mojisola Kadiri in Toronto, and Omatta Udalor in Calgary. She would also serve as acting director for the talent. I would have the pleasure of connecting with Robson Maurice of Key30 Orchestra in Calgary, who will lead the charge to assemble the orchestras in the Canadian cities, conducted by Oluwaseun Soneye in Calgary and Joshua Temitope David in Toronto. With some Instagramming, I found Premier Symphony Orchestra for the Lagos show. To host, The Amazing Tomiwa Sage came on board in Lagos, Priscilla Iyari in Toronto and Kome Eto in Calgary. All three hosts brought their unique flair of audience engagement to their respective cities. Our TVP Events team held things down with the production of the shows. The show started to take shape and everyone was excited about the freshness of it all.

Clearing the music for this production

Are you required to clear music for orchestra productions or are you not required to? The answer to this question is unclear and everyone has a different response. Whatever the answer is, I decided to clear the music because I think it is important to honor our legends and their work especially for use in a commercial venture. I would quickly realize that almost no one clears music in Nigeria, there are almost no consequences to not clearing music, and since most people do not clear music, a lot of the artistes, publishers and record labels gouge their prices because you may be the only one in 10 years to offer to pay them for their work.

I was lucky to find Godwin who enthusiastically gave me the contact person for Premier Records, who own the rights to so many Nigerian classics. Michael Odiong of Premier Records was so professional and supportive of the vision, he gave me reasonable rates to clear each song and even gave interviews to the media on our behalf to help us promote the show. Between my entertainment lawyers at Olisa Agbakoba Legal (OAL) and the team at Premier Records, the clearance process was smooth and allowed me focus on producing the show. In another stroke of luck, I would discover that Premier Records had most of the songs I needed for the story that Ifeanyi had scripted. This was important because in my sojourn through clearance, I would encounter an artiste who tried to sell me the rights to his music without the knowledge of his publishers and co-composers, another one who asked me for an outrageous sum of money, another one who reneged on the contract after we announced the show because they now wanted 10x of the originally agreed amount, and another one who threatened that my show could not happen without his music. The process of clearing music outside of Premier Records was as fascinating as it was frustrating. But despite the challenges, we ended up with a pretty cool repertoire of songs from old Nigeria.

Funded by audacity

We had a story plan, a music plan, and a production plan. So, what was the plan to fund this? Well, this segment deserves its own article because this was the most difficult aspect of the entire project. I was very lucky that my friends and family believed so much in this project that they made business investments in it. I also had incredible sponsors in Future Africa who backed our vision with part sponsorship, M.O.T The Label who provided all the dresses for the female musicians in all our orchestras, Zitra Investments, Money Africa and Ladda Investments who gave us part sponsorship. I will still be ‘drinking garri’ for a while after this project, but seeing that we pulled off three incredible shows makes up for this. Anyone who has put together a show of this magnitude knows that it is a long term investment. Long term.

The shows

Our plan ended up as 3 shows in Toronto, Calgary and Lagos. I pinch myself when I remember that we sold out MUSON Centre in Lagos for the grand finale. Over the course of September, we took the reimagination of some of the Greatest Nigerian Classics on the road and each one was performed so uniquely and yet as part of a collection. As I looked back to see the audience singing along and with their phones recording every moment, my heart smiled.

Allow me remind you of what all this is about. Enchanted Concerts ✨ is a global series that brings orchestral music and powerful storytelling to life. Each show features world-class orchestras and stage actors, blending sound, emotion, and visuals into one unforgettable musical experience. We are making magical music and telling incredible stories in breathtaking spaces and on magnificent stages for the world to experience. Thank you to everyone who showed up in the first three cities. This show was a success because of you. It will be a dream to bring the experience to your stage and to create original themed performances for you. Just reach out to us at info@tvpevents.com. Please, also follow us on YouTube and watch clips from the shows in all the cities.

Next week, I will share the second part of this article with lessons I learned and some interesting opportunities I see for Enchanted Concerts and global events in general.

Till next time,

Let your senses come alive ✨

Funmi Oyatogun

What’s the problem?

NIPOST does not work. The problem is that simple. By anecdote, we know that when people have to send parcels, NIPOST is not top of mind. Instead, people favor both formal and informal private delivery services. Formally, private logistic services like GIG Logistics, Gokada and small delivery companies are the go-to for many Nigerians. Informally, it is impossible for us to track how many people walk up to motor parks in once city, give a driver their parcel, give him the number of the recipient, and have the recipient pick it up from the motor park in the destination city. We do not know the numbers for this but we know the numbers are high because we’ve all done it. A quick search of NIPOST on X is full of curious stories about how people went to a post office and rummaged through to find their own parcel, or how they are still waiting for a package 6 months later. So NIPOST is not top of mind, is not efficient, is not reliable and therefore, does not work. If people cannot move things easily, reliably and affordably and to any destination, commerce is stifled.

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My experience with logistics in Nigeria has become a do or die affair. In many ways, my customer experience is valuable because I know how NIPOST serves (or disserves) me now, I know how I would like it to serve me, and I have done some work to figure out how other services around the world have hacked theirs. On a professional level, my experience moving people (hospitality and tourism) and things (games and puzzles) around the country and the world has allowed me to see into the logistics space in a way that’s as fascinating as it is frustrating. I also understand the context that NIPOST operates in and can look at things without the idealistic perspective that researchers from external contexts often use to view Nigeria. At the very least, I am hoping someone takes some of my questions to heart. I just want something good to come out of sleepless agonizing nights because of a broken logistics system. If anyone at NIPOST sees this, please reach out to me if you would like more of my research that did not make this essay.

The global framework.

Globally, there is a well laid out index for measuring Postal Development. Every country has an Integrated Index for Postal Development (2IPD) score developed by the Universal Postal Union (UPU). The higher your score out of 100, the better your postal service. The 2IPD collects big data from many indicators and billions of records to develop a score that measures four Rs: reliability, reach, relevance and resilience. Reliability measures the speed and efficiency of service, reach measures connectivity to the rest of the world, relevance measures the success of various postal methods and activities, and resilience measures the ability to respond to economic, social, technology and environmental shocks.

The numbers.

The strongest postal services in the world dominate their local markets. They dominate over private logistics services because they excel at the 4 Rs of reliability, reach, relevance and resilience. In the USA (2IPD score of 86.4%), the US Postal Service accounts for 32% of all non-letter packages sent in the country with the rest accounted for by Amazon (27%), UPS (21%), FedEx (17%) and Others (3%). Switzerland has a perfect 2IPD score of 100%. Right now, Nigeria’s 2023 2IPD score is 35.12 out of 100 which is a poor measure of any of the 4 Rs above.

While we do not have reliable data of how much mail was posted by private logistics services in Nigeria, we have some data from NIPOST and can make some inferences. In 2021, about half of all mail handled by NIPOST came from abroad. This is because any parcel that’s coming in from another country’s postal service will pass through NIPOST, as opposed to courier services (FedEx, UPS, etc.) that handle their own delivery supply chain. So if you post something from the USA via the US Postal Service, when it gets to Nigeria, it is usually handled by NIPOST. This means only half of NIPOST mail is being sent from Nigeria to Nigeria and from Nigeria to other countries…a clearer picture of how Nigerians in Nigeria, doing business in Nigeria, experience and patronize NIPOST. Some of the volume that could be going to NIPOST is being handled by the formal and informal private logistics services I mentioned above. The key to remediating NIPOST will be to fix domestic and outbound postal services.

Why is a strong NIPOST important?

The is no commerce without movement of goods. As described in the 2023 State of the Postal Sector report, “there is a significant causal relationship between higher postal development scores and stronger economic resilience.” In fact, the report shows that in the absence of postal infrastructure, a country’s annual GDP would reduce by a median of 6.96%. Since there’s no country completely void of a postal service, studies show that strong postal services directly contribute between 0.5% to 1.0% to a country’s annual GDP. In Nigeria, that’s up to $2.57 billion left on the table.

There have been several attempts to reform the service including a stalled unbundling of NIPOST following a 2018 analysis by KMPG. The reform that will stand the test of time will be functional, not fancy. A crucial first step is to work with the current realities, rather than try to innovate in a direction that falls flat in a few years.

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The guiding questions.

There is some data available for NIPOST but there is still a gap in what’s available. For instance, we know a lot about the US Postal Service (USPS) and their counterparts in China, Britain, most EU countries and Australia. So, we can see whether people are sending more packages or fewer, if they are sending more slow mail than fast mail, and how much the services earn. Most importantly, there are trends and forecasts that show the relationship between postal volume and income levels, conflict, COVID-19 and policies. Using the 2IPD as a framework, the following questions could guide us towards improving NIPOST systematically in a way that is sustainable. As a reminder, the 4 points of focus are reliability, reach, relevance and resilience.

Priority 1: Reliability (measures efficiency, predictability and service performance)

• The goal: to get packages to their destinations safely and reliably, in a predetermined amount of time or earlier; ideally within 3 business days in the same state, 4-5 business days in the same region, and 7-10 business days in the most remote parts of the country.

  • Lead question: who is currently a reliable mover of people or things in the country? How do they do it? If these won’t work, are there working systems in other contexts/countries that will be applicable to Nigeria’s unique context?

It is crucial to stay asset-light. NIPOST may not need to buy all their own trucks and bikes. Is it possible to build an efficient and reliable postal service without owning all the assets? Could the lead question above help NIPOST figure out a supply chain through private partnerships?

Priority 2: Wide-spread domestic and international reach

The goal: to get packages to any destination within the geographical boundaries of Nigeria, no matter how remote, and most places in the world.

• Lead question: Which products are currently distributed to every part of the country, including the most remote and disconnected villages, and how do they distribute? What lessons can we learn from the distribution of Coca-Cola, petrol, ballot boxes, cellphone recharge cards and textiles?

Nigeria’s geographical mass is pretty diverse with mountains, rivers and places with poor road networks. However, there are no two remote portions of the country that cannot be reached within 7-10 working days by road. Once zones are established, clear expectations can be set with customers.

Priority 3: Relevance - the demand for all services including mail, logistics and financial services.

• The goal: to offer a variety of services and activities including mail, logistics, financial services and retail supplies.

  • Lead question: How can NIPOST offer crucial complimentary services such as retail supplies and mobile money, to increase revenue and increase the chances of patronage?

Priority 4: Resilience - the capacity to overcome economic, social, technology and environmental shocks.

• The goal: to leverage the social, economic, environmental and technological realities of the day, and grow to withstand them.

  • Lead question: how can NIPOST work with the reality of Nigeria, not against it? How has Coca Cola managed to distribute and trace product? Is there something to learn from our efficient money transfer system?

    • What’s the average delivery speed, distance, cost and weight of posts in 2024, compared to 2019 (an important marker for pre/post COVID-19), 2014, 2009, 1999, 1989 and 1987 at inception. Which metrics are improving and which ones are declining?

    • If there’s a flood or power outage, what will happen to postal services?

There are no easy answers. Yet, these are important questions to seek answers to, in order for us to understand the underlying challenges and work on lasting reforms.

Have you spent any time thinking through the issues that NIPOST faces? Let me know your thoughts; I’d love to hear them. Also, if anyone at NIPOST sees this and would like to discuss some more of my research, please reach out to me by simply replying this post.

Love,

F.

So, when a loose consensus was reached on Social Media that 2024 would be the year of no gree for anybody, it seemed like a timely clarion call that hit a raw nerve. Inflation rates are skyrocketing and young Nigerians are poorer, more economically stifled, and arguably forced into more socio-economic resilience than their parents and grandparents ever were. Yet, the strides that Nigerians are making in film, television, the arts, music, sports, industry and academics defy proportion. I wonder if no gree for anybody resonates so well because it is the most concise summary of who we are as Nigerians, the principle we can all agree on that cuts across ethnicity, social standing and religion; and the closest thing to a national slogan. Or ethos.

The Nigerian ethos is hustle, motion, audacity, no gree for anybody and shine your eye. Also, Naija no dey carry last. It is the trait that cuts across Nigerians, all things being equal, and stands us out among others. It is the thing we take general pride in: that we are often more astute, more assertive and more risk-tolerant than others. That if handed no shoes, halfway into the race, and with blindfolds on, we will do our best to catch up and make the leaderboard. That we cannot be bamboozled. That we are brave.

To draw parallels, the ethos of democracy, capitalism and American exceptionalism are as characteristic of the USA today as they were in 1986. In Japan, the ethos embodies fierce independence (of individual and nation), accountability and creative innovation. This is why Japan is known for being decades ahead in technological advancement, and why Japanese children are known to be highly disciplined. Thainess, as an ethos that reflects respect, refinement and politeness, is enshrined into the culture that makes Thailand a world leader in hospitality.

Pros of the Nigeria ethos.

So how has the Nigerian ethos served Nigerians and Nigeria? The pros are endless. Nigerians turn dry straw into nests, we turn a yard into miles and we build castles out of thin air. We never let a competitive opportunity go to waste. Individual Nigerians are constantly ranking with their global peers in academics, business, the arts and finance.

This ethos is also not without its demerits. Often, if there’s limited time and resources, it becomes more important that things are done elaborately rather than thoroughly or with finesse. The ethos allows for some of Africa’s wealthiest individuals and companies to come from Nigeria but also for the largest population of poor people in any given country to be found in Nigeria. The ethos favors audacity against all odds; whether the audacity is blind, ill equipped or even destructive.

The conundrum.

Why do many thriving Nigerians, home and abroad, not equate to a thriving Nigeria? If individual Nigerians and Nigerian entities are topping charts, why isn’t Nigeria topping National charts in progressive categories?

Turning the ethos into a consistent branding template.

If we were to build out a strategy for our diplomatic relations and national branding, it would be practical to lean into this ethos, rather than shy away from it. In fleshing out the national identity and brand, it is best to start from what is and gradually develop what could be. A basic principle of economics that is useful for a marketing strategy is competitive advantage: what we can do better and more efficiently than others, not necessarily just what we can do well. What are we already positively known for and what can we flesh out? Nigeria’s best PR right now comes from our music, our movies, agriculture, our sport exports, our budding tech industry and our people; the Diaspora. The ethos is also a powerful pillar that any private brand can leverage. In the same way that German companies compete on a global scale under the ethos of efficiency, Nigerian brands have an opportunity to compete at scale under the ethos of intrepidity. When combined with excellence, the ethos of audacity is unstoppable.

If Nollywood, afrobeats and sports are anything to go by, it is indeed possible for Nigerians to be both audacious and excellent. To be motion-oriented and thorough. To hustle in a direction that favors the collective. But first, an acknowledgement of what the true ethos is: hustle, motion, audacity, no gree for anybody and shine your eye. Also, Naija no dey carry last.

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Questions for you:

1. Do you agree with my suggestion about what the Nigerian ethos is/are?

2. What global brands do you think are already embodying a truly Nigerian character?

3. Which countries do you think we closely resemble in ethos?

Before you go, please share this newsletter with other curious minds. There’s something pretty cool to discover (almost) every month!

Love,
Funmi.

Today’s story journeys through the Nigeria brand and separates our perception from our reality. I am also on a mission to find the best slogan for Nigerian tourism and I would love your suggestions. We also have an exciting boat cruise and beach getaway on the 31st of October and it is the perfect way to relax and be taken care of. Send a reply to book a slot or two. Finally, I give out 5 copies of the book Personal Branding by Uju Obuekwe, the queen of branding. Just ask, I will give 5 people at will!

Okay, story time!

—-

When you hear Malaysia, it is often followed by Truly Asia! Kenya has Magical Kenya, Incredible India gives you a glimpse into the magnificence that is India. Football fans all around the world were awed by the Visit Rwanda slogan on Arsenal jerseys last year. Currently, the slogan for Nigeria changes with each new leadership (currently Tour Nigeria) and is often not as robust at the potentials for tourism we have in the country. If I were to create a slogan for Nigeria, I will call it #ThisisNigeria or #OnlyNigeria! I’ll explain!

If you want to know how the world truly perceives your country, ask your taxi driver or breakfast chef in another country: they have no need to patronize you. The general perception of Nigeria in Africa is that she is that lottery winner in the family who hasn’t cashed the check but goes out of her way to look rich. Our presence in the media conveniently perpetuates the image of Nigeria as rich, boisterous, big and perhaps reckless. This image also comes with some negatives which is why some people think of us as the scam capital of the world when in fact, we are nowhere close. I explained Nigerian Scams in this creative #showmeonething animated video and revealed that the vast majority of these scams are perpetuated by Americans, Russians and the Chinese.

So, why are Nigerians so welcoming of a false and incomplete narrative? The short answer is that we have not developed an intentional strategy to own our own story. If other people control our narrative and we do nothing intentional, we will have to take what is given to us.

So, what is the potential of the Nigerian brand and how can we bring this to life? Let’s take some lessons from Ghana; our closest cultural kinfolk on the continent.

1. Lesson 1 - We need a strategic plan to develop tourism…from the top!

   Ghana’s Year of Return in 2019 is a good example of how to intentionally brand a country. It was one full year dedicated to encouraging Diasporans to go to Africa. It also marked 400 years since the first enslaved Africans landed in the US. The year culminated in December with celebrity events. Serious tourism development requires a plan from the top in partnership with efforts by private entities. The target audience was clear - Diasporans connecting with their roots and this target audience was, well, targeted. The plan was so well disseminated that every taxi driver in Accra and Kumasi knew about the Year of Return. On the other hand, Nigeria's Dirty December is entirely citizen-driven and could be a great starting point for the ‘top’ to hop on to what already exists. Cultural and entertainment tourism is Nigeria’s lowest hanging fruit and this is the lever on which a coordinated effort should be built.

2. Lesson 2 - Improve the wheel, don’t re-invent it!

   Nigeria is the top of mind PRODUCER of Africa's best music, movies and cultural influence but Nigeria is NOT yet the top of mind DESTINATION for Africa's best music events or parties. People will consume our content but not come here to the source of the content. Why? We have to plug the existing gap first before we create new things. Detty December is a low-hanging fruit that can be expanded through the year.

3. Lesson 3 - Access has to be same or better than established tourist destinations in the region!

   The audience has to feel like they have to come here. Ghana made it easy for anyone who wanted to come in, to come in. By Q4, Ghana had issued almost 50% more visas than it normally would have in that period. As December approached, Ghana switched to visa on arrival for everyone. If you wanted to come, you could come. Think about it like this: when you plan to travel, and you have two equal options, wouldn't you choose the one that requires fewer applications from you? Nigeria has to re-evaluate access by making visas easier for all. All serious tourism contenders have visa-on-arrival for their target audience.

4. Lesson 4 - Nigeria’s best bet for Detty December is to build a tourism circuit with Ghana!

   The Circuit. We don't have numbers but we know that a lot of people came into Nigeria and then went to Ghana for Afronation, Afrochella, and a bunch of other events that Ghana had on the calendar. Accra and Lagos are 45 minutes apart and the two cities offer a 2-in-1 combo of some sort. As Nigeria builds her brand, the country has to make it easy for those already in the region to 'stop by.' It works. If you cannot convince someone to spend thousands of dollars to come only to you, you can convince them to stop by on their way into or out of Ghana.

Nigeria could feel like an exclusive experience - not in terms of access but because there are no two countries like it. That’s why a descriptor like ‘This is Nigeria’ or ‘Only Nigeria’ makes sense. It evokes the feeling of FOMO and makes the audience feel like they have to come here. It also transcends tourism and will be relevant for Nollywood, oil investors, agricultural entrepreneurs, retirees and students.

Everyone can feel like a part of this, not just travelers. We have the cultural capital to make this place the social/cultural hot spot in the region and we can do it, after-all, this is Nigeria. Once we get through COVID-19, of course.

So tell me, if you could rebrand Nigerian tourism, what programs or industries would you focus on and what would our tagline be?

Let me know. Simply reply this email or leave a comment.

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Before you go, please share this newsletter with other curious minds. There’s something pretty cool to share every week!

Love,

Funmi!