Lagos: The prospects, hurdles to being a major destination brand —Expert

DESPITE losing its federal capital status, decades ago, not a few still believe  Lagos still possesses incredible  economic potential.

For many, the former federal capital city still holds the key to the nation’s  economic growth; hence the tendency for the whole country to always catch cold,  when Lagos sneezes.

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Little wonder, the city’s description  as the nation’s economic nerve-centre has remained incontrovertible, over the years. Its  huge population and the unprecedented amount of economic activities recorded on a daily basis within the city,  for many, quite support this claim.

But, in spite of Lagos’ attractions to individuals and businesses, as a result of the huge opportunities the city flaunts, not a few, however  still believe,  that its path to  attaining  the mega city status and  becoming a major destination brand, is still strewn with roses and thorns.

Interestingly, the  just-concluded annual conference of the Brands Journalists’ Association of Nigeria (BJAN), no doubt provided another opportunity for stakeholders to discuss  the city, its huge potential and  what needed to be done if it is to fully realise its dream of becoming a major destination brand.

In his lecture tagged How Can Brand Lagos Transform into a Major Destination Brand,  a renowned marketing communications practitioner and former Chairman of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi, believes the  prospects are there for the city to become a major destination brand, but there are some challenges on the way to attaining such status.

Differentiating between the two terms  ‘Destination Branding’ and ‘Destination Marketing’, Akinwunmi argued that while destination brands can not be manufactured or created;  since they are places that have been around for generations and defined by history, culture, way of life, the natural environment and the people, destination marketing, he believes, is about building a story on the destination’s (place) strongest and most competitively appealing assets.

According to him, the aims of such narratives, expected to be sustained consistently through all marketing communications channels, are to make the  destination stand out above its competitors, either as a tourist destination,  an investment haven, or in many cases, both; as one can drive the other.

“Destination Branding is about who you are, while Destination Marketing is about how you communicate who you are,” he argued.

Curiously, despite the much-touted opportunities,  in Lagos, the Prima Garnet boss believes there are legion of factors mitigating against advancing the cause of Lagos as a major branding destination, even though some of these challenges are being addressed by the incumbent government.

Akinwunmi argued that the location and position of the city makes it vulnerable, depending on which political party controls the centre.

“For many years, Lagos was the federal capital, until Abuja assumed this status, and under extant laws, many parts of Lagos are still regarded as federal territory. For example, over 65% of Lagos roads, including the 3rd Mainland Bridge are federal roads.

“This of course has its implications. Depending on which party is in power at the centre, Lagos is vulnerable and can suffer major neglect and even victimization.

“The government’s attitude to Abuja is different, as it technically belongs to any government in power at the centre,” he stated.

According to him, despite the fact that the former capital city needs massive funding; since it remains the major city in Nigeria which houses a lot of businesses and foreign embassies, it is not allotted any special status or grant for this.

“Often, the governors of Lagos need to make special cases to the federal government for reimbursement after they have spent huge sums to build or repair infrastructure,” he stated.

Akinwunmi also believes the city’s huge population of over 22 million people, could be a major disincentive to its dream of becoming a major destination brand; since its limited infrastructures are over-stretched.

“Let’s admit it, with 22 million people, too many people live in Lagos. This, of course has implications when we consider the management of expectations for a brand that expects to become a brand destination and wants to compete with other cities with smaller populations.

“The infrastructures in Lagos are overstretched. Indeed, the UN reported that about 65% of Lagos population are poor people who live in slum conditions. And this is without prejudice to the efforts the government has been making to change things and improve the lot of the people,” he stated.

Akinwunmi also believes the absence of a Brand Destination Tourism Policy could also constitute an impediment  in the wheel of the city’s journey to becoming a major destination brand.

He lamented that not until recently when the government of Akinwunmi Ambode launched the very ambitious Tourism Masterplan to serve the state for the next 15 years, no such plan existed, for a long time.

Curiously, despite its much-touted wealth, Akinwunmi also identified finance as a major impediment to Lagos being a major destination brand.

He argued that the state does not have the capacity to finance this very ambitious tourism plan.

“Lagos state cannot finance this ambitious plan easily and has had to borrow. If the information available is accurate, 30% of Nigeria’s debt is held by Lagos state.

“The money has largely gone into the financing of infrastructure, some of which ideally should have been financed by the federal government,” he noted.

Akinwunmi also identified  the failure of the residents of the city to key into the government’s plan to develop Lagos into a strong destination brand, as a major impediment to attaining such goal.

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