President Goodluck Jonathan has added pop culture expert and entertainment executive, Obi Asika to his communications team.
The Storm Records Founder and Social Media Week Lagos Chairman who boasts a string of success stories in the media and new media industries is expected to bring his skills to bear as regards dealing with the social media problems plaguing the Presidency and the Federal Government in general.
Social Media Industry insiders have routinely said one of the pitfalls of the Jonathan administration has been not mobilizing adequate resources to the new media space . The global acceptance and popularity of mediums like Facebook and Twitter have made it a game changer for political strategy and the opposition was hands down better prepared.
Opposition leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu owns several profitable media companies and the Lagos State government is reported to have one of the largest media budgets amongst states in Nigeria, allegedly paying editors about N300 million every quarter.
The APC also hired an American firm AKPD Media to spruce up its image on the world stage and this has attracted patronage from Al Jazeera to New York Times for the main opposition party.
Perception is the name of the game with political campaigning and the APC started the game earlier. They initiated their campaign of calumny against the PDP ever since the present administration drew the contempt of the common man with the fuel subsidy debacle.
The social media rage that began then has snowballed into the sh*tstorm the PDP finds itself in on social media channels.
By hiring a businessman of Mr. Asika’s caliber, the Federal Government is taking a no prisoners approach in trying to solve the problem and it is better late than never.
Obi is one of few Nigerian youth that genuinely has the interest of Nigeria in mind. His entrepreneurial mind and visionary thinking has created some of Africa’s favorite celebrities and brands both on and off the screens and radio waves.
His in depth knowledge of issues concerning Nigeria’s cultural political, and socio-economic affairs coupled with a broad understanding of new media and global best practices make Obi a force to be reckoned with and a great addition to Mr. Jonathan’s communications team.