Campaign season for the 2019 general elections officially begins today. It is time for the candidates to show us what they are made of and what plans they have for their constituencies. It is also time for the creatives to shine. One thing I like about election season is the jingles. In a country like Nigeria where there are no clear ideological and policy differences between the major parties, the electorate must rely on other matters to determine in whose favour they will cast their votes.
Whether we are contesting political office or not, it is important to remember that all politics is personal. A friend of mine and I were discussing local politics once and he told me that he was not interested in politics. All he wanted to do was face his business. I had to remind him that the success of his business and the ability to get anything done is dependent on politics. Whoever gets into power determines the policies that will affect businesses in Nigeria. They also have the power to give and deny approvals that are of benefit to the businesses. While I understand the frustration of the electorate with our political leaders, I must remind us again that politics is personal. We must all get involved. We must also pray for the spirit of discernment because as we have experienced, not all that glitters is gold.
The political process before Election Day has always been of interest to me. Song seems to be a big part of our election campaign process. The jingle that stands out in my mind from the 1983 campaigns was a tune with a highlife beat. Now, I do not remember if it was a jingle for the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) or the United Party of Nigeria because by the time we got to school, we had replaced the party in the jingle with whichever party was supported by our families. The jingle went something like, While I dey, while I dey, na wetin you dey talk? If you talk (NPN) talk again, comforting go dey…
In 1992, I spent most of my high school senior class trip in my hotel room watching CNN’s Crossfire programme. America was preparing for the elections that would bring Bill Clinton into power as President of the United States of America. While Clinton was my preferred candidate, Ross Perot was, for me, great entertainment. I loved to listen to the feisty Texas business magnate who ran for president as an independent candidate. The debates that year made very good entertainment.
Fast forward to 2003 in Nigeria, I was part of the policy team for a gubernatorial candidate. I thought it was impressive that a candidate would hire a team of ‘experts’ to assess key areas of the economy and develop a strategic plan for the state. Unfortunately, the candidate did not make it to the polls but his heart was in the right place at the time. Then there was Gbenga Daniel in Ogun State. His campaign had a very memorable jingle that I could not get enough of. It played on television and radio in Lagos at the time. I was not surprised that he won the governorship election. Based on his jingle alone, I might have also been tempted to vote for him with nothing more were I an indigene of Ogun State.
Election campaign season anywhere is not for the faint of heart. It is the season of the harvesting of bones. Bones, no matter how deeply buried will be unearthed as opponents slug it out for the votes of the electorate. There is mudslinging, revelation of private details, sabotage, and so on. Some candidates take it to despicable levels, but that is politics.
As I stated above, election campaign season is also time for the creatives to shine. Recently, when there was speculation that Femi Otedola was joining the Lagos State governorship contest, Dele Momodu shared a jingle created by Tenie the Entertainer on his Instagram page. It was obvious that Tenie and her people were just jamming and having fun, but the tune was so lit, as they say, that without more I was already on Oteddy’s team. That is the power of creatives in an election campaign. In a country where the electorate is largely illiterate, the creatives deliver the candidates through images, jingles and slogans. I cannot wait to see what the creatives come up with this season.
In the wake of recent actions taken against the United States President, Donald Trump, and his team, by artistes Rihanna and Pharrell, I must remind the creatives of some important copyright matters. Whatever jingles or slogans are created are subject to existing copyright laws. Those organising rallies should ensure that they get the rights to existing music that will be played at the rallies. Artistes who feel strongly against a particular candidate must be vigilant, in case they have to send a cease and desist notice to the candidate’s campaign officers. It would also be wise to alert the collecting societies of this reservation so that they can take it into consideration if and when issuing blanket rights for use of music that they control.
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