#ChibokGirls, Cockroaches and Crisis Communication.

 

Hey people…

Its over 50 days that more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted. I have, like most Nigerians followed with interest, the series of events that has trailed the abduction of school girls in Chibok, Borno State – Nigeria. This is one situation that has put our country in the eyes of the entire universe. However, I’d like to reiterate the fact that this post is from a purely marketing angle. It is not in any way political.

Let’s get down on it…

You may ask: what has cockroaches got to do with this crisis Nigeria is facing with specific reference to the Chibok Girls’ abduction?

Crisis is subtly defined as a threat that can inflict a potential damage and have a negative impact on a person, body, organisation or nation. Cockroaches like crisis are pests, live among human beings and are mostly nocturnal in nature, thriving in darkness ( shrouded in some mystery and secrecy).

Crisis amongst other things have a strong influence on affecting reputation either positively or negatively depending on how properly it is managed. With this simple definition, the abduction of the Chibok Girls is indeed a crisis situation Nigeria is currently facing.

Effective, consistent, well articulated and concise communication remains a vital solution to Crisis Management. Communicating to different publics at the same time can pose to be a great challenge especially with the advent of New Media. This is where the ‘cockroach’ comes in.  Crisis and the cockroach, amazingly have a lot of features in common. Let’s see just a few:

Crisis are Cockroaches

·         A cockroach can live without its head for a long time: A crisis can develop into more crises over a long time with people having the tendency to forget the root of the matter. In this case, the secondary crisis situation is the abduction of the Chibok Girls while Boko Haram, the major crisis should have been nipped in the bud before now.

·         A cockroach has at least 18 knees and 6 legs:  The extent to which a crisis can ‘travel’ cannot be determined. If not adequately and timely contained, it can generate more problems even when the foundation has been dealt with. Following the abduction of the Chibok Girls and the supposed dearth of food at the Sambisa forests, Borno communities now suffer incessant attacks and killings as the insurgents search for food exposing grieving people to more agony. What happens when only one or even four of the cockroach’s legs are broken. It can still thrive on two…

 

·         A cockroach can hold its breath for up to 40 minutes: Just when you think you are getting over a crisis, or you think it is history, it has the tendency to spring up again. The dust on the Nyanya bomb blast had not settled when the Chibok Girls were kidnapped. So many attacks, bomb blasts and killings have since followed.

·         A female cockroach (called bummer) mate once and are pregnant for the rest of their lives: The extent to crisis damage cannot be fathomed or determined. In this case, it has been reported that two of the parents of the abducted girls have died as a result of illnesses caused by the abduction. What of the psychological trauma on the girls and the emotional trauma the parents are facing? These are bruises that may not heal for life.

·         A young cockroach can crawl into a crack as thin as 0.5mm wide: Any situation, no matter how ordinary, can generate into a crisis. Sambisa Forest houses over 200 girls with an unidentified number of insurgents, possibly in hundreds. From information gathered, Sambisa is an abandoned games reserve. Boko Haram capitalised on the State and Federal Government’s laxity, developing it into a camp for their own use. It may not have been available for their use, if the Government had made good use of that resource.

Others include the ability for cockroaches to change its direction about 25 times in one second, replacing a broken leg in little time and living 9 days without its head (its brain is actually in its body, not its head).  I have noticed that the cockroach is one insect that does not die easily and they move very fast. Same with crisis, especially when not well managed.

Effective Crisis Communication

 Crisis Communication is essential to effective Crisis management. In fact, it is the major prerequisite for managing crisis. 

The timing, proportion, sequence and channels to be deployed in crisis communication are a different ball game. Below are a few strategies for repairing the damages experienced as a result of a crisis situation. These have also been applied to the abducted girls’ saga.

·         Excuses: Here, excuses are given for the situation. In the case of Boko Haram/the abducted girls, it is the insurgents that abducted the girls; therefore campaigners should face the insurgents and not the President (as stated by a Minister on behalf of the President).

·         Attack the Accuser:  A person or group is accused for the crisis situation or its impact. I have heard on TV that the #BringBackOurGirls is being sponsored by the opposing political party, All People’s Congress…*sigh*…..

·         Justification: Justifiable/unjustifiable reasons are given for the situation. In this case, it is some people that are making the country ungovernable for the President because he is not a Muslim/Northerner.

It is important however to note that communicating to a variety of stakeholders in a crisis situation can be a very daunting challenge. It is even more of a herculean task for people who do not have formal training in crisis communication and aren’t exposed to crisis management.

Things to note:

1.       Have a Crisis Management Plan:  It is the responsibility of organisations, bodies, corporates and the government to have a crisis management plan in place in the event that a crisis situation occurs. This leaves them adequately prepared to manage the situation effectively.

 

2.       Make room for flexible Crisis Communication: Crisis Communication should not be a ‘one-way’ traffic.  It must be flexible enough to address different stakeholders. Communication must be done to the right publics, at the right time, through the right channels, in the right manner (55% of communication is non verbal) and in the right proportion.

 

3.       Choose a ‘spokesperson’:  It is recommended that not everybody communicates during a crisis. A few people, preferably, not more than two must be appointed to communicate at all times and must ensure that such communication is consistent. This helps to ensure that stakeholders know what information to hold on to.  It also builds trust in the ability of the authorities to effectively manage the situation.

On a final note, we cannot relent on campaigning for the release of the Chibok Girls. We are connected in one way or the other. More importantly, they are still children. Let us not rest on our oars. Let us use our voice; the Social Media. It should be everyone’s responsibility.

#BringBackOurGirls.

Tilloppss!