MANAGER, Corporate Communication and Public Affairs of Nigeria LNG Limited, Ifeanyi Mbanefo in this interview reveals the thinking behind the recent stakeholders meeting on Nigerian literature hosted by his company and points the way forward for the science and literature prizes, acclaimed as the most prestigious on the African continent.Why did NLNG convene the stakeholders forum for The Nigeria Prize for LiteratureIt has become our tradition to meet frequently with our stakeholders to, more or less, present our report card to the public and to listen to views other than ours. At the outset in November 2003, we invited stakeholders from across the country, across the spectrum, across the writing value chain to discuss the possibility of instituting The Nigeria Prize for Literature. In 2007, the Committee for Relevant Arts (CORA) held a review session for the prize, where I presented a paper on the journey so far. I also gave an update this year. The prize has a four-year cycle and it is now a ritual to review it at the end of every cycle.The forum passed some resolutions. The first was that we constitute a governing board comprising representatives of Association of Nigerian Authors, Nigerian Academy of Letters, National Library of Nigeria and a senior executive from the Corporate Affairs team of NLNG who will be Secretary of the Committee and the head of the Secretariat. An eminent Nigerian of an iconic status well respected for his integrity should serve as the chairman of the Board. The Board will replace the existing committee for literature.The forum also reiterated that excellence must remain the core for award of the Prizes. It also recommended the endowment of the prize in perpetuity and that a national book tour be considered to promote a culture of reading nationally.On a different level, we approached this years review a little differently. Every project is challenged on two fronts: the first is expansion and the second is profitability or sustainability, in the case of a non-profit enterprise. After eight immensely successful years, we think that it is time the prizes confront these challenges, especially that of sustainability.Tell us more about these challengesThere are start-up issues, what is generally known as teething problems. There are also challenges an enterprise confronts as a going concern. For the start-up challenges, we met a deeply fractured writing community. We held wide consultations across the spectrum. Who should we support to institute a prize worthy of this great country The answer, I must say, was not unanimous, but a majority of the people recommended that we do this on our own; that we take the lead with everybody on board. That is precisely what we did. So, naturally the initial advisory board was made up of eminent scholars who also were representatives of the writers associations and representatives of the geo-political zones in the country; two scholars per zone, 12 on the whole. There was also a deliberate effort to ensure that women were represented. The initial board did not serve the prize well and other changes followed, mainly appointment by replacement. Eight years after, the governance structures of the prizes may need to be re-examined. There were other issues, including costs, logistics, focus, etc.What was the outcome of the stakeholders engagement forumIt was a splendid forum and everybody spoke his mind. The management of Nigeria LNG Limited is considering the recommendations to see what is best for the country. On a personal level, I have to put a disclaimer here because the management is yet to approve these recommendations. The recommendation that The Nigerian Academy of Letters, Association of Nigerian Authors and the National Library of Nigeria nominate people to the governing Board of the prize appeals to me. I am a believer in strengthening the system; in encouraging organisations to play their primary roles to pursue their mandates. Prize award is not a core function for Nigeria LNG Limited. We only intervened to give the country a worthy prize to raise writing and reading standards. We cant run this in perpetuity; we are not equipped to. We have gone to our Board a couple of times seeking its blessings to endow the prize. So far, we have not been successful. Companies make more impact when they strengthen the system rather than create new structures, no matter how well intentioned their efforts might be.How would you elaborate on thatI will illustrate with an example. On December 26, 2004, an earthquake resulting in tsunami in South Asia claimed some 227,000 lives and displaced 1.7 million people. The world responded by donating more than $13 billion and initiating the largest relief effort in history.The United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that the private sector raised approximately $2.5 billion. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said that American companies mobilised at least $565 million about $273 million in cash contributions; $79 million in employee matching contributions; $140 million in in-kind donations and $73 million in customer donations.Many global companies wanted to give something in cash or in kindgoods, provide communications, IT support or logistics. However, the effusive show of charity led to other problems such that relief organisations were largely unable to take advantage of non-monetary offers because they didnt have the staff available to evaluate or accept resources from non-traditional donors.Sri Lankas Colombo airport reported that within two weeks of the tsunami, 288 freighter flights had arrived without airway bills to drop off humanitarian cargo. Some carried much-needed supplies, of course, that had been cleared by credible humanitarian organisations. But a large number brought unsolicited and inappropriate items (such as carbonated beverages), which piled up at the airport, clogged warehouses and remained unclaimed for months. The worst part was that these pre-paid flights re-fuelled and then returned empty, when they could have carried commercial cargo. As a result, the airport ran out of fuel for the scheduled flights! It was an additional or second disaster brought about by do-gooders.The lesson from that tsunami was that corporations that work with the system make great impacts. Coca-Cola, British Airways, UPS, FedEx and DHL were the champions of the tsunami relief efforts. Coca-Cola turned its bottling plants into table water production plants while the rest provided free or subsidised transportation for relief cargo. All these companies have a long history of supporting relief agencies rather than striking out on their own.This is a lesson NLNG has taken to heart. It is working with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to provide the country a credible ship register; it is working with off-takers to make cooking gas affordable and available; it is working with the Academy of Science to raise standards of education and research.Corporate Social Responsibility has evolved over the years from when it was mere charity, then philanthropy, to a sort of atonement, (successful companies or persons giving back to society), to securing licence to operate. Now it includes assisting the society to create wealth and solve its most debilitating problemscreating wealth, unemployment, education, infrastructure, etc. This is why we always reach out to the core players to help them grow and serve the society. We never forget our interventionist role. That is how we best interpret our motto: Helping to build a better Nigeria.What changes are we expectingIt is too early to say with certainty but a lot of things will be done differently. For instance, our Board of Directors took a look at our expenditure sheet and directed that we must do something about it. It is time to confront issues of growth and sustainability. We are forced to ask ourselves some tough questions: why 12-member panel when five or fewer people can do the job Why invite a high-ranking politician or government official to deliver the keynote speech on a day we are celebrating writers and scientists Why not give the winners the podium to express their views What is the point of an ostentatious gala when we can have a solemn ceremony befitting of intellectual accomplishment that winning the prizes imply These are some of the arguments we are mulling over.To be sure, there were genuine reasons for these activities that we now question; they were not hollow rituals. But we have to re-examine them to see if they are still relevant today.You will recall that we started out with the exclusion of foreign-based writers and providing anonymity for the judges. These rules, established with the best of intentions have outlived their usefulness. The late Esiaba Irobi would not have won this prize if the exclusion clause was still in place and nobody would know that Prof. Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, a literature laureate, is the chairman of the panel of judges for this years competition. We have continued to evolve.Our evolution is also shaped by the legal landscape. We used to have government officialspresidents, ministers, legislators, etc, grace our gala. And they used to be expensive dinners and black tie events. The world has raised the bar on transparency and all eyes are on oil and gas business and other buoyant industries. So, you have to think twice now before inviting a government official to dinner; before picking his bills for accommodation and transportation. The Nigerian law on transparency is almost draconian. In a country where a former minister was jailed on account of drinking tea and receiving a wristwatch, would you leave the lawyers to mark out your boundariesThe law insists that it is an offence to give anything of value. The United States law, which is applicable to all companies with footprints in the US, (we export gas to the US) recommends gifts of less than $100. But the EFCC law leaves definition of appropriate value to the best judgment of the courts and the discretion of the law enforcement officers. In such an uncertainty, the best course of action may be to avoid the gala and gift-giving altogether. A sumptuous dinner is worth much more than a cup of tea. The scramble for invitation to The Grand Award Night convinces one that it might be considered a tool of influence, just like a ticket to Oscar award or invitation to Nobel Prize award. Discretion is the better part of valour, they say.So, The Grand Award Night has come under the searchlight, not only because of its sheer cost (money and manpower), but also because of how EFCC might view invitation and attendance of government officials. Since it could be dropped without harming the prize, we are seriously evaluating its usefulness in the scheme of things. We have tried to work within the margins of safety in so many areas of our work. NLNG does not permit cash gifts to members of the community or the press. The rule is to ensure that the society, rather than the individual, benefits. So, you can be sure that we do not give brown envelopes or valuable gifts by whatever metaphors.What has been your experience of managing these prizesIt is fun, even if a lot of hard work is involved. We have been at it for eight years now. Nigeria LNG Limited forged an immensely successful partnership eight years ago with writers and scientists to reinvigorate and nurture learning and culture in Nigeria. It was founded on the very simple idea that writers and scientists have important roles to play in the society and deserve public support and recognition.Everybody agrees that there have been vast improvements in the writing value chainediting, proof-reading, publishing, as a result of our efforts. This is a matter of great joy to NLNG. At about the time we intervened, the literary business was struggling, locally and internationally. Abroad, the great Booker Prize was in serious trouble. The original sponsors, the Booker-McConnell Company, were bought out by a frozen-food concern called Iceland, which declined to continue sponsorship of the prize estimated at over £400,000. The prize went for an open bidding and was won by a firm called the Man Group, a London-based international stock broking firm, which agreed to take over sponsorship for an initial five years. That was how Booker became Man-Booker Prize.The founders of the Orange Prize for Fiction launched in 1996 had announced with fanfare that it had secured an anonymous endowment sufficient to provide for a £30, 000 annual award. It was a false start, because they immediately returned to the drawing board when Martyn Goff of the Book Trust fame and other experienced administrators pointed out that, for the prize to succeed in practical terms, the organisers would need a far larger budget to cover operating expenses, particularly the expenses associated with promotion and publicity. The Orange Prize was rescued by Peter Raymond of the cellular phone service company, Orange Plc. By 1999, Orange Plc was spending £250,000 yearly minus the prize money. The real cost of organising the Orange Prize was 10 times more than its declared value.So we embarked on this project at a time other more established prizes were struggling. We are glad we made a success of it. We are still hopeful that we shall one day be able to convince our Board of Directors to endow this prize in perpetuity. But in the meantime, our focus is to trim the fat and build a lean, responsive organisation.Your title, Manager, Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, is usually puzzling. What really do you doYou are not alone. My daughters have seriously questioned me about this. A recent survey in our office revealed that many of my colleagues will like me to explain, in greater details, what I do. So, I am happy to tell.Corporate Communication has its origins in public relations and, to a surprising degree, people still associate it primarily with external communicationwriting press releases, burnishing a companys image in the media, writing speeches for top management and managing a companys corporate website. We do all those but our most important function is to convey key strategic messages internally and externally and to remove obstacles that prevent the implementation of corporate strategy and achievement of company goals.My job is aligning messages to give everyone, every constituency, a common understanding; to put everyone on the same page. This means communicating same message across several audiences. I also look after the companys reputation and do my best to maintain the integrity of its brands. Reputation is everything. Locally, we say your good name is worth more than gold. Arthur Page, a legendary head of communication at AT&T once said, business operates with permission of the public and we have seen dramatic evidence during the 90s of what can happen if the public withdraws its trust.I will forgive you losing money, but I will not forgive the loss of your reputation, said Warren Buffet. It is my duty to ensure that this does not happen to Nigeria LNG Limited; not under my watch. The corporate communication aspect of my job involves protecting and enhancing the Companys reputation and its ability to do business in local, regional and international markets.The other arm is public affairs. I manage relationships with all non-government, non-community constituents with regards to Nigeria LNG Limited. This includes donations, sponsorships and social investment and covers the whole gamut of corporate social responsibility. My background in the media and my love for public service make this job good grazing. Communication and charity (public service) are things I love doing. So, even as it may take all your time, thoughts and energy, you wont even know. As the Americans would say, Im having fun.
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