In the latest consultation of the Federal Government to quell issues of insecurity in the country, especially in the highways, the presidency has announced plans adopted. They include, community policing, use of Drones, and installation of CCTVs on the highways. This was announced at the conclusion of the meeting that President Buhari had with South West Royal Fathers on Wednesday, 31st of July.

The recent rise in kidnappings and killings on the East West highways has escalated security concerns from Abuja–Kaduna highway, where bandits and gunmen have made it impossible for road users to ply the routes without fear and trembling.

The adoption of tech-based approach seems interesting since it’s quite different from the previous security measures adopted by the Government that have failed to yield fruitful results. The use of technology in combating crimes has been advocated by security Experts for long, so it sounds like a practical alternative when the FG disclosed that the police will be equipped with modern technology to tackle insecurity nationwide.

The community policing plan involves boosting the number of police through recruitment of personnel from their Local Governments of origin and stationing them there. This will bridge the gap of distrust between communities and security personnel since they have their own interest in their respective communities to protect.

However, the deployment of tech in various states faces some hindrances that the Federal Government is aware of. Concerning this, President Buhari said:

“I will be issuing some directives to the appropriate federal authorities to speedily approve licensing for States requesting the use of drones to monitor forests and other criminal hideouts.”

The plan to monitor highways among other places through CCTVs is to record happenings and activities in these places for security reviews. This technology disposition will likely accomplish two things:

• The CCTVs will record events of crime to expose those behind it for prosecution.
• The Drones coverage will alert the security agents in the events of attacks or plans to do so.

President Buhari explained that the military will continue to be used occasionally when the attack is overwhelming. He said:

“we will continue to bring in our military when needed to complement the work of the police, including possible deployment of troops on certain highways on temporary basis, and the use of Nigerian Airforce assets to bomb hideouts where criminals are located.”

Responses to this development seem to suggest that it’s what many have been expecting. However, others are skeptical that it is just another motivational speech that will never come to pass. Recall that the military was the first to announce a plan to use technology, drone precisely to fight insurgency. In February, the Nigerian Airforce unveiled the TSAIGUMI UAV, an indigenous developed Drone, for surveillance and intelligence gathering.

Months have gone by, and there is yet to be seen an improvement in the fight against insurgency as a result of the drone. The police have also shown the lack of capacity in the use modern tech gadgets, giving the impression that the personnel recruited from rural Local Governments Areas will find it harder to master the use of any gadget that the Government may deploy.

 There is also concern about the Federal Government’s unwillingness to prosecute the perpetrators. Some citing instances where Miyetti Allah have taken responsibility for crimes and yet no one was arrested not to talk of prosecution. So there is perception of nepotism in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria that is casting doubt and disbelief on every step the Government is taking to restore peace.

While there is belief and skepticism, only time will tell if the recent approach to the security challenges in the country will restore people’s faith and trust in the government’s ability to protect life and property.

Recently, I escorted a friend of mine to a mechanic workshop – one of the largest in town. When we arrived, I noticed a small crowd gathered somewhere at a very conspicuous spot. Some car owners and a few mechanics were there, and there was an umbrella in the middle.

I noticed a guy doing some serious explanations to the crowd. So, as a curious individual, I moved closer. I needed to see what’s going on.

It was a lotto game spot. And the guy was explaining how the numbers he has “forecasted” are winning numbers, and started convincing people to play. In fact, he advises that if you needed a better return, you need to play with N100 and above. People were playing.

It was fun. Though I didn’t understand a thing about lotto games, I asked the guy if he was the owner of the stand, and he said yes. So, I brought out N100 and played the game he was preaching about. I knew I wouldn’t go back there again but I played anyway. I played because I understood what the owner was doing business-wise.

A few minutes later, I was chatting privately with the young man. And he explained to me that he needed to “boost” that spot which is fairly new. He said he had to convince those mechanics that they can win and the moment anyone wins, that spot will continuously “vomit” money for him. I asked him how, and he said I shouldn’t worry that the mechanics will “spread the word about that stand”.

The guy was implementing what we call grassroots marketing. Perception drives actions and results. From my perspective (forget what the textbook says), grassroots marketing is when you target those at the grassroots level. Just like grassroots politics.

Who are those at these levels? Those market women, mechanics, Okada drivers, etc. These set of businesspeople or services-oriented people makes up a large chunk of the 37+ million MSMEs in Nigeria and if your business does not have a strategy to target them, you are losing out.

See why…

• The sports betting industry in Nigeria came into the limelight a few years ago, and players in this sector have understood the importance of grassroots marketing. Forget the top shots who can afford anything. Market your product to those who struggle to make N1,000 daily. The sports betting and gaming industry is now a N4 billion a day industry in Nigeria. They make use of extensive agent networks that sell to the common man.
• In my state, if you can convince just 5 Okada men or Keke drivers that your product is good, in one week, you will have more than 300 people buying your product. They are the masters of word-of-mouth advertising.
• MSMEs contributed N38 trillion to the national GDP in 2015. The federal government does not joke with them. If you want to boost your revenue, create a grassroots marketing strategy.
• Companies in the sports betting industry can survive for the next year without spending a dime on ads, and they’ll still make billions. Why? Their market segment does not need paid ads. They just need agents located in the streets where Okada drivers or mechanics can easily locate them.

 John E. Lincoln, the CEO of Ignite Visibility, observed this.

Remember Occupy Wall Street? The 2011 movement eventually involved millions of people attempting to cleanse the dirty practices of Wall Street.

But it all started with just a few – a spontaneous group of people who were fed up with the process. That was a grassroots movement.

Grassroots marketing follows the same principal. Using grassroots campaigns, marketers work to purposefully target a niche group of people in hopes that they will spread, or propagate, their campaign message organically.

“The focus of the campaigns is on intent and audience. Your audience = the niche group, your intent = motivation to spread the word.

A man sets up a chain of restaurants around town, and his company’s revenue now exceeds N200 million annually after expenses not because his services are the best, but he implemented grassroots marketing. He used an interactive marketing strategy driven by Okada riders. “Bring up to 4 people to come and eat here, and you’ll get a free meal.” The strategy worked. In a few months, he started opening new branches.

Grassroots or guerrilla marketing starts from the bottom and works its way up. It is the art of advertising using word-of-mouth, and its effectiveness starts the moment you bring in those market women, okada or keke riders, mechanics, etc on board. It is cost-effective and can make your products or services go viral.