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He was appointed the first project manager on account of his compelling performance in a mock business task. He stamped his approval on the name ‘Zulu’ where his compatriots
seemed to favour ‘Summit’ and they began registering successive wins.Then he retreated into the shadows. But this was only a strategy; one that worked like magic when the team began to lose and his team-mates forgot to drag him to face the fire in the boardroom.
He took the front seat once more with steady superiority; became the apprentice grandee influencing Zulu wins. He was the only East African to be among the top four and the only one overall to lead his team to success three times as project manager.
But it is said that the sweet never fills the cup to overflowing, so when task 15 came, a sneaky Nigerian woman named Blessing put up an unbelievable performance as “Miss Hypocrisy” and catalysed the firing of our homeboy, Deox Tibeingana. It began when the contestants were asked to carry out a market research for Nutricima --the makers of an energy drink Power Fist Plus. They were also to design a marketing strategy for the product and the team with the most viable strategy would win.
The race began. Deox was seen charming Ojibiye market crowds with his product and Blessing moving between shops to establish the availability of the product.
Later, Matrix kicked off their presentation with a short video about the sportsmen and street people they had interviewed and tasted the drink. With their tagline; “Revitalise, reenergise and recharge”, on top of a winning marketing strategy clincher: “You can still grab more than you are grabbing now!”, Matrix had made the mark.
In their presentation, Zulu revealed that the product was rare in many shops and markets and they suggested more salesmanship and distribution. They drew hearty laughter from Nutricima executives on revealing the fact many Nigerians thought the product was “a libido enhancer”.
They impressed the judges with their marketing slogan: “energy whenever you need it” but because they had concentrated their research on one market, they lost to Matrix whose strategy was comprehensive and easy to implement.
Isaac and Eunice were seen enjoying tender massages at a health club while Deox and Blessing fought for their lives. According to Blessing, Deox had acted like a fool and been “too slow”. To add weight to her words she broke down. It was pathetic seeing such a plump woman cry like a baby.
Shobanjo scratched his white beard and asked Deox if it was true he had been frustratingly slow. Deox said Blessing was acting, that she had approached the task not to win but to have him fired.
Hearing this, Blessing lapsed into a fresh attack calling Deox “a bloody liar”. Deox denied this and wondered why Blessing, as a project manager, had not taken over if he had been incompetent.
It was a good question which Shobanjo neglected saying he had already formed a mental picture of their character traits.
He could have been intimidated by the imperial figure of Deox, so he ejected him lethally leaving three fellow West Africans -Isaac Dankyi-Koranteng (Ghana), Eunice Omole (Nigeria/ U.S.A) and Blessing Njoki from whom he’ll pick his apprentice.
--Daily Monitor, June 14, 2008
