Legal Drama

Video | Biola Alabi Denies Resignation as Director for MNET, Talks Company Restructuring, #AMVCA & More!

Biola Alabi, former director for MNET, denies the story published by many credible Nigerian media publications that she resigned from her role as Director of MNET. She says she will be handling “special” projects and when the interviewees press her on what that means, she remains vague, is unable to articulate what her duties will be and describes a role that sounds more like a consultant providing input where necessary for the newly named director for MNET West Africa and where applicable, MNET East Africa.

In the meantime, MNET released on Friday, on the heels that Alabi had resigned, the following statement:

M-Net wishes to confirm the strategic evolution of M-Net Africa MD Biola Alabi’s role with the pan African broadcaster.

Having served in this role at M-Net Africa for five highly successful years during which time she brought her well-honed business perspective and creative insights to one of Africa’s biggest entertainment companies, she has taken on a new strategic role with the organization, that of Managing Director: Special Projects.

In this capacity her portfolio now focuses primarily on the broadcaster’s flagship productions including but not limited to the AfricaMagic Viewers’ Choice Awards, the popular reality super series Big Brother Africa and several exciting new initiatives.

Meanwhile, reflecting the broadcaster’s rapid growth in the market, M-Net has named Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu as its first Regional Director, West Africa.

Biola AlabiMy take? As an aside before you watch the exclusive with Ghana’s Ameyawdebrah.com, one of things I find commonplace in many companies, large or small, is the tendency to  make an employee, especially an executive, akin to the founder or owners of the business. I think that is great. You want employees to feel that they are invested in your business and even be okay with them being protective of your business as if they own it. However, at the end of the day, when business decisions need to be made that involves reassigning those employees to different roles or working with them as independent contractors, as it sounds like with Alabi, it becomes an issue.

This is because often those employees have also built their own personal brand equity with the public where the public believes that they and the company they work for are one and the same. The public starts feeling slighted when you move these rockstars and also cite all they have done for the company, which in turn makes the employees also feel slighted.

Whereas from the company’s view, where an executive is hired such as Biola Alabi, she is indeed expected, for the kind of money she is paid, to bring fresh ideas to the table and help stir the company into a new direction, and increase the bottom line. That is her job of which she is expected to excel well in. As we all know or should know by now, especially where companies like MNET and other non-Nigerian companies are concerned, the goal is to hire locals or a Nigerian in the diaspora who knows enough about the country to return home to help the foreign company build or expand its subsidiary.

Once that mission is accomplished, if that foreign corporation deems it necessary to go a different direction, then that is exactly what it does, and many times at the detriment of that employee.

So what’s my take on the Alabi situation? I believe it is only a matter of time before we hear of the new ventures Alabi is getting herself involved in i.e. she leaves MNET. The writing, in my view, is pretty clear on the wall.

Watch her interview below.

-Uduak

“Biola (AIESEC Cincinnati 1996) has the job that many AIESECers dream about.  She travels to many different countries, learns about different cultures and also makes a positive impact.  What does she do?  She is the Managing Director of Africa Operations for M-NET (Electronic Media Network Limited), where she is responsible for providing direction for M-NET activities across Africa, outside of South Africa, in markets like Nigeria, Kenya and Angola.  This involves managing over 15 channels on a pay TV platform with international and local content, as well as original productions from across the continent.

Biola says of her job:  “I think one of the main values of AIESEC for me was really around the promotion of international understanding and really creating a sense of awareness of the world around … I get to do that in my job every day.  I travel across Africa and meet with people that are doing amazing and exciting things and also I get to be part of an organization that creates images of Africans that are usually not seen in the world … I guess working in a commercial environment and still being able to make a positive impact is living the AIESEC life in my own little way.”

M-NET was founded in 1985 as South Africa’s first private subscription television service and today, M-Net boasts an array of general entertainment and niche channels and broadcasts to over 2.5 million subscribers in 41 countries across Africa.   Its mission is to create the best television entertainment inAfrica and beyond.

To achieve this goal, M-NET has invested significantly in local productions. They have programming that celebrates the art of filmmaking in Africa, that travels across Africa and showcases the continent as a vacation destination for Africans, that explores the amazing rich history and texture of Africa, as well as programming that covers the diversity on the African continent from red carpet events to leaders who are making a difference in their countries.  In addition, they also have adaptations of world-renowned shows such as the Big Brother and Idols franchises, which strive to keep subscribers in touch with world-class shows while also being relevant to their audiences.

In an interview with the Sunday Tribune of Nigeria (Saturday, 6 February 2010), Biola talks about how she thinks M-NET shows have influenced Nigerian youth.

“We have been able to inspire youths to really strive for their dreams, to go out there and try to be better, be good and for them to believe in themselves. Look at Naija Sings, it was won by an 18-year-old boy, Jon … I think people took to him because he was very humble … I think he did achieve his goal, his dream. We are hoping that we will inspire more people like that. It is the same thing with Face of Africa.  Kate tried twice to get on Face of Africa before she finally made it. She eventually won and she’s now an international model. We are telling that story and I hope people see that and that it will inspire them to follow their dreams … What we are trying to do is show people that with persistence, with tenacity, you can get there.”

For more information on M-NET, go to their website at http://www.mnetafrica.com/. If you would like to learn more about Biola and her work, contact Biola at [email protected].”

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Credited for several firsts in the fashion and entertainment industry, Uduak Oduok (Ms. Uduak) is a fashion and entertainment lawyer, speaker, visionary, gamechanger, trailblazer, and recognized thought leader, for her work on Africa’s emerging global fashion and entertainment markets, and the niche practice of fashion law in the United States. She is also the founder of ‘Africa Music Law,’ an industry go-to music business and law blog and podcast show empowering African artists. Her work in the creative and legal industries has earned her numerous awards and recognitions, including an award from the American University Washington College of Law for her “legal impact in the field of intellectual property in Africa." She has also taught as an Adjunct Professor at several institutions in the United States. For more information, visit her at https://msuduak.com.

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