Femi LazarusCEO at Femi Lazarus Consulting

Intelligent minds, curious minds, creatives, disruptors, get set. This is your podcast.#Declassified

12 Feb 2026 · 4 min

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4:06

In this podcast segment, three participants discuss two main themes. First, Speaker A explains a practical method for visual brand storytelling by imagining the ideal customer's environment—using the example of where a person keeps their perfume, phone, wallet, and other daily items to create a relatable picture that tells a brand story. The conversation illustrates how everyday objects and settings can become narrative assets for marketers. Second, Speaker C, a long‑time professor with appointments at several U.S. universities, shares observations from decades of seeing international students in America, noting distinct cultural habits such as Nigerian students preferring individual living arrangements versus Chinese students sharing apartments and cars. He claims he can assess within five minutes who will succeed, emphasizes his continued Nigerian identity, and recounts high‑level leadership as chair of the Africa Science Plans and a 14‑year legal battle he won against the Nigerian government. Speaker B probes whether C would accept a senior national role in Nigeria, to which C replies he does not want or need it, citing his existing influence. The dialogue blends marketing insight, cross‑cultural sociological observation, and personal testimony about academic authority and political engagement.

Chapters

A picture can tell a story.
You can make a picture tell a story?
Yeah.
How?
I usually try to live in the mind of the ideal customer of that brand. Let's take a perfume brand, for example. Where do you keep your perfumes?
First, I have a place for them in closet, the ones I rarely use. The ones I use quite often, they are quite close to where I sleep.
Okay, so let's pick the one that is close to where you sleep.
Yes.
What else do you put around there?
Things I need on a regular basis.
Your phone?
Yes.
Your wallet?
Yes.
Khaki. Maybe you sent someone on an errand and he brought back some change. Yeah, that's a set for me. That's a picture that I take. You see that picture, you remember yourself. That's a story.
No way, no way.
And it's a masterclass.
You probably have a mirror, a window that some natural light comes in from. And it probably shines into that area a little bit in the morning. That's a picture. That's a story. Wow.
I was a professor at the University of Massachusetts for a long time and professor at the University of North Carolina, many other university, university. I started as a professor, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin in 1988. So I have seen Nigerian students come over to America. I've seen Chinese students come over to America, Indians, thousands of them over the years. You know what has happened? When a Chinese student comes, they will get an apartment and live 5 there and jointly own a car. But when a Nigerian student comes, he or she wants to be individualistic. You will hardly have a roommate.
Prof, there's something I'd like to quickly tap into. Now, apart from your vastness as a professor, the things you've seen all over the world, also it's, it's the age factor and the depth of experience that you, you have in all these things you've been doing. There must have been times that you've seen people and you look at the pattern, the things they are trying to do, the methods, and you know quite well in your heart they won't do well.
Yes.
You, you've had such experience with some Nigerians in America.
It takes me 5 minutes to recognize who will do well and who won't.
You, you still maintain your deep Nigerian roots?
Yes, I do.
Despite all the accomplishments you have all over the world?
Yes.
If you are given a position in Nigeria now, an appointment in your field, something that can really help the nation. You've experienced other things, you know what to do. Will you consider it?
I don't want to, I don't need to, because I've operated at such levels. I was the chairman of the Africa Science Plans, the entire continent that includes Nigeria, for 2 years. I have taken the Nigerian government to court before and won after 14 years of fight.
Really?
Yes, I have.
Do you feel Nigeria is corrupt? Someone said that maybe because the world knew about the Berlin Conference, as touching few people sitting down to design how African countries supposed to be shared like piece of cake. We drew the line of the borders and distributed whoever wanted any piece of the cake went wherever they wanted. And it's more like an open secret. Now, someone said that what if there was another classified meeting to give African countries the impression that they were gaining independence, whereas in essence they were not really free? Looking at the experience that Africa is having today, not just the Sahel region, how truly free is Africa?