Names are Dangerous! Don’t toss your identity around. 

by | May 11, 2017 | Inspire | 2 comments

What’s in a name? Today I completed a research article for my client, we find it hard to communicate because she is Indian and her English needs a lot of work. I don’t want her to polish the English though, how else would she see the need to pay me to write for her.  Her disability is my gain.

So I told her to pay me via western union before the deadline we fixed which is Thursday, 11th May. I finished the work since yesterday 9th May but I am holding it till I get my pay. A bitter experience I shared on my facebook wall has taught me this lesson. Apart from that, I have it as a matter of principle to set deadline ahead and then finish work before the time.

So she told me her first and last name,  she gave me the short version of her last name. Let’s call the name “Ikuorolaji” for the sake of this post,  she told me her name was “Iku”.

I got to the bank and filled in the details,  the cashier tells me that I have filled in wrong details. Despite the fact that all other details including the MTCN were right,  the name “Iku” did not match the records.

I protested and told the cashier that at least I have tried and supplied all the necessary details,  I even had to charge my phone at the security post to get my BVN yet the cashier refused. The cashier then warned me that I should be careful about protesting such measures,  that I could be arrested for trying to get funds with incomplete details.

I don’t know if I could truly be detained for that but this is Nigeria and little details like that could go out of hands. Your name means a lot,  it is your identity.

The name carries your history as part of society,  it has been logged with a lot of certificates. You have bought things with it and a lot of things have been shared in your name. If there is any brand you need to protect,  it is your name. It is so important that even when you have authorized a billion dollar cheque it must be delivered to someone with a complete knowledge of that name.

That is how valuable a name is,  it is the key to your works. Even after you are gone from earth, a lot of people would see your name and encounter what you have attached to that brand.

What’s in a name?

– History.

– Contacts.

– Transactions.

– Certificates.

– Addresses.

One of the first things you should determine about everything around you is the name. Take enough time before naming your products, company, services. Do a due diligence, don’t make it easy for an imposter to share your identity. Then own that name, attach a message to it so that anywhere people see that name,  they would always associate it with what you do.

This is why until tomorrow, every noodle sold in Nigeria is known as “Indomie”.

Every detergent is known as “Omo”.

Every insecticide spray is known as “Flit” or “Raid”.

What’s in a name?

2 Comments

  1. drpeo

    Loooool. Yes, all noodles are Indomie. Indomie ‘named’ noodles and it would take effacing generations to undo that. Names are important. How they are spelt and arranged are even more important. It is better to be a ‘John Doe’ than to be tagged ‘John Duduyemi’ instead of ‘Duduyewa John’.
    Great one!

    Reply
    • jonathanoladeji

      Hahahah, I love your illustration Eunice. You really get the message of this post right, choose names carefully.

      Reply

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