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HURRAY! ALABUKUN MAKES 100 YEARS IN NIGERIA





"We never appreciate how significant we are until our significance becomes insignificant"
                                                                                                     --Sir Kurlarday, 1759.
Our main focus today is on a Nigerian brand which has endured the test of time. When other businesses in Nigeria sprout and fade away with many excuses ranging from bad economy, poor leadership, lack of capital, erratic power supply, bad road, etc. ALABUKUN has survived a century in Nigeria against all odds.  In case you don’t know, ALABUKUN is a brand that had been in existence in Nigeria for a century. This year makes its 100 years in Nigeria and it is still as relevant as ever till today. In 1918 Jacob Sogboyega Odulate (a.k.a. Blessed Jacob) came up with ALABUKUN, the magical powder that is used to kill or alleviate almost all body pain or general sickness in the body from migraine to myocardial infraction, malaria, typhoid, dizziness from excessive consumption of alcohol (hang-over), etc. ALABUKUN was first produced at Odulate’s first laboratory situated in Sapon, Abeokuta in Ogun State. The product is a mixture of ingredients from Liverpool which include acetylsalicylic acid and caffeine. So, a packet of ALABUKUN contains 760mg acetylsalicylic acid and 60mg of caffeine; making a total of 820mg.
It is interesting to note that through out its century of existence, ALABUKUN has never been advertised but it is very much in demand. One reason that Odulate must have decided not to advertise the product should have been the controversial issue about the ingredients of the product. If it were advertised, Nigerian pharmacists would have found reasons to force the drug out of business. Another possible reason could have been the broad circulation and high demand of the product when it was initially introduced to the market. Odulate must have thought that it is needless or a waste of resources to spend money on advertising a product that is already on popular demand.
According to Chief Folake Solanke (SAN), one of the children of late Jacob Odulate, “the enduring success of ALABUKUN brand is now interwoven into the fabric of modern Nigeria pharmaceutical history. The ALABUKUN powder in particular is displayed and sold in thousands of pharmaceutical stores, markets and roadside stalls all over Nigeria. Nowadays, ALABUKUN products are sold in several cities in the USA, the UK, in Europe, Brazil, Jamaica and yes, even as far away as China.” In fact, as far as I am concerned, there are only few Nigerian products which are a century old and still relevant that come to mind.
BRAND POINT:  Brands such as Tandy, OK Biscuit, Cable Tel, DBN, Oceanic Bank, Intercontinental Bank, Gold Spot, Floppy disk (diskette), OneBox, Ragolis, etc. were very significant in their time until their significance started fading away in the face of time. However, there were and there are still brands such as Cocacola, Oxford family biscuit, CNN, STV, First bank, Union Bank, YahooMail, etc. as significant as ever. So, don't be carried away by your significance today; what is in vogue today may be vague tomorrow. Don't rest on your awards, explore new things, break new grounds and never be satisfied with little. Make yourself an authentic signature on the soil of earth while you are alive or dead.




A business with no sign is a sign of no business. Your brand is your corporate signature in the global market place. Contact me directly via thebrandinspector@gmail.com for inquiries, brand display, brand inspection or certification.

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