CMC Connect Launches Crisis-X, Canvasses Crisis Management Advocacy Month
The Lead Partner of CMC Connect LLP, Mr Yomi Badejo-Okusanya says the fact that poor management of crisis can cost a company 70 per cent of its customers and that 95 percent of business leaders see the need to improve crisis management is enough justification for the institution of the Crisis Management Advocacy Month (CMAM).
He stated this in Lagos on Monday during the media launch of March as crisis management advocacy month, during which the perception consulting company also unveiled Crisis-X which was upheld as the ultimate solution for crisis preparedness, response, and reputation rebuilding.
Badejo-Okusanya pointed out that most crises start innocuously usually dismissed as insignificant only for them to soon snowball into what is beyond the handle of persons involved.
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His words, “Based on our research, we projected that up to 90 percent of Nigerian organisations still lack a structured crisis response plan. Crisis Management Advocacy Month (CMAM) serves as an annual reminder that preparedness is not optional; it is essential.
“CMAM reinforces our commitment to helping businesses, institutions, and leaders become proactive, resilient, and crisis-proof. The goal is simple: to prevent crises before they happen, manage them effectively when they do, and rebuild stronger afterwards.”
Speaking on the impact of crises on business, he stated that this can be economic where financial stability and cash flow are disrupted, affecting consumer spending and ultimately disrupting supply chains. There is also the impact on employee morale and Well-Being whereby uncertainty, fear and increased workloads take a huge toll on the performance of employees.
Badejo-Okusanya explained that designating March as crisis management advocacy month ensures that businesses, government agencies, and the public see the need for proper crisis planning and management, enabling them to explore the latest trends in crisis preparedness and response.
He disclosed that CMC Connect LLP intends to use its Crisis-X initiative to operate in that sphere where 95 percent of business leaders are mindful of the imperative of improving their crisis management approach. According to him, the Public Relations company will leverage its over 30 years of expertise in crisis management to provide solutions through the framework of: Crisis Risk Audit, Crisis Plan, Management and Recovery.
Delivering a goodwill message, a Professor of Policy and Strategy, Anthony Kila observed that there has never been an initiative like this in Nigeria, stressing that “if you’re thinking of crisis management in Nigeria and Africa, CMC Connect will come to your mind because they are leading it.”
He noted that crises should be seen as natural and possible occurrences in our lives, like the wind and snowfall in some countries. The difference, according to him, has to do with how people adapt to what is very possible to happen in their lives, reducing the same from probability to possibility.
Prof. Kila predicted that public and private organisations in Nigeria would soon be indexed by their relationship to crises, saying “It is happening already, companies are being judged by the strategies they put in place to adapt to crisis management.
“We need to develop a new approach to crisis; to see it as a very possible thing that could happen just like the rain might fall. When the rain falls, what do you see: those who have umbrellas and those who do not; those who have planned their events knowing that rain might fall and those who didn’t,” the public intellectual said.
This was followed by an interactive session where the Lead Partner and other management officials of CMC Connect LLP fielded questions from journalists, among which was the role of truth-telling in managing a crisis. Other activities lined up for CMAM include; the unveiling of OOH advertising materials on the concept; Media appearance; Advocacy campaign as per case study series, as well as an Exclusive Webinar on ‘Crisis Proofing Your Business In A BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Non-Linear and Incomprehensible) Environment’ in partnership with the Nigerian Public Relations Week Uyo 2025.
Already, CMC Connect’s designation of March as Crisis Management Advocacy Month has been endorsed by Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, his counterpart in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Founder of Burson Africa, Robyn de Villiers, President and Chairman, Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Ike Neliaku to mention but a few.