Princewill Ekwujuru

Marketing is a serious profession, meant for serious-minded practitioners. It is not a place for charlatans, jokers, and clowns. The criticality of Marketing profession to national development is so awesome that the profession must never be allowed to be a dumping ground for the purposeless and visionless, a refuge for dregs, nor a haven for the criminal minded.

This was the statement of Chief. Lugard Aimiuwu, President/Council Chairman of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN)  at the 2010 Marketing Day celebration to honour best marketing students of tertiary institutions in the country.

The President, while advising the students, said that NIMN is not a ‘business’ to be seized, captured, acquired, or conquered, but a proper professional institute, positioned as the engine-room of value creation, established to regulate, control, develop, and promote marketing professionalism, practice, ethics, and discipline in all ramifications in Nigeria.

Continuing, he said, “it is not a place for treasure hunters and trophy collectors. History’s greatest success stories were built on discipline, but most collapsed from indiscipline.”

To enable NIMN deliver effectively as a catalyst of Nigeria’s strategic transformation, it must  operate a strict policy of zero tolerance for indiscipline, he told the students.

Speaking further, Aimiuwu said that a serious profession is built on skills, driven by competencies, and shaped by best practices. Its positioning must be such as allows it to deliver impactfully to its target market.

Whilst he stressed that marketing in Nigeria is being repositioned as a living profession, sustaining the very essence of life, shaping the fortunes and destinies of people, promoting freedoms by creating real choices, upgrading the competitiveness of nations, and lubricating the advancement of human civilization.

This year’s award, the fourth in session, which is in conjunction with Unilever Nigeria Plc,   had five students picked from three higher institutions saw Ms. Odidika Mariam Ifeoma of the Abia State Polytechnic emerge the highest prize winner of N100,000 and some marketing text books, with second, third and fourth prize winners go home cash prizes also.