NIMN to Sanction Non-financial Members

Members of the nation’s marketing body, the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), who have not been meeting their statutory financial obligations, may be sanctioned by the institute’s council, as part of its strategies at repositioning the professional body.

Giving an inkling of the impending action at the end of a retreat organized for the institute’s council and some chairmen of state chapters in Lagos recently, the newly-elected president of the institute, Mr. Idorenyen Enang, stated that the council would soon begin to invoke the relevant law, regarding non-financial members of the institute.

According to him, one of the requirements of being a bonafide member of the institute remains the level of such member’s financial commitment, adding that no individual would, henceforth, be regarded as a bonafide member of the institute without being financially committed.

“There is nothing radical about the step we are taking regarding this. It is written in the Act setting up the institute. The Act of the institute spells it out. You can only be a member when you are financially committed. Only those that are financial members of the institute are classified as members,” he stated.

Enang also expressed the commitment of the council to reposition the institute, and make it attractive to members, critical stakeholders and prospective members.

One of such, he added, is the council’s plan to strengthen the chapters, by streamlining the number and ensuring that only one chapter oversees the activities of members in a state.

“We have 36 states plus the federal capital. A state will have only one chapter, and every other thing will be built around interest groups, because we have marketers in all spheres.

“We have marketers in sports and recreation; we have hospitality and many other places. Are those our members? They’ve not been our members because we’ve not given them the opportunity. So if all of these interest groups are treated as branches, you will have them in all facets, and when they aggregate, they will become the drivers of the institute,” he stated.

He also assured members that the issue of quackery in the practice would soon be a thing of the past, since the council would enhance the marketing ecosystem and liaise with employers of labour on the need to have their marketers certified by the Institute.

“There is nothing like quackery. That people who ply the trade now have not been certified does not make them quacks. So we are going to give them the permission to join the train. After this, they will find out that they have no option than to join, especially when they go to the place they are supposed to ply their trade and they ask them for their NIMN certificate, and they can’t tender it. Our duty is to build the ecosystem, and the chicken will come home to roost,” he added.

Also speaking after the retreat, a former president of the institute, Mr. Tony Agenmonmen, expressed his confidence in the ability of the new council to continue with the repositioning drive of the former administration.

According to him, the retreat provided an opportunity for members of the council to strategize and come up with plans on how to achieve the vital goal of enhancing the equity of the institute and make it create value for members.