Our aim is to harness marketing potential from the cradle —NIMN boss

The President and Chairman of Council, National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), Chief Ganiyu Koledoye, has explained that the decision of the institute to introduce the Best Marketing Student award was informed by the need to secure the future of marketing practice in the country.

Speaking at this year’s edition of the award, held recently, in Lagos, Koledoye noted that for the future of the practice to be guaranteed, it had become imperative for the institute to look beyond the industry, and beam its searchlight on the academic environment, where budding marketing talents could be discovered and harnessed.

He explained that the award, which enjoys the support of Unilever Plc, required the participation of all marketing students in the nation’s higher institutions, at the end of which five students are expected to emerge as winners.

While reiterating the institution’s commitment to continue to uphold the standards of the practice in the country, the NIMN boss, however appealed to marketing practitioners, both in the industry and the academia to be more involved in the activities of the institute.

“We need everybody’s involvement. We need collaboration between the town and the gown. We notice that while our members in the industry have not been actively involved in the activities of the institute, most of our colleagues in the academia do not even know what is going on in the institute.

“But there is the need for that collaboration, if we are to move forward. Nothing stops a member in the academia from observing his sabbatical leave in any of these corporate organisations and vice versa. This, I believe, is the only way we can have a thorough knowledge of the profession,” he stated.

He explained that the five students, Akintobi Elizabeth, Azubuike Chidiebere, Eze Nelson, Nsofor Obioma and Momodu Oshiole,  from University of Ilorin, Federal Polytechnic, Nekede-Owerri, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (Enugu Campus), University of Port Harcourt and Auchi Polytechnic respectively, were being recognised after scaling the institute’s rigorous written and oral tests.