Marketer pledges transparency, others
New President and Chairman of Council of National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, Dr. Bolajoko Bayo-Ajayi, has pledged to run an administration anchored on transparency and accountability. Bayo-Ajayi spoke at
New President and Chairman of Council of National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, Dr. Bolajoko Bayo-Ajayi, has pledged to run an administration anchored on transparency and accountability.
Bayo-Ajayi spoke at her investiture organised by the institute, where she was decorated with the insignia of office.
The marketing professional, who was elected at the institute’s Annual General Meeting in Uyo, expressed her determination to build on achievements of her predecessors, who she credited with strengthening the institute and elevating marketing in Nigeria.
She noted that although becoming president of the institute was never part of her career ambitions, her years of service within the governing council had prepared her to contribute to growth of the institute and the practice of marketing in the country.
“I’ve been part of the institute’s activities in the past few years, serving in different capacities, though my ambition had never been to preside over its affairs. But I believe we are at a point where we are ready to make our voices louder. Marketing will be built on code of conduct and ethics, where everyone will be made accountable,” she said.
Delivering the keynote address at the ceremony, business leader, Ibukun Awosika, congratulated the new president and urged her to make trust and integrity the guiding principles of her administration.
Awosika, the first female chairman of First Bank of Nigeria Plc, stressed that a strong personal brand rooted in integrity would positively influence the reputation of the institute.
“For people to trust your product or brand, they have to trust you as a person. Make trust your watchword. People like to do business with those they can trust,” she said, adding that individuals should see themselves as the primary brand ambassadors of the organisations they represent.
Also speaking at the event, the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr. Ike Neliaku, urged stakeholders to view Bayo-Ajayi’s emergence from the standpoint of merit and the value she would bring to the institute.
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“We should see Bolajoko as being elected into that office because she merited it, and not because she is a woman. She’s there because she has many things to offer,” he said.
In his remarks, the Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Dr. Lekan Fadolapo, assured the new president of the agency’s support, particularly in the area of capacity building.
He noted that stronger collaboration between the institute and the regulatory body would help advance reforms aimed at repositioning Nigeria’s marketing and advertising industry.
The Registrar of the institute, Thelma Okoh, described the investiture as the formal transfer of leadership within the organisation.
According to her, the ceremony symbolises a transition that embodies hope, vision and renewed commitment to the institute’s objectives.
“We are confident that under the President’s guidance, our institution will reach new and unprecedented heights,” she said.
