By Janet Udogu
The National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, NIMN, has declared its plans to fully enforce the provisions of NIMN Act 2003 No. 25, enacted by the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which mandates marketing professionals and marketing related organizations in Nigeria to obtain practice license from the institute.
Tony Agenmonmen, President/Chairman of Council, National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, disclosed this at a Press Conference themed: Shaping the Future of Marketing in Nigeria, that took place today in Lagos.
Agenmonmen stated that as a result of their decision to avoid the use of force in driving compliance to the act, the institute has created a time window and opportunity for all those currently practising marketing illegally to comply with the provisions of the law. He said that defaulters have between today, September 12 and December 31, 2017, to do so.
“From today September 12 till December 31, 2017, such illegal practitioners have the opportunity to comply through our special Fast Track Executive Membership programme for all categories of membership- Associate, Full member and Fellow,” he said, adding that online membership forms are available at http://nimn.com.ng/ipay/
“As part of efforts to drive the compliance and enforcement of the NIMN Act, we have also constituted a compliance committee that shall be working with other relevant arms of the institute nationwide. Among other things, they will see to the effective communication of the Institute compliance move as well as ensure seamless flow for all law abiding marketers intending to regularise their membership via all the avenues made available by the institute,” Agenmonmen said.
The President however, warned that at the expiration of the grace period, a comprehensive register of marketing practitioners including organisations that have registered and therefore, in compliance with the act will be published. He stressed that practitioners and organisations that are found guilty of the above will be punished accordingly in line with the provisions of the act.
The Chairman of the Council emphasised that membership of NIMN is compulsory for all anyone who intends to practice marketing or currently practicing by whatever designation defined including all companies engaged in marketing activities. He therefore affirmed that from January, 2018, it will become compulsory for all companies recruiting into their marketing departments to make NIMN membership one of the basic requirements aside other qualifications of employment.
He cited Section 20 (2) of the Act which states that “If on or after the coming into force of this Act, any person who is not a member of the Institute practices or holds himself out to the practice as a marketer for, or in expectation of reward or takes or uses any name, title, addition or description, implying that he is in practice as a marketer, he commits an offence.”
NIMN helmsman therefore, called on true marketing professionals and marketing organisations to support the institute by ensuring that only true and qualified marketers practice marketing. This he said is in their collective interest.
Agenmonmen reeled out some of the success recorded by his administration since their election into office, November, 2016, which include but not limited to the formal proclamation by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, establishment of a strong relationship with MDAs, launch of new NIMN logo, and decisive policies to enhance quality of membership and membership development process. He also added that there is an ongoing restructuring of the institute in order to properly position it to play its statutory role in developing the marketing profession in Nigeria.
The President is confident that they will deliver to the pride of all marketing professionals in Nigeria, given the tremendous goodwill they enjoy as an institute, their growing strength, increasing passion of their members, and support from the media.
He however, pledged to train and retrain their members to continuously improve on their marketing skills to enable them to deliver outstanding results to their organisations and corporate members, as well as provide networking opportunities to help promote and enrich the professional and career advancement of their members.
NIMN is the sole professional marketing body chartered by National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria Act 2003 Act No. 25 and charged with the responsibility of regulating and controlling the practice of marketing profession in Nigeria. NIMN has the general duty of determining who are markets, what standards of knowledge and skills are to be obtained by persons seeking to become members of the marketing profession, and reviewing those standards from time to time as circumstances may require. Other duties as assigned to the institute is regulating and controlling the practice of marketing profession in Nigeria, and maintaining discipline within the profession.