Bayo-Ajayi: Massive Enforcement Looms In 2026 As NIMN  Is Set To Crackdown On Non-Compliance

The Nigerian Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) is set to crack down on non-compliant practitioners as the President, Dr. Bolajoko Bayo-Ajayi, announces stricter enforcement of the NIMN Act, marking a decisive shift toward accountability in Nigeria’s marketing ecosystem.

In an exclusive interview with Brand Communicator, the first female president of NIMN revealed that practicing marketing without NIMN membership is illegal under the Act that established the institute.

“According to the act that established NIMN, you cannot practice marketing without being a member of NIMN. So, anyone doing marketing outside of being a member of NIMN, it means that the thing is running afoul of the law,” she stated emphatically.

Dr. Bayo-Ajayi, who assumed office under a five-point agenda, is championing a new era of professionalism where ethical violations carry real consequences. “If you look at some other professional bodies in Nigeria, you see that there are consequences for going outside of the codes of conduct and ethics. And members are held accountable. And that’s where we’re going as an institute,” she explained.

The NIMN president is not mincing words about the institute’s regulatory muscle. She disclosed that members who violate the code of conduct will face disciplinary action, with mechanisms being put in place to allow practitioners to report unethical behavior. “We’re going to make our voice heard more. In the last few years, we’ve probably not done enough as we should, even though this has always existed. But we’re going to speak more. We’re going to make it a topical issue that we will address internally and externally,” Dr. Bayo-Ajayi said.
Beyond enforcement, the president is focusing on advocacy, member engagement, operational excellence, strategic partnerships, and diversity. She has already secured collaborations with the Chartered Institute of Marketing UK, ARCON, NIPR, and the African Marketing Confederation to expose Nigerian marketers to global best practices.

“The integrity of the marketing professional is protected. We need to enforce the acts that mandate that we should be able to regulate how people behave and perform according to the code of conduct, which already sets very clear ethical boundaries,” she noted, signaling that NIMN’s days of passive observation are over.

For Nigerian marketers, 2026 may well be the year of reckoning, a year when professionalism becomes non-negotiable, and NIMN’s regulatory authority moves from paper to practice.