Breaking barriers: NIMN President encourages women in leadership positions

Tony Okoh, Uyo

Outgoing President of the National Institute of marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), Mr. Idorenyin Enang said his outgoing administration has encouraged active participation of women in all its activities with a woman now ready to take over as the 5th President of the Association.

The President who made the remarks at the 2025 Annual Marketing Conference/AGM of the institute held in Uyo with the theme: Leveraging ESG to Drive Values Across Generations” said it was a deliberate policy that opened up the once male-dominated institute to embrace the female gender who are now playing vital and leadership roles in various cadres of the institute.

He also maintained that his administration had in four years encouraged the return of academia into the fold of the institute stressing that they were completely nonchalant about the activities of the institute until he assumed office, four years ago.

He added: “The last four years were full of lessons, which I will chronicle in book form, one of the most difficult experiences is managing the transition.

The outgoing president described the issues of funding as the most challenging problem faced by his administration but extended immense appreciation to various firms that stood with the institute to realize all its programmes.

He explained that his administration met a sad situation where members who were indebted to the institute stayed away from participating in its activities adding that his incentives to encourage the return of such members had only 158 people returning to the fold, which he described as having quality against quantity.

He asserted, “The symposium we introduced as part of our conference/AGM brought the academia fully into the fold and their contributions have been very fantastic”.

The president highlighted that he was also blessed with very committed members who assisted his administration in navigating the challenges of the past four years.

Also speaking at the event, Ms Emem Ibanga, the Akwa Ibom state commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs said the theme “Leveraging ESG to Drive Values Across Generations” is not just timely but prophetic.

According to her, ” We are witnessing a new era where brands are no longer judged solely by profits, but by purpose, impact, and legacy. The marketer of today must rise beyond slogans and campaigns. The custodians of national character and architects of generational impact, your creativity must now be anchored in truth, sustainability, and human dignity.

She maintained that Akwa Ibom State is open to responsible partnerships with the private sector, development partners, academia and creative industries.

She added, “We believe in shared prosperity, and we invite you to join us in building models of ESG excellence across various sectors of the economy that can be replicated across Africa.
“Together, we must embed sustainability into our supply chains, compassion into our commerce, and equity into our economics. Let this conference not be the end of a conversation, but the beginning of a massive movement where marketers become missionaries of change, and where ESG becomes the DNA of how we build wealth, tell stories, and serve our people”.

On his own Hon Aniekan Umanah, the state commissioner for information said Akwa Ibom has a government that is responsive to the yearning of the people.

He opined,” Our Governor Pastor Umo Eno is the chief marketer who has driven private businesses to success. The government of Akwa Ibom fully supports you. I want to ask us to keep innovating because it is what will sustain us”.

He said a good marketer can sell because when you make sales, profit flows and there is a departure from poverty.”There are several things of interest to marketers going on in Akwa Ibom State and I encourage you to take advantage of our opportunities”.

In his goodwill message at the event, Ike Neliaku, President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations praised the NIMN for its unique anthem which shows they are a visionary group that emphasizes creating values and empowering people.

According to him, “You asserted that you are the soul of businesses and the soul of sustainability. You said you are the driver of the economy and also said there is no market without marketing. We have one brand and it is Nigeria, if you take out Nigeria all the groups won’t exist. Everybody must join hands to promote the brand Nigeria.

He further highlighted, ” The space of integrated marketing communication is one. Reputation is the core asset of any individual or firm, remove the reputation of the person or firm. We cannot shepherd or man the reputation gate of Nigeria without marketing. I believe there is no nation better than Nigeria, even though we have challenges, we will overcome them. The high point of the event was the presentation of Presidential awards of excellence to various categories of people

The outgoing President said he decided to honor those who contributed to the success of the administration stressing “Four years of my administration would not have been so easy to navigate without the contributions of those I just honoured”.

He also honoured institutions like Nigerian Breweries PLC, Mouka Foam, AG Leventis and Coca-Cola.

According to him, “The above mentioned people have been our corporate sponsors and their support went a long way to see to the success of our programmes and members also contributed immensely to the success of my administration. I sincerely thank them for the good job they did to ensure our collective success”.