Education
Involve Marketers In Programme Executions – NIMN Boss
The inability of govern
ment at all levels in Nigeria to carry along professional marketers in their programmes has been identified as one of the major problems responsible for poor implementation of policies.
The President, National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), Mr Tony Agenmonmen, stated this at the 1st Annual Rivers State University Marketing Academic Conference, held in Port Harcourt.
Agenmonmen said, in spite of the fact that marketing is the hub of economic activities, it is being relegated in the formulation, and execution of most important and strategic public policies and advised those in authority to always consult professional marketers adequately in their programmes for the desired change, promising that NIMN is ready for any collaboration that would take the national economy to the next level.
He particularly called on the Nigerian Export Promotions to carry along professional marketers, stressing that only professional marketers can identify better opportunities and make inputs that can stimulate trade and economic activities.
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Blessing Didia, in his address while declaring the Two-Day event open said the theme of the event, “Re-inventing the Wheel of Nigeria’s Economic Growth Through Marketing: Where Are We Now?” is very apt in view of the state of the nation’s economy.
The Vice Chancellor who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Boma Oruwari, said marketing is very important in production since products and services remain where they are until they are marketed.
He stressed the need for emphasis to be laid on production in the country for the nation to get out of its recession.
The Conference Chair/Head Department of Marketing, Dr Gladson Nwokah, said the conference was born out of the desire to profer solution to the recession challenging the economy of the nation.
He said since the new dispensation particularly from 2015, the nation has been having economic meltdown, financial scarcity, with dollar exchange rate higher increasing poverty rate, “so we in marketing felt we should see how we can go about it to mitigate the situation”.
The Head of Department expressed worry that in spite of the fact that the African Continent is the second largest in the World, Africa is least in internet usage.
Nwokah however, remarked that Nigeria is growing in internet and social media usage but stressed the need for them to use the social media in marketing good ideas and products, instead of social jokes.
The Head of Department explained that universities from both Nigerian and foreign counties attended the media edition of the conference with about 35 high quality researched papers in various aspects of marketing were presented.
Chris Oluoh
A professor of Highway Engineering at the Rivers State University (RSU), Prof. Emmanuel Osilemme Ekwulo, has identified poor designs, inadequate materials, insufficient testing, and lack of accountability as major obstacles to the success of highway construction projects in the country.
Ekwulo made this remark in Port Harcourt last Wednesday during the 128th inaugural lecture series of the university, where he presented a lecture titled “Removing Roadblocks: Rebuilding a Foundation for Reliable Highway Pavement Infrastructure.”
The university don lamented the consistent premature failures of road construction projects nationwide, despite huge investments by the government at all levels, attributing the problem to neglected basics and systemic principles in the industry.
According to him, rebuilding the foundation technically, institutionally, and ethically is crucial to building strong and lasting pavements.
Ekwulo emphasized the need for political will, professional integrity, and commitment to engineering excellence to overcome the challenges.
“The metaphoric roadblocks are those challenges causing premature failures,” Ekwulo said, adding that identifying and addressing these roadblocks is key to rebuilding the nation’s highways.
He recommended that institutions involved in road design and construction adopt a mechanistic-empirical design approach, and develop a comprehensive framework for implementing the Nigerian Imperial and Mechanistic Pavement Design System (NEMPADS) approach.
Ekwulo also advocated for mandatory traffic load analysis, strengthened university-industry collaboration, and funding for applied pavement research.
Corruption, he noted, is a major challenge in the profession, saying severe punitive measures are needed to curb shabby practices leading to premature road failures.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, described Ekwulo’s lecture as interesting and intriguing, highlighting the importance of implementing solutions to Nigeria’s highway challenges.
The Vice Chancellor also described Ekwulo’s proposals as practical and applicable to government and industry stakeholders.
He said the university is committed to research aligned with national development goals, referencing its NDV-12 responsive consortium production framework.
Zeb-Obipi noted that Ekwulo’s recommendations are timely and solution-driven, and will contribute to addressing Nigeria’s highway challenges.
Akujobi Amadi
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