A stronger regulatory stance is coming to Nigeria’s marketing profession as the Nigerian Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) prepares to enforce stricter compliance among practitioners. The institute’s President, Dr. Bolajoko Bayo-Ajayi, has announced a renewed commitment to ensuring that marketers adhere to the NIMN Act, which establishes the institute and governs professional practice.
In a recent interview with Brand Communicator, Dr. Bayo-Ajayi—NIMN’s first female president—made it clear that marketing practice without NIMN membership is unlawful. She stressed that the institute has the legal authority to sanction non-compliant professionals and is now prepared to use it.
“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 said.
This announcement signals a decisive shift toward greater professionalism and accountability in Nigeria’s marketing ecosystem. Dr. Bayo-Ajayi, who took office on a five-point agenda, is championing a more structured and ethical approach to marketing practice, emphasizing that violations of professional standards will no longer be overlooked.
Professionalism with Consequences
According to the NIMN president, the institute is aligning its regulatory approach with that of other professional bodies in Nigeria, where ethical breaches attract clear 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 said.
Dr. Bayo-Ajayi added that disciplinary mechanisms will be strengthened, and reporting channels will be established to allow practitioners to flag unethical conduct. “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,” she said.
A Broader Agenda Beyond Enforcement
While enforcement is a key focus, the president also highlighted other pillars of her administration, including advocacy, member engagement, operational excellence, strategic partnerships, and diversity. Under her leadership, NIMN has secured collaborations with prominent professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Marketing UK, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), and the African Marketing Confederation.
These partnerships aim to expose Nigerian marketers to international best practices and raise the standards of professional conduct across the industry.
“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,” Dr. Bayo-Ajayi said, signaling that the institute’s days of passive observation are over.
A New Reality for Nigerian Marketers
For marketers in Nigeria, 2026 may mark a turning point in how the profession is regulated. As NIMN moves to implement the provisions of the Act more actively, the marketing industry may face a period of heightened scrutiny where professionalism is no longer optional but mandatory.
With the institute’s renewed focus on compliance and ethics, the landscape of marketing practice in Nigeria is poised for significant change—one in which accountability is no longer just a concept, but a requirement.