Lugard Aimiuwu, Past NIMN President Passes On

The curtain finally draws on and the lights extinguished on a glorious life and career of the pioneer President of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), Chief Dr. Lugard Aimiuwu. He died on April 16, 2015 at the age of 69.

Chief Aimiuwu was a professional marketer and high chief of the ancient Benin Kingdom, Edo State, South-South Nigeria.

Close admirers describes him as a shrewd strategist, planner and cerebral intellectual. He graduated from the respected University of Lagos with a degree in Business Administration. The Edo-born marketer began his professional working career at Shell Nigeria before his “big-break” at multinational giant, Unilever, an organisation which enjoyed his services for the majority of his successful marketing and management profession.

He was an Executive Director in Unilever, supervising diverse portfolios and held various executive positions within the company including Sales Director, Director in charge of Agribusiness, Projects Director, Planning Coordinator and Supplies Controller, amongst a host of other distinguished posts he occupied. He was also seconded to the global desk of the company’s head office in London between 1976 and 1977, and for different tours till 1999.

A boardroom veteran spanning about three decades, Chief Aimiuwu sat on the board of various companies and served as board chairman including Admiral Insurance Company, Research International (Nigeria), Leamann Projects, Chairman Insurance Directors Association, Chairman Soap and Detergent Group, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria amongst a host of others, bringing into these roles his vast knowledge and wealth of experience as a top leader, marketer and strategist.

The late senior traditional chief of the ancient Benin Kingdom was very passionate about the activities and affairs of his primary constituency, the Marketing Industry. He worked meticulously to ensure that he contributes his own quota to the growth and development of the industry.

He offered his services and was subsequently elected President and Chairman of Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Management from 2003 to 2005. During his period as President, his colleagues in the institute attested to his dynamic leadership approach which helped improve the industry tremendously.

Following the granting of new charter (Act 25 of 2003) by the Federal Government, the planner led the strategic transformation, reformulation and repositioning of the institute, unifying the various professional marketing groups together into becoming the current National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN). He served as the first president of the unified chartered marketing Institute in 2008 where he ensured that the institute performed its statutory responsibility, protecting the interest of the institute members.

Chief Aimiuwiu was a member of the following professional bodies namely the Nigerian Institute of Management, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, National Institute of Marketing, Institute for Operations Research, and Institute of Management Consultants.