Marketing Edge, Nigeria’s authoritative marketing and advertising publication, has faulted the Council of National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) over its claims of a breach of the institute’s Act 2003, with respect to ‘rating’.
It mandated the Council to retract, apologise and cease further campaign of calumny, malicious damage and falsehood against it.
A letter by Marketing Edge’s lawyer, Felix Akinnisola, and addressed to President and Chairman of the institute, described NIMN’s letter as ‘misconceived, ill-advised and preposterous’.
It reads: “Marketing Edge is a Limited Liability Company (LLC) duly registered with the objective of carrying on the business of media practice, research and advertising amongst other things.
“Marketing Edge is not a member of your institute by registration or practice such that she could not be brought under your supervision or regulations. One would have expected that you do your due diligence to know corporate entities that are your registered members before embarking on this sort of macabre dance.
“Our client, as a research organisation and a media practitioner, is constitutionally right to freely express opinion based on their years of research work and media practice without the imprimatur of anyone or body of persons. Your alleged breach is nothing but an exercise of right of free speech as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution as amended. It is also enshrined in the UN Charter of Human rights on the right to freedom of speech and opinion. Our client does not require your approval before exercising such right.
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“It is therefore preposterous, absurd, ridiculous and laughable that rather than wait to hear our client’s response to your letter of November 8, 2023, you went ahead to release a malicious, defamatory, spiteful, poisonous and a venomous publication on November 24, with the aim of injuring the unblemished business, corporate and personal reputation of our client that had been built over the years upon strong ethical practice.”
NIMN’s letter to Marketing Edge, which necessitated the reaction, reads: “The Council of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NINM) wishes to bring to the attention of the Marketing Community other stakeholders of the profession and the general public that Marketing Edge Limited has been making’ rating based claims in their publications from November 4th, 2023 across the social media outlets. This is a clear breach of the enabling National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN).
“The marketing community, stakeholders in and public are requested to disregard any rating based claims made by MARKETING EDGE Limited who, despite being called to order, has remained adamant and continues to parade itself in breach of the law and the object for which the company was set up.”