By Rukayat Moisemhe
The Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) Chartered has identified quality management as a critical driver of Nigeria’s development and an important tool in the country’s fight against corruption.
Commodore Abimbola Ayuba (rtd.), President of NIM, said this at a news conference in Lagos on Friday to herald the Institute’s 2026 Annual National Management Conference (ANMC).
Ayuba said Nigeria had the human and financial resources required to execute its programmes and projects, but needed quality managers capable of translating policies into effective outcomes.
He said management was central to every sector of the economy, noting that effective management of resources remained critical to national development.
The NIM president expressed the institute’s readiness to collaborate with anti-corruption agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
This, he said, would strengthen the fight against corruption through professional management ethics.
“Corruption is endemic and efforts have been made to curb it.
“If NIM can solve the problem of corruption, it is because of our code of conduct. We urge agencies like the EFCC and others that pursue those who loot public funds to come to us. We will show them how it is done,” he said.
Ayuba said the institute’s code of conduct provided ethical guidelines for managers and could contribute to promoting accountability, integrity and responsible management across organisations.
He added that the institute was also working to retain its human-resource capacity amid the increasing emigration of professionals, noting that it was important to keep experienced members and preserve best management practices for future national needs.
He said NIM was developing young managers and encouraging them to apply emerging technologies while also creating platforms for them to share their vision for the future of work.
The NIM president revealed that the 2026 Annual National Management Conference was scheduled for Sept. 13 to Sept. 15 at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.
Ayuba said the event has the theme: “Sixty-Five Years of Management Excellence: Strengthening Institutional Governance in Nigeria”.
He said that the conference would bring together professional managers, government functionaries, policymakers, decision-makers, opinion leaders and top executives from the public and private sectors.
He said the event would also provide a platform to examine institutional governance and identify practical solutions to some of the management challenges confronting the country.
“The main theme speaker is Dr Dakuku Peterside, former Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), while His Royal Majesty, Oba Olufolarin Ogunsanwo, the Alara of Ilara Kingdom and Pro-Chancellor, Lagos State University, will deliver the keynote address.
“Other speakers and facilitators include Dr Ayodele Aderinwale, Chairman, Justrite Superstores Ltd., Dr Babangida Albaba, former Rector, Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management, among others,” he said.
Ayuba said the conference marked the culmination of activities commemorating NIM’s 65th anniversary.
He described the occasion as a milestone for an institute established in 1961 by management professionals to bridge gaps in management practice in Nigeria’s public and private sectors.
Ayuba said about 200,000 individuals and 400 corporate organisations had passed through the institute’s membership process over the years.
The NIM president said the institute remained committed to ensuring that mismanagement, maladministration, corruption and other social vices that had hindered Nigeria’s development became exceptions rather than the norm.
Dr Taiwo Olusesi, Registrar, NIM, said the institute had been paying close attention to the impact of artificial intelligence, robotics and other emerging technologies on the workplace.
She said at the conference, discussions around appropriate guardrails and regulations around emerging technologies would be addressed to ensure that their deployment remained beneficial to society.
Olusesi stated that the institute would continue to engage government and other stakeholders on issues affecting management and national development.
She added that the institute traditionally produced a communique after its annual conference, containing recommendations from its various sessions, which would be transmitted to government and other relevant stakeholders.
“It’s left for them, and I urge government to pay more attention to management, and try as much as possible to work closely with the institute, because we have all the expertise we need,” she said.(NAN)
Edited by Folasade Adeniran