Osinbajo, Ambode Lead Eminent Nigerians To Lolu Akinwunmi’s Book Launch

Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, will on Thursday, September 27, lead other eminent Nigerians and marketing professionals to attend the launching of a book by one of the leading lights in the Nigerian advertising and marketing communications industry and CEO Prima Garnet Group, Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi.

Scheduled to coincide with his 60th birthday anniversary, the launch of the book, titled; Skin for Skin: The Prima Garnet Story; will also herald the birthing of the Lolu Akinwunmi Family Foundation (LAFF), a platform being created by the family of the ace advertising practitioner to give back to society.

Also expected to be at the event, scheduled to take place at the Harbour Point, Wilmot Road, Victoria Island, Lagos, is the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, who will be the Guest of Honour, while CEO, Facebook Africa, Nunu Ntshingila-Njeke will be the Guest Speaker.

According to a statement issued by the author, Lolu Akinwunmi, the book is a memoir of his professional career in Marketing Communications from 1982 when he was hired as a Trainee Executive by Lintas, Nigeria’s foremost indigenous advertising agency.

From Lintas, he had moved to Promoserve in 1988 as a Client Service and Media Director and served till 1991 when he established Prima Garnet.

Prima Garnet was appointed the Nigerian affiliate of Ogilvy in the mid 90’s, and remained so until 2016.

Lolu was also appointed to the regional board of the global agency in South Africa

He was elected the 14th President of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) in 2007. He was elected the pioneer Secretary to the Federal Government Rebranding Ad hoc Committee in 2008 under the late Information Minister, Prof Dora Akunyili.

He was later to become the pioneer CEO of the Federal Government’s Rebranding Project Business Support Group, working with the Organised Private Sector.

Lolu was appointed as the 5th Chairman of the Advertisers Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) 2010 and served till 2015.

He said in the statement that the book captures “a God-given and sustained vision and experience to conduct the business as a believer, in a profession that is heavily commercialized and runs sometimes on graft.”

“Inevitably, the book contains my professional opinions and advice on the management of public communication by the government: what has been done to date, and what we need to do. I also spent time showing how communication, and not necessarily advertising can help rebrand Nigeria, if we go back to the roots via a civic Responsibility and Social Mobilization campaign that will involve every citizen because it will not just be government-driven, but will be a strong PPP-driven project. This is one of the missing links now,” Lolu said in the statement.

The book, the statement continued, was also devoted to also advising the government to be alert to the encroachment of the public communication space by foreigners, whose only interest is mercantile.