Nigeria Marketing Communications Industry Has Lost a Rare Gem—Adelusi

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The President of the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN), Mr Femi Adelusi, has described the passing of the Regional Chief Executive Officer of Omnicom Media Group (OMG) West & Central Africa (WeCA), Mr Tolu Ogunkoya, as a huge loss to the marketing communications industry in Nigeria and Africa.

According to him, the deceased was a shining example of dedication, professionalism, and excellence, a very rare gem, and not many have his type of business and leadership DNA.

The marketing communication guru died on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, in the United Kingdom.

Until his death, Mr Ogunkoya was the Chairman of the 15-Member Ministerial Task Team set up by the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, in January 2022 to fashion out and implement five fundamental reforms that would ensure the recovery of the advertising and broadcast sectors in Nigeria, within the next few years, working closely with the Director-Generals of ARCON and the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

A Fellow of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), formerly (APCON), Mr Ogunkoya was inducted as the 87th Fellow of the practice in Nigeria in 2010.

He was a Council Member and Fellow of the Institute of Directors (IOD) Nigeria and an alumni member of the Lagos Business School & the Ashridge Business School in Berkhamsted, UK.

The late Ogunkoya started his advertising career 33 years ago at the then-called Insight Communications and distinguished himself as a thoughtful and reliable young executive.

He was at SO&U for almost 10 years, where he became a key member of the leadership team, working simultaneously as the Media Lead for the Agency when he headed an Account Service Team.

In early 1999, he was head hunted and became the pioneer CEO of MediaReach Nigeria (now known as MediaReach OMD).  At the organisation, Ogunkoya assembled and led a team of determined advertising executives to set standards by which the industry now leverages.

With his team at MediaReach OMD, he set a new standard of professionalism, driven by technology and innovations in the practice of media strategy, planning, buying and implementation in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.

Under his leadership, MediaReach OMD introduced the Nigerian Media Facts Book in 2001, which has become the industry bible for media audience data and trends in the Nigeria Marketing Communications Industry. The scope of the publication was later expanded in 2006 to cover countries in West & Central Africa, written in English & French as “Nigeria/West & Central Africa Media Facts Book.”

He was bestowed with numerous laurels and commendations, including the MIPAN’s Outstanding Advertising Media Personality (OMP) for three decades in 2021, TIES – The Industry Award 2020 – Lifetime Award Winner (of three recipients in 2020), and the Brand Journalist Association of Nigeria (BJAN) Excellence Award 2018 as the Most Professional Media Practitioner in Nigeria.

Other achievements include the Outstanding Contributor to the Media Industry in the Marketing Award 2016, the Success Digest Enterprise Award, and the Male Entrepreneur of the Year 2011,

His legacy in the integrated marketing communication industry, especially media independence (strategy and management) remains indelible.

He is fondly remembered by his wife, children, family and the entire marketing communication industry.