NIM urges government to declare November 19 National Management Day

• Doubts Nigeria’s preparedness for future of work
The Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) has called on the Federal Government to declare November 19 as National Management Day.

The day, which is set-aside in honour of Prof. Peter Frederick Drucker, the Father of Modern Management, provides the institute the platform to propagate the tenets of the profession as well as appreciate the Nigerian managers and their contributions to the development of the profession, and the nation.

The institute noted that Nigeria would certainly benefit from the promotion, inculcation and propagation of the knowledge and values of professional management in all leading functionaries, while it continues to bring issues of professional management practice to the consciousness of Nigerians.

Besides, this is a follow up on earlier efforts through the Ministry of External Affairs to present a proposal to the United Nations to declare Nov 19 as World Management Day.

According to the institute, such a declaration would underline the indispensability of good management to the achievement of peace and human advancement, which constitute the mission of the United Nations (UN), and facilitate the achievement of the UN’s Millennial Development Goals.

At this year’s management day lecture, with the topic: “Imagining 2019: The New World of Work and Personal Effectiveness”, where the President, American University of Nigeria, Dawn Dekle, looked at the world of work and, analysed its impact on advanced technology.

She said managers must ensure their critical thinking skills are awakened to make them prepared for the future of work.

She urged them to make their life a masterpiece, saying, “If you don’t have big dreams and goals, you will end up working for someone who does.”

Dekle, who spoke about the hard and soft skills, said to achieve the soft skills that would boost personal effectiveness in 2019, managers must be equipped with positive attitude, leadership skills, communication skills, dressing for success as well as overcoming fear and doubt.

Earlier, the President and Chairman of Council, NIM, Prof. Olukunle Iyanda, said Nigeria is not prepared for the future of work.

He said with the problem of epileptic power supply, which is indispensable for the efficient functioning of technology, Nigeria is yet to attain and compete favourably with other countries in the world of work.

“I don’t also think that Nigeria is aware that we need to do things differently. We are just building quantity without the quality we put; we are losing the guard that already exists between us and the western world.

“We have to accept first that we are not going the right direction. We need to redefine, re-route our ways and begin to put in and maintain quality.”

We need to have universities that are world class in terms of their objectives, facilities and, all the conditions that are necessary.”