A former Executive Director, Marketing Communication of Globacom, Okon Iyanam, was on Wednesday fatally shot by yet unidentified gunmen.
According to a Facebook post by, Goddy Ofose, a close associate of the late corporate communications guru, his brother, Victor confirmed how he was gruesomely killed.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce the tragic death of my brother, Okon, in the early hours of Wednesday 27th June, 2018. Okonpapa had just recently opened his new Heritage Hotels and Resorts in Mowe, Ogun State where he spent most of his time trying to stabilize the management and sales techniques. He reported a successful ongoing venture. While a birthday party was going on in the hotel, some men, suspected to be either armed robbers or hired assassins crashed into the place at about 12.30am with sporadic gun shots. They asked for the owner. When he was eventually identified, he was shot at close range in the neck region. He stood no chance. He died instantly. The Police first Responders then deposited his body in a Morgue. I rushed to Lagos upon the information delivered to me and confirmed for myself, the level of wickedness anybody could deliver to a man whose only crime was working hard for his livelihood”, Ofose reported Victor as saying.
Meanwhile members of the Nigerian high society have taken to the social media to mourn Iyanam. Top journalist and author, Azuh Arinze, described the death of the corporate communications expert as shocking. “You were one of the most cerebral men I ever encountered. Full of life, detribalised and always fun to be with; you never minced words nor shied away from saying it as it is. Widely traveled and connected, it was always a delight sipping from your fountain of knowledge and wisdom”, Arinze said in a Facebook post.
Iyanam was until his death the chief executive officer of Bond Consulting.
A pioneer staff of Globacom, Iyanam was special adviser to the chairman, Mike Adenuga, general manager corporate communications and general manager corporate sales.
He left Globacom and was briefly with the Enyi Odigbo-led DDB Lagos before joining Insight/Grey.
At Insight, he was on board appointment with specific functional responsibilities for the strategic planning department, a department overseeing all aspects of brand management and communications development using applicable Grey International research and proprietary instruments.
Iyanam also served as chief marketing officer of Vmobile Nigeria, now operating as Airtel.
He returned to Globacom in 2009 as head, special projects in the company’s communications department.
He was also one-time assistant general manager sales & marketing at Leventis Group of Companies, aside from having a stint at UAC Nigeria Plc. as brand manager.
A former group managing director of Quintessentially Nigeria Ltd. (QNL), Iyanam in 2012 petitioned the then Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, over alleged unlawful arrest and threat to life by former chairman of the National Population Commission, Festus Odimegwu.
Mr Odimegwu, who was QNL chairman, also petitioned Mr Abubakar over an alleged theft of N50 million from the company by Iyanam.
Iyanam was a former Akwa Ibom governorship aspirant under the platform of Accord Party.
With additional reporting from QED.ng
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