Former Glo Executive Director
[dropcap]A[/dropcap] former Executive Director, Marketing Communication of Globacom, Okon Iyanam, was on Wednesday 27th ,June 2018 fatally shot by yet unidentified gunmen.One of his closet friend, however, told this online newspaper that the theatre art graduate of the University of Calabar was shot at his guesthouse in Mowe, Ogun State.The assailants were said to have woken him up from sleep before killing him.
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.
Okonpapa graduated from the University of Calabar in 1986. He started his career with UAC Foods immediately after his NYSC in 1987. Thereafter, he worked across almost all sectors of the economy. He worked with Akwa Ibom State Government owned Peacock Paints, serving as the Marketing Manager in Lagos; 33 Export Lager Beer, serving as the Area Manager, Makurdi; Glo GSM Network as pioneer Marketing Manager but later elevated to the position of Chief Operating Officer and eventually left Glo as Executive Director, Sales and Marketing. He, at some point also served as the Chief Marketing Officer, V-Mobile. Okon retired to consulting and later, farming in Mowe and Katsina. The Heritage Hotel was his latest and now last venture.
He was interested in the Governorship of Akwa Ibom State and first used the platform of the PDP. When this was not possible, he bought the gubernatorial ticket under the platform of the Accord Party. He was a consummate Marketer and Social Commentator. He loved the Internet and used it effectively as a vehicle for the propagation of his ideas on wide strata of subjects. He was aged 52.
We shall all miss him.