Bean Creative IMC, the integrated marketing communications agency of Chocolate City Group, has led a major grassroots campaign to promote autism awareness and inclusion in Ibadan through a 12-kilometre walk marking World Autism Awareness Day. In a statement, the initiative, organised in partnership with Haven for Autism Foundation and Motoks Therapy Hub, drew thousands of participants and community members as it moved through key parts of the city, from New Garage through Challenge to Molete, sparking conversations on autism across diverse audiences.
The activation formed part of Chocolate City Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility efforts, with Bean Creative IMC playing a central role in planning, coordinating and managing activities on the ground. Speaking on the initiative, the Vice President of Bean Creative IMC, Anthony Onyemauwa, said the agency viewed the campaign as an opportunity to use communication as a force for social impact.
“At Bean Creative IMC, we believe communications has a responsibility that goes beyond campaigns. When Haven for Autism Foundation and Motoks Therapy Hub brought this walk to us, we saw an opportunity to put our resources and our people behind something that genuinely matters,” he said.
He added that autism inclusion remains a critical but under-discussed issue in Nigeria, noting that the company was proud to support efforts aimed at deepening public understanding and acceptance. “Autism inclusion is an urgent conversation in Nigeria, and we are glad the Chocolate City Group could be part of advancing it,” Onyemauwa added.
Related News Initiative targets entrepreneurial rebirth, empowers youth with financial grant NGO bridges feeding gap for Ibadan schoolchildren Makinde not relenting in plot against Olubadan, Fayose insists The walk featured volunteers and advocates engaging directly with residents, traders and passersby in multiple languages, including Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and Pidgin, to ensure the message resonated across cultural and social divides.
PR and Community Lead at Bean Creative IMC, Desmond Ezebuiro, who coordinated the day-to-day execution of the project, described the experience as both impactful and emotionally resonant. “From the moment we left New Garage, the energy was something else. By the time we hit Challenge, volunteers were stopping at market stalls, speaking to traders in Yoruba, Igbo, Pidgin and Hausa.
People were genuinely listening. Some were emotional,” he said. According to him, the journey from start to finish reflected the growing willingness of communities to engage with conversations around developmental conditions such as autism. “That 12 kilometres carried real weight, and getting to be part of that from start to finish in Molete was one of the most grounding experiences I have had doing this work,” Ezebuiro added.
Speaking on the initiative, the Vice President of Bean Creative IMC, Anthony Onyemauwa, said the agency viewed the campaign as an opportunity to use communication as a force for social impact. “At Bean Creative IMC, we believe communications has a responsibility that goes beyond campaigns.
When Haven for Autism Foundation and Motoks Therapy Hub brought this walk to us, we saw an opportunity to put our resources and our people behind something that genuinely matters,” he said. He added that autism inclusion remains a critical but under-discussed issue in Nigeria, noting that the company was proud to support efforts aimed at deepening public understanding and acceptance.
“Autism inclusion is an urgent conversation in Nigeria, and we are glad the Chocolate City Group could be part of advancing it,” Onyemauwa added. Related News Initiative targets entrepreneurial rebirth, empowers youth with financial grant NGO bridges feeding gap for Ibadan schoolchildren Makinde not relenting in plot against Olubadan, Fayose insists The walk featured volunteers and advocates engaging directly with residents, traders and passersby in multiple languages, including Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and Pidgin, to ensure the message resonated across cultural and social divides.