ANJET tasks new DG on innovations to re-position tourism, culture

The newly-appointed Director-Generals in the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture have been tasked to see their appointments as an opportunity to reposition the untapped rich cultural and tourism potential in Nigeria to stimulate economic activities.

Making the appeal in separate congratulatory messages to the Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mr Folorunsho Folarin-Coker and Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, recently, the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET), urged them to also consider their appointments as ‘a call to national service’ with a view to winning back stakeholders’ confidence in the industry.

While ANJET commended the Federal Government for appointing professionals to man the affairs of the agencies, the association expressed the need to restructure and reposition the culture and tourism industry as well as regain waning industry practitioners’ belief, had become imperative on account of the agencies having been poorly managed.

“We reiterate that the appointment could not have come at a better time than now, as we have consistently harped on the need for the Federal Government to appoint a professional to man the affairs of the corporation.

“We, therefore, use this medium to express our confidence in your ability to change the deplorable state of the NTDC and by extension, the Nigeria tourism against the backdrop of your enviable records achieved as former Commissioner for Tourism in Lagos State.

“We, however, charge you as major stakeholders in the Nigerian tourism industry, not to see this achievement merely as a political appointment, but instead an opportunity to restructure Nigeria tourism with a view to recapturing investors’ confidence, as well as creating a viable and enabling environment for indigenous stakeholders in the tourism industry,” the writers charged Folarin-Coker.

ANJET, similarly charged Runsewe to be double its commitment to delivering on the mandate of your agency with the unalloyed personal sacrifices, commitment and passion for which you are known and had handled every national assignment entrusted to you in time past.’’