Shapers of 2016 Tourism year !

The year 2016 would have gone as a hopeless uneventful tourism year  save for some personalities who out of rare ingenuity and sheer vision shaped,  branded  and injected activities which  etched  the year into tourism consciousness memory  of the  people.

 

Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi: Declaration of Ife Tourism Zone

The youthful and handsome  Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi, Ojaja 11 dazzled the world of tourism by making a generational   tourism testament and vision declaration in February last year when he  declared “ Ife as a Tourism Zone”.

The Oba made a departure from others by hanging his declaration not on rhetorics or just for the seasons but on Yoruba culture resuscitation, regeneration and enhancement, capacity building and empowerment and socio economic- entertainment networking.

The Ooni set the pace by employing 20, 000 widows from the over 40, 000 widows recorded in the last Ife – Modakeke crisis to work in the tourism zone project. These widows were employed and engaged in the act of making Ife Tourism Zone clean and neat.

In a sequence of tourism stimulation events, the Ooni re- engineered and reconfigured the global cultural perspective of Ile – Ife as the cradle of Yoruba race and got the positive reflection of over 200 million Yoruba in Diaspora globally whose diplomatic representatives paid courtesy visits to Ile – ife in affirmation of their conviction of Ife as the source of their existence as human.

 

The Ooni tourism initiative has been able not only to restore the glory of Ife as the cradle and source of Yoruba race and the world but has turned it to the ultimate cultural destination which has attracted over 5.5 million visitors within the last one year.

Till date, over 230 socio- cultural events have been held in Ile – Ife which were rooted in the inclination of the Ooni and an aftermath of the declaration of Ife as the Tourism Zone which stoked and stimulated multi—billion naira economic activities in the ancient town.

The Ooni in his strive to achieve the best engaged professional and renowned global tourism and resort developer, Ambassador Wanle Akinboboye who successfully helped in facilitating world mayors, diplomatic community and international bodies like NIDO in developmental relationship with Ile – Ife.

In addition, the Ooni also unveiled the logo of a rebranded Olojo Festival where he kindled the interest of Yoruba elders who were invited to Eko Hotels and Suites where they injected  their inputs  into the age long historical festival of how the day came to be .

In his strides, the Ooni also visited the historical tourism town – Badagry on the invitation of the Oba of Badagry – in – Council where he was conducted on tour of the Slaves museums and baracoon.

The tourism drive of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi was vividly captured and described by Hospitality Watch International as ‘the Ife Tourism Zone initiative of Oba Ogunwusi, Ooni of Ife is the most outstanding tourism phenomenal of the year 2016. It is a  tourism concept which in its  contents and consequences in terms of economic vision and empowerment engagement has no such record of positivity in history of Nigeria within a short span of implementation”.

 

Alhaji Lai Mohammed: Resuscitation of Presidential Council on Tourism

The appointment of Alhaji Lai Mohammed as the Information and Culture Minister caused ripples in the tourism sector.

The ripples were not caused by the personality of the Minister, but the disillusionment    which  the merging of the hitherto separate Ministry of Culture and Tourism with that of  the Information and Culture leveraged on the stakeholders and tourism practitioners.

But Alhaji Mohammed quickly diffused the emotional tension created by this merger when he promptly organised a stakeholder forum where he analysed and unveiled the tourism agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“I am happy to inform you that President Buhari has given a nod for the resuscitation of the Presidential Council on Tourism. You all know what that means. It is a council which will be presided over by the president himself with other tourism minded state governors, strategic tourism related ministers, Ministers of Finance, Works, Aviation and others. It is a Presidential Council solely for the advancement of tourism and cultural matters. Matters affecting tourism development will be exhaustively discussed, analysed and solutions proffered and implementation set in process.”

And in living up to  his words, the Presidential Council on Tourism (PCT), has not only been inaugurated, but has held a meeting where tourism policies and implementation strategies have been marked out.

 

Governor Amosun: The unveiling of the Tallest Drum in the World!

The Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun made a landmark statement with the hosting of the first Drums Festival in Nigeria.

The well-packaged event had dignitaries like the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Eniitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, who came with many African Ambassadors and accompanied by the former Director – General, Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), and Dr Sally Mbanefo. Most of the African Ambassadors were there today because of tourism. Also in attendance were the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo and  Oba Dapo Tejuosho.

The event held at June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta was organised by the state government as a way of promoting the country’s culture through its rich Drumming heritage. No fewer than 100 drummers from 10 African countries and 19 states of the federation participated.

The Ooni of Ife pointed out, “There is a wind of change blowing around the country. Nigeria came into being in 1914 and governance has been in existence through the kingship system of government for centuries. Our culture and heritage are strong, binding forces for our unity. We should not forget our source and heritage and I strongly believe that what we are doing here today will dovetail into other states and even other African countries.

“Drums are very important and very common musical instruments in Africa and we should not joke with them; we should continue to work for the unity of Yoruba nation, Nigeria and the continent of Africa. Today, we are very proud that we are rejuvenating our dead culture, heritage and tradition; it is a very good starting point and we should continue to capitalise on festivals like this and continue to feature them.”

The apogee of the event was the unveiling of the 14feet world’s tallest drum!

 

Governor Abiola Ajimobi: Branded Aso Ofi as tourism product

The Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi also made a global statement registering Oyo State on the platform of international tourism reckoning as a state with an enviable tourism product when the Oyo State Ministry of information, Culture and Tourism, invited the world on September 27, 2016 for the celebration of World Tourism Day where it branded Aso Ofi as a tourism product.

 

In his speech, the state Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Toye Arulogun noted that the ‘Aso Ofi Day’ became imperative, because the state government found it needful to harness tourism potentials in every local government in the state, stressing that, this would not only promote the rich culture of the state, but also promote the tourism potentials in the state.”

He further declared the Senator Ajimobi led administration’s determination to promote Iseyin’s rich cultural heritage, by establishing an International Aso Ofi Market in Iseyin and creating an internet platform to market the fabric to the international community.

 

Ambassador Wanle Akinboboye

Constructed World’s longest Swimming pool beside the beach

One Nigerian that has continued to add value of recognition and importance to Nigeria at the global tourism forum is Ambassador Wanle Akinboboye, President, La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort and the promoter of Motherland Beckons.

Last year, apart from  the President of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire sent a powerful delegation  to the Governor of Ondo State, Dr Rahman Mimiko, who had appointed Ambassador Akinboboye as Special Adviser on Tourism and Culture to release him to a national assignment in his country. Akinboboye has made Nigeria proud by designing and constructing the world’s longest swimming pool by the Beach at his La Campagne Tropicana Beach resort, Ikegun Village, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State.

This act of his is being tailored for the World Guinness book of Record!