Creative Industry
Awakan Takes Over as NTDA Director-General, Promises to Advance President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda Through the Tourism Sector
Joel Ajayi
The newly appointed Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Mr. Olayiwola Awakan, has assumed office at the Authority’s Headquarters in Abuja, pledging to usher in a new era of innovation, collaboration, and renewed commitment towards repositioning Nigeria’s tourism industry.
Upon his arrival, Mr. Awakan was received by the Management Team of the Authority, led by Mr. Ovie Esewhaye, the Director overseeing the Office of the Director-General, who presented the official handover note. The new helmsman thereafter met with the Directors, toured the NTDA offices, and addressed the general staff at the NTDA Village Hall.
In his maiden address, Mr. Awakan expressed deep appreciation to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for the confidence reposed in him to drive the Renewed Hope Agenda through tourism.
“I’m happy to be here; this is a new dawn. There’s a lot to be done and by the grace of God, it will be done,” he stated.
“Let me start by appreciating the President of Nigeria, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to drive the Renewed Hope Agenda through tourism.”
Mr. Awakan also acknowledged the Honourable Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, for her visionary leadership and tireless efforts in repositioning the sector despite limited resources.
“The responsibility bestowed on her is weighty, and even with the limited resources, she has been able to push ahead. I am here to complement her efforts,” he noted.
While commending the achievements of his predecessors, the Director-General pledged to consolidate on their successes and build a more vibrant, efficient, and responsive NTDA capable of attracting tourists and investors to Nigeria.
“My predecessors have done excellently well to the best of their ability, and the baton of leadership has been passed to me. I will take it up from here,” he affirmed.
He further emphasized the importance of teamwork, innovation, and inclusivity in achieving the Authority’s mandate.
“We need newness, freshness, and I can’t do it alone. We need collaborative effort,” he said.
“I operate an open-door policy, no idea is a bad idea; it can be refined into a fantastic one. Let’s make history together and make Mr. President proud.”
Mr. Olayiwola Awakan is an award-winning journalist, thespian, dramatist, poet, and culture and tourism enthusiast. His appointment reflects President Tinubu’s continued commitment to leveraging creativity, culture, and tourism as key drivers of national economic diversification and growth.
Creative Industry
FG Backs MyCityApp Launch of 100-Day Tourism Calendar to Drive $100bn Economic Growth
Joel Ajayi
The Federal Government has thrown its weight behind the launch of MyCityApp, a Nigerian city discovery and tourism platform designed to aggregate festivals, concerts, cultural events and lifestyle experiences into a single digital calendar.
The platform, which flags off the 100-Day Tourism Calendar, was unveiled on Monday at the Ember2Remember National Stakeholders’ Conference in Victoria Island, Lagos, with the initiative targeting Nigeria’s estimated $100 billion tourism and creative economy opportunity.
In a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by the Media and Publicity Adviser to the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Nneka Ikem Anibeze, the ministry said the conference was aimed at mobilising public and private stakeholders to transform the September-to-December festive period into jobs, investment and economic growth.
Speaking at the unveiling, the Minister, Hannatu Musa Musawa, said millions of visitors travel across Nigeria every year to celebrate, reconnect and experience the country’s diverse culture, stressing that the festive season could be deliberately organised and monetised to strengthen tourism’s contribution to the economy.
“This initiative is about moving beyond the traditional concept of a festive season. It is about deliberately organising, packaging, promoting, and monetising one of the most economically active periods in our national calendar,” Musawa said.
She noted that every visitor generates economic activity across several sectors, including aviation, transportation, hospitality, restaurants, entertainment, retail, technology, artisans and local communities.
The Minister commended MyCityApp Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Ifeoma Chukwu, for her vision and commitment to the initiative.
She urged state governments, event organisers, tourism operators, hospitality businesses and other stakeholders to list their festivals, concerts, exhibitions, food experiences, cultural celebrations, fashion and sporting events on the national calendar.
Musawa said the platform would enable Nigerians, members of the diaspora and international visitors to discover tourism and entertainment experiences across the country from a single, credible source.
Earlier, Chukwu said Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and creative sector provided enormous opportunities for tourism-driven economic growth.
She cited the contributions of tourism to the economies of countries such as Spain, France and the United States, arguing that Nigeria could equally build a $100 billion tourism economy.
Also present were Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka; Enugu State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Ugochi Madueke; NCAC Director-General, Obi Asika; National Gallery of Art Director-General, Ahmed Sodangi; ARCON Director-General, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo; and MTN Nigeria CEO, Dr Karl Toriola.
MyLagosApp and MyCityApp will serve as the digital engines of the calendar, distributing events through a 360-degree media ecosystem to audiences in Nigeria and the diaspora.
Stakeholders were encouraged to upload their events on MyCityApp to participate in the national tourism calendar urging them to upload events on http://www.MyCityApp.io.
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