Creative Industry

NTDA Bids Farewell to Outgoing Director General in Grand Send-Forth Ceremony

Published

2 years ago

March 25, 2025

By Joel Ajayi

The Management and Staff of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA) honored the outgoing Director General, Chief Folorunsho Coker, in a heartfelt send-forth ceremony held at the Authority’s Village Hall.

The event celebrated Chief Coker’s remarkable leadership over the past eight years, during which the NTDA experienced significant transformations in Nigeria’s tourism sector.
A Legacy of Achievements

In their tributes, staff and management commended the DG for his visionary leadership and numerous accomplishments, including:

Enactment of the NTDA Act, which transformed the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) into the NTDA.

Ongoing ISO standardization certification to enhance service quality.

Successful launch of the Tour Nigeria brand, promoting domestic tourism.

Expansion of the Authority’s organogram, creating more employment opportunities.
Nigerian Flavours initiative, celebrating the country’s rich culinary heritage.

Capacity-building programs and staff training to improve efficiency and service delivery.
Digital transformation and global partnerships with Google, Meta, and Wikipedia, enhancing Nigeria’s online tourism visibility.

Improved staff management relations, fostering industrial peace at NTDA.

Digitalization of the registration and accreditation process for all tourism and hospitality businesses (now 90% complete).

In his farewell address, Chief Coker expressed deep gratitude to the Directors and staff, emphasizing that these achievements were a collective effort.

He urged employees to uphold his legacy, maintain professionalism, and promote unity within the organization. He discouraged tribalism, instead encouraging love, cooperation, and teamwork.

The ceremony concluded with goodwill messages, presentations, and heartfelt appreciation for Chief Coker’s dedication and service.

As he embarks on a new journey, the NTDA remains committed to building on the foundation he has laid, ensuring the continuous growth and development of Nigeria’s tourism sector.

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Creative Industry

FG Backs MyCityApp Launch of 100-Day Tourism Calendar to Drive $100bn Economic Growth

Published

2 weeks ago

September 15, 2026

The Gleamer

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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