Entertainment
NTDC Boss Tasks Stakeholders On Digital Tourism
The Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mr Folorunsho Coker, says there is the need for stakeholders in the tourism industry to collaborate to promote growth of the sector.
Coker said this at the opening of the South South Tourism Stakeholders Forum in Calabar, yesterday.
The theme of the forum is “Use of Digital Technology to Revamp the Tourism and Hospitality Industry Amid Covid-19 and Security Challenges in Nigeria”.
Coker said that the time had come for actors in the tourism and hospitality industry to stop competiing with one another and embrace collaboration to move the industry forward.
“This is the season of collaboration not the season of competition. In this season of technological advanencement, stakeholders should collaborate rather than compete, “ he said.
He observed that there was a disconnect in the tourism policies between the Federal, States and Local Governments in terms of participation in tourism development.
He attributed the gap to tourism laws, and stressed the need for a new legal framework for the sector.
“Tourism begins at the local government, so, we need active participation of the local governments for tourism to thrive, “ he said.
He urged tourism stakeholders to embark on regular training of their staff in view of the new trend in the industry occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Dr Adoara Ayanwutaku, said the forum was timely in view of the damage done to the tourism sector by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ayanwutaku, represented by Deputy Director, Domestic and Eco-Tourism, Promotion and Control Mrs Sani Sodangi, said the forum would provide opportunity to stakeholders to make postulations on the way forward.
According to her, the theme is apt.
She pedged the ministry’s readiness to provide the enabling environment for all agencies “to perform optimally.”
In his keynote address, the Commissioner for Tourism and Culture in Cross River State Mr Eric Anderson, said that in spite of the setback brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourism industry in Nigeria was still vibrant.
According to him, the industry has come to terms with the adaptation to product and service enhancing technologies, including online transport solution, and destination marketing on social media, among others.
R&B star, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has recounted the early-career challenges she faced, revealing that she was once booed out of the stage while performing at a school event.
Speaking in an interview with Newsmen, the Crazy Tings crooner shared that she wasn’t only booed but was also harassed with plastic bottles.
“I remember one time I was going to perform at my school as an up-and-coming singer and I thought I was going to receiving a standing ovation.
“But I got booed. They even threw plastic bottles at me,” she recalled.
Tems explained that despite the embarrassing incident and other such rejections, she remained determined to pursue a career in music.
The Tide Entertainment reports that Tems admitted that some of the initial rejections she faced could be due to her conviction to stick to her originality instead of doing covers or familiar sounds like most of her peers.
The Grammy-winning singer said looking back now, she is glad that she didn’t compromise her style despite the initial pressures.
A close associate of late singer Mohbad, Primeboy, has appealed for the artiste’s burial nearly three years after his death.
According to him, Mohbad’s body remains in the mortuary since September 12, 2023, pending burial arrangements.
The Tide Entertainment reports that in a statement Primeboy urged the family, public, and government to permit the burial, stating, “It’s been almost three years since Mohbad left us. His body is still in the mortuary. I’m begging the family, I’m begging the public, I’m begging the government, please let’s bury our brother. He deserves a befitting burial.”
It would be recalled that Mohbad’s death sparked public outrage, protests, and investigations. Ongoing autopsy examinations, police inquiries, and legal proceedings have delayed burial arrangements amid family disagreements and public scrutiny.
Nancy Briggs
