Listening to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s speech at the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO)’s World Conference on Tourism, Culture, and the Creative Industries, which was held in Lagos and geared towards the development and growth of tourism, culture, and the creative industries in the country and the world at large, has shown once again that this is the type of man Nigeria needs as its president.
The conference which is in line with one of the UNWTO’s priority Agenda for Africa 2030 of promoting cultural heritage was spearheaded by the UNWTO Secretary-General and the UNWTO’s programmatic priority on ‘Protect Our Heritage: Social, Cultural and Environmental Sustainability’.
The conference which had national tourism and culture organisations, international organisations, and destination management was another fora for issues bordering around the promotion of culture and tourism in Nigeria.
Watching him deliver his keynote address, you can see a man who is in touch with the times and connects effortlessly to the realities of the populace. His references to entertainment icons and raves of the moment Asake, Burna Boy, and Kizz Daniel tells anyone listening that this is a man with the capacity to inspire the sleeping giant of Africa to greatness. But alas!
Osinbajo, just like the late sage Obafemi Awolowo is an erudite and a progressive, forward thinking personality and one of the brightest minds Nigeria has had. Unfortunately, due to a political system that really does not give a hoot as to the content of a man but rather throws up only those who can rig their way up with looted resources, continue to remain only within the shadows.
If there’s one thing Osinbajo’s speech reveals about him once again, it’s the fact that this is one cerebral and human personality who is so much in touch with the times and easily connects with the country’s young population.
It is quite unfortunate that this is one young and vibrant president Nigeria may never have simply because it somehow celebrates mediocrity and practises a politics that throws up the biggest money bags and reciprocates political positions as personal favourites.
As the 2023 general election beckons, one certainly hopes Nigerians, especially the youths shun voter apathy, go out en masse and vote the right candidate that will truly restore hope to citizens of the most populous black nation in the world.
His speech is reproduced below:
The collaborative efforts of the Federal Government with the private sector and a Civil Society Group – Convention on Business Integrity (CBi) to curb corruption at the Sea-Ports has earned international praise and won the “Outstanding Achievement in Collective Action Award” of the Switzerland-based Basel Institute on Governance.
Specifically, because of the joint efforts of the Federal Government Agencies -including Shippers Council, ICPC, DSS and the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, the Technical Unit on Governance & Anti-Corruption Reforms.
TUGAR, alongside the CBi, through the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN); the cost of a ship berthing in Nigeria-often aggravated by unreceipted extrotions has now drastically reduced from $150,000 per vessel that arrives in the country to about $20,000.
I am told by Mr. Olusoji Apampa, CBi Co-Founder that the success recorded is now attracting international reviews as countries like Egypt, Ukraine and India are planning to adopt the “Nigerian miracle” to produce similar gains in their own ports’ operations.
This is such cheery news on our anti-corruption efforts.
Before the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, 1 out of 10 jobs worldwide depended on tourism. The aggregate of international tourist arrivals reached 1.5 billion people as of early 2020.
Tourism is possibly the most profound unifier, the greatest eye-opener and helps visitors understand other people and respect their cultures, their creativity and wisdom.
When you hear the proverbs of the Kikiyus of Kenya or the Fulahs of Guinea, you quickly recognize the richness of their ancestry and the nobility of their thoughts and ideas.
Music is a global language, even people who don’t know the meaning of the word of a song enjoy the rhythm and some find out meaning of lyrics, discovering the cultures and ideas that inspired them.
Today, Nigerian music rendered in Nigerian languages is played all over the world. People are dancing to Kizz Daniel’s Buga. The phrase “Buga Won” is a Yoruba expression which means flaunt your hard-won success.
Many all over the world are squaring up their shoulders, saying it doesn’t matter how hard it may seem, let me see you dance and show off your success no matter how small it may seem to others, Buga Won!
Kizz Daniel will be performing the song at Qatar World Cup in a few days.
Burna Boy, a Nigerian Afrobeat star performed in front of 70,000 people in Finland, at Finland’s Flow Festival, 2022. Singing songs like “Last Last, e don cast, na everybody go chop breakfast” in pidgin English to a cheering Scandinavian audience is the power of music.
A Nigerian artist, Asake who sings in pidgin, sang the song Organize. The lyrics: “Organize, every other day I organize, some of us are wise, every other person overwise”. Now, these are street slangs in Lagos, but the world loves it and his show at O2 Arena sold out in 5mins.
How about technology, will virtual visits & tours in the wake of the metaverse kill human interaction? Or can we turn virtual reality into an advantage for tourism? So many questions & I am sure the gathering of tourism experts & players will begin the process of finding answers.
I must commend @UNWTO for the admirable way it guided the industry in the bleak months of the pandemic. I must also commend the Secretary-General of UNWTO, Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili and his team for partnering with Nigeria to host this conference and for choosing Nigeria as a platform to showcase African culture.
It is symbolic that the conference which focuses in rebuilding and restarting tourism is being held at our rebuilt National Arts Theatre.
