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By Okorie Uguru
Former Minister of Culture and Tourism Ambassador Frank Nchita Ogbuewu has described ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo as a visionary that understands the importance of tourism to a country, saying Obasanjo should take credit for all he achieved while in office as minister from 2003 to 2006.
Ogbuewu has been adjudged by industry practitioners as Nigeria’s most impactful Minister of Tourism.
Ogbuewu was speaking during the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET) Conference and Awards recently held at Sheraton Lagos Hotel and Towers. He was honoured for his achievement as Nigeria’s Minister of Culture and Tourism between 2003 and 2006 during which he birthed the Abuja International Carnival, supervised the inauguration of Presidential Council on Tourism (PCT), and many more. The former tourism minister was honoured with the award of ‘The Most Impactful Nigerian Minister of Culture and Tourism’.
While receiving the award, Ogbuewu commended the travel journalists for their efforts in the development of Nigeria tourism and for remembering him after more than 19 years since he left office. . He said: “It is a special privilege to be here. I said I would not attend this award, but my wife said you have to go, because remembering you after these years is not a joke. I thank the writers of tourism in Nigeria. Whatever anybody achieves in the sector, without them, you cannot achieve anything. They make it possible. They are the ones to let you know what you are doing. They are the ones to praise you when you are doing well, and criticize you when you are not doing well. I remember when I was a minister, the criticized me for wearing suits. They said you are a culture minister but you do not dress to reflect our culture. I normally say then, that the hood does not make a monk. With time, I started adjusting. You can see me today dressed in cultural attire. That is part of the efforts of the travel journalists. They correct you when you are doing wrong and hail you when you are doing well. So, thank you for all that.
“I must say, after the inaugural Abuja International Carnival, the President of Nigeria then, President Obasanjo, wrote to me a personal letter to thank me. It is the highest award I have today, even though it was not publicly presented as an award. For me, it is a big award, that my president, who appointed me, wrote me a letter after the carnival. I am very proud of it, and I will always honour that man. He established the Presidential Council on Tourism (PCT). The first time we had it in Jos; he moved the cabinet to Jos for that meeting. After that, tourism started having serious development and special interest. I must say, he has mastery of tourism. I wish, with due respect, others will understand the importance of tourism. After agriculture, the highest employer of labour is tourism. I served as an ambassador in a country where tourism is big; it is the mainstay of the country.
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“When I was appointed, many asked me what I was going to do there. I felt challenged. I said I was going to change that ministry, that when I leave, people will be struggling to go there, which I did.”
Other distinguished Nigerians conferred with awards include: ex-NTDA Director General Otunba Segun Runsewe, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye (Foremost National Tourism Builder and Creative Mind), Mr. Jemi Alade (National Trailblazer in Inbound Tour Operation) Engineer Tarzan Ganiyu Shekoni Balogun (National Icon in Tourist Boat Operations and Water Transportation), Mr. Nkereuwem Onung (Icon of Consistency and Resilience in National Tourism Leadership), and Chief Abimbola Bode-Thomas (Hospitality and Tourism Management Amazon).
Speaking on the awards, the President of ANJET, Mr. Okorie Uguru said the awards aim to promote the culture of service to the people, and also show appreciation to those who have served the nation with distinction while holding public office.
He said: “It is not about celebrating those who are serving the country now, but showing appreciation to those who have served in the past, to challenge current political office holders to put in their best.
“The individuals and distinguished Nigerians we are honouring are among the people that built the visibility and growth the tourism industry is enjoying today. They have contributed, and are still contributing to the sector.
“As holders of institutional memories and archivists of this industry, we know the roles they have played and are still playing in the development of the Nigerian tourism industry. That is why years after some of our awardees have left public office; we still call them to bestow these honours.”
