By Frank Meke.
Growing up was filled with trepidation of tomorrow’s uncertainties and the many flowery opportunities. We literally groped over several emotional mistakes because we hardly thought through issues, and when we do, ( it’s usually a huge battle in coming around to agreement and be on the same page), some of us sneak in words and ideas, unreflective of the views of the majority.
To position our clandestine and selfish submissions, we seek the support of those who are game to deceit, usually a few who are ready to sell their souls for a fathen, not just for sake of pecuniary reward but also for self importance and influence
Today, this is going to be a very brief piece on our quest for a strong leadership ecosystem in our industry, not merely pandering to documentary abracadabra in the name of searching a workable tourism policy.
Acceptably, we won’t and should not throw stones against the need for a direction or guide profile for strategic cultural tourism development but I will seek to establish the desire for a strong, creative, and selfless leadership for the industry. The kind of leadership that should be earthquaking in basic operational deliveries, approachable and available.
Lack of effective and fearless leadership has been our missing link and not a microwaved revised tourism policy agenda. And if I may ask, does an old car in good shape in all the best ( supposedly engineering feat) be put to a fanciful repair oversight without actual practical usage and a test run?
A strong leadership should’ve sat down with the private sector through its organised Federation to find out if there were any measure of success or issues during the implementation of old document and possibly compare notes not just what was presented by the ministry officials but also the public sector implementation agencies before venturing out on a review mechnics. Equally unbelievable was the haste to hand over the assignment to a group that was not very centric to our industry matters and years of haemorrhage due to government neglect
In clear practical terms, can Dorothy Duruaku, the so-called public sector sub committee chair tell us what basic operational hiccups in ” old tourism policy” which actually necessitated an update apart from the mere emotional blackmail that tourism policy document is old?
Indeed, the fear and anxieties expressed by a cross section of industry players were associated with the poor post assessment report on the old policy document, with no practical DNA report or an integrity test. Is someone who is not busy just looking for something to pass away time?
Ms. Duruaku and her likes are indeed behind poor performance in the ministry, and the evidence is there for naysayers to see. So I won’t waste my time on these set of ministry officials who themselves need to get basic knowledge and skills in managing our cultural tourism sector. If not for the civil service administrative ecosystem, Duruaku and her co travellers should have joined the former minister in the unemployment market. Indeed, their permanent residence in the ministry until retirement beats me because in the situation which we found ourselves today, some people in that ministry should be held accountable. To merely blame ordinary policy document that most of them did not read or implement in any way before now is just grandstanding and unacceptable.
Even though I was alarmed when the ministry officials goaded former Tourism Minister, lola Ade John into constituting a policy review team without any evidential integrity test or practical assessment report on the old order, I was equally disturbed by the very clandestine agenda to sneak into the system the so called review report through the back door.
I understand that the organisers of the new findings who are afraid that their “eruka document” will be challenged and dismissed by the few established industry hot heads and in response decided to delibraretly reach out to a few pedestrian industry apostle bands to help validate their works.
I won’t talk about one Ngozi Ngoka who’s being alledgely referred as private sector sub committee chair. But I will want to ask what actually does this madam do in the industry?
I used to know a name like that some years ago in nanta, but I wasn’t sure it was the same name for the same face, neither can I place the same name to the face during the leadership of late ftan president, Alhaji Rabo, may his soul rest in peace. . The Ngozi Ngoka of that ftan era couldn’t deliver the southeast wing of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria( ftan) as vice president, south east region and soon disappeared from the radar of established industry players. Honestly, I don’t know the true pedigree of the review writers of the policy document commissioned by lola Ade John. And it is worrisome.
Like apostle Paul once wrote to the people of corinthians, knowledge can make certain persons puff up( display arrogance and pride) , thinking that they know anything when in actual fact, they know nothing as they ought know.
In few hours and currently ongoing in lagos, the Duruaku and Ngozi Ngoka group will gather their own industry carefully selected ” stakeholders ” and network with them over cups of tea in hand to help stage manage the biggest industry abracadabra document review presentation in this century.
I have gleaned through the 13 magic agenda rolled out for the event, but I noticed that the critical cultural tourism media stakeholders were not factored. I heard the organisers consulted their babalawos who advised them to avoid the ” noisy neighbours ” as industry reporters are called by the naysayers of the sector. Ftan, too, has not visible presentation stake. Na seddon look for the true leadership group in the sector .
I had wanted to write my friend, Folarin Coker, on this issue because the regulatory ecosystem of the industry is under his watch as boss of ntda. And going forward, if the Supreme Court judgement in the lagos vs. ntda tourism matter is factored into the review policy, I wonder how a legally toothless ministry can impose a tourism policy on our federating states , not even with agencies’ apparatus with their own peculiar problems. I am deep in thought!
Since also the president of the organised tourism federation association, Mr Nkereweum Onung is not listed to specifically address the gathering this morning, I truly wonder who will drive the private sector expectations in the reviewed document and knowing that whatever that’s hidden must come to light, this document no doubt is bound to the cemetery of the industry.
The Hannatu Musa Musawa welcome address as part of the charade best describes the deceitfulness of the entire putrefied tourism enterprise. We don’t have reliable public sector leaders, and if this is all we can show after our minister failed to pass simple performance examination, then we are in for a long walk across the cultural tourism bridge.
