By Frank Meke.
In communication, narratives are important, particularly when they are properly delivered and there are many ways narratives can be deployed . As a young person, I was thought to silence voices, contentious, cancerous, and divisive voices that usually rise in judgement.
You wonder how to do so without crossing the redline of expected conversational conduct. If you possibly respond in anger, you may be tagged as belonging to the camp of the foolish, uncultured men, the thugs pretending to be wisemen, those the scriptures described as the bilial, the Judas of our time, lovers of themselves and their belly, incontinent, full of self worth and with peppered eyes, intolerant and breakers of truce.
The certain conversational rage over the decision of President Ahmed Tinubu to change some members of his cabinet provoked a tumourious impact on some people in our industry, and, as usual, strange narratives were born. I have learnt to ignore certain rantings in the sector and prayerfully separate myself from the crowd of contentious voices, simply being focused on the race and its expected didiam.
Is it not written that what a man sow, he will reap? I really don’t understand the blaring cancaphony. Now, the president appointed his aides, who he felt could help ” aid” his assignment to provide succour to Nigerians who voted for him.
He( the president) chose the parameters and deliveries metrics to guide and measure their performance. After a certain time, don’t forget this is the most difficult time in the life our nation. The president audited and scored them. Some failed, and a few passed. So why blame me or anyone for that matter for those who failed? The hurricane that swept off the failed could be likened to the first deluge of flood that wiped away mankind.
The simpletons of that biblical era didn’t see it coming. They were travelling all over the world, eating and drinking, indulging in the cares of this world, filled with pride and arrogance, convinced that the world had no end and dared anyone to speak up against their wasteful lifestyle. They were prodigy, yet even the foolish prodigal son was wiser. The simpletons in their state of stupor refused to admit that they failed to heed the warning signs clearly seen from the day of their appointment, and now, with consequences steering all in the face, they and their handful of sycophant followers now suddenly remember to give a testimonial of how they ‘failed’ because the president didn’t help them.
Na woa! I just kind of wonder why we think life is a bed of roses. It is equally troubling that a father will pay dowry for his children, and they will still expect their parents to help them keep their beds warm. Life is indeed a mystery, and in our industry, many confounding stories abound because we can hardly think like Noah.
Now that I have established my position, it is again important that we free ourselves from what actually is not within our powers of control and focus our attention on reality.
We are now effectively in a new reality, and that’s the Ministry of Culture , Tourism, and ( the Creative Economy). We should aggregate and husband the fullness of futuristic expedition in this realm. The three enablers of tourism are like the sons of Abraham, Judaism, Christianity, and islam. How we strategically navigate through the opportunities counts.
The uniqueness of strategic thinking is the power to be different and, most importantly, to look and choose men and women who are hungry to be different in the quest to drive our dreams.
It’s here that we have not done well, probably. I used the word, probably because there was a time we did well. We had men who stood up for the industry and gave us hope for better cultural tourism tomorrow.
But again, I believe we have a strong denom in charge of our sector, and until we have a leader who can deal with that demon, that strongman which has continued to influence the choice of the wrong Generals to led our battles against stagancy and strategic developmental methods to make impact which have unfortunately been our bane.
If you are reading this and think that life is not a battle, I can’t help you! However, let me share certain narratives that may shock us and many who go to church to blame others, the devil, and not themselves for being transactional with others when they ought have been on the path righteousness.
Again, indulge me! On Thursday, I was on the same Ibom Air ten o’clock flight from Abuja to Lagos with our immediate former Minister of Tourism, Mrs Lola Ade John . It was a tough day in Abuja which I had to be at several places, and God, I can’t wait to get back to lagos for a good sleep, which probably will just be a mere shut eyes cos of many pressing issues just like this piece.
We exchanged greetings, and I didn’t notice any bitterness to which naked town criers have imaginatiased and elevated to beer palour conversation.
On arrival on in lagos with her luggage handy, I politely wished to help her with one of her bags, but she politely declined with a smile, adding that her driver was waiting. It was quite late, and honestly, I was concerned.
My story today, however, is about a wise industry player. Ashamu Sewanu Fadipe. He is a native Badagry in lagos state . For solid eight years, Fadipe worked with Ashiwaju ‘Emilokan’ Ahmed Tinubu when he was governor of lagos state as Director of Tourism.
If you are in this industry, you would know that Sewanu fadipe does not hug controversy, notably humble and honest. He’s a friend to all come his way and built the foundation of lagos tourism administrative ecosystem and certainly an industry genius.
He has written many tourism books and is widely travelled. He speaks English and French fluently. There’s a Fadipe’s connection, the sacrifice to properly structure the ill fated tourism ministry and I have to tell this story, so that transactional experts who seek and lobby every opportunity for self and not nation can let us have peace.
I won’t join the mob who whose stock in trade is betraying others only to turn around like a vulture to pick bones as if nothing happened. Barely a month, Madam Minister resumed from office after her unfortunate health issues, Fadipe happened on the scene, and I was the first he called. Let me put on it record here once and for all, that in this industry, I mean the entire players, the various leadership, all kept faith in God that madam minister should recover and come take to up her job. The organised travel press was patient and prayed for her recovery. Those who questioned her very unfortunate health issues in those early days when she should have been circumspect and later turned around to poison opportunities for her to get along with critical insiders certainly know themselves.
The president of ftan and I joined our faith together in christ in prayer.. As a student of prayer, we sought answers to what was actually wrong apart from what was flying around in the public space and tried to investigate beyond the stories on the streets.
The NTDA Director General , Folarin Coker, also activated his deep connections at crucial at those critical early stages. I won’t say more than this cos certain things we do for others are better left for divine grace and interpretations.
But I will share Ashamu Sewanu Fadipe involvement after madam came back to further correct certain narratives that some people seem to celebrate with a thanksgiving service, with intent to deceive even the very elect who were not privy to high wire politicking to capture the heart of the new Ministry of Tourism.
Fadipe, as a patriotic Nigerian, got involved through some big lagos political influencers and pulled his experience and connections to help the madam minister structure the ministry.. .Though it was selfless call to action, Fadipe’s trajectory revealed the deep love for nation, an assignment he so well delivered, but there was no willpower to give it fresh air by madam minister. Apart from spending his money, and at a point nearly stranded in Abuja, it was the intervention of Fadipe’s friends who helped him to avoid being stranded in those early days because there was no money,even though it was expected that a grant from government must be released to soften take off arrangements.
From drawing up the deliverables and projects that will give strategic push to the sector, Fadipe take off masterplan included daily rudimentary lectures on tourism education and management, structural and administrative nominal roll ecosystem with the best civil service administrative blueprint, human resources training and key collaboration opportunities to woo the private sector to be part of new development. The private is close to the heart of Fadipe and at each meeting with the minister, he didn’t fail to emphasise it.
He didn’t just end there, Fadipe found an office space in Abuja for the minister through his contacts and all that was needed was to source for the initial payment from some carefully selected friends in the private sector whom Fadipe tasked me with the responsibility to pencil down their names and activate the possibility.
It was a well-kept secret to help our sector and nation. Fadipe’s daily briefing on the responses from the other side didn’t excite me , but he is a man a faith. His strategies to structure the new ministry from ground zero were faultless, highly celebral.
Anyway, Fadipe’s over three weeks vigil in Abuja collapsed and came to an end the moment the Nihotour connection was activated, and I am sure we all read and knew the narratives, some emetic, sad!
From Spain to Saudi Arabia, nihotour funds were deployed generiously as a bait to confound the system and kill the ministry. The minister didn’t lack anything. It’s not true that the ministry has no office. The minister had an office with a full compliment of back room staff provided by a generous nihotour to assist the minister in finding her bearing, a direction, and to process intentional presence.
Honestly, even though nihotour management at that time had an agenda, it deployed its financial muscle to give the ministry and minister a soft landing.
The Nihotour management selected ” experts” and industry propagandists to shore up a presence and also organise awards for the minister, and I wonder why we forgot so soon.
Those who should take the scalp and stoning for the failed Ministry of Tourism should be the mentors of the minister who could not help her meet with operational responsibilities as was expected by the government. No one should blame the president for doing what is right, and the crocodile tears being shed after she failed the examination is also part of the grand deciet to cover failings of over rated mentors who couldn’t see beyond their nose. Those who didn’t see the ministry collapsing are possibly pedestrian observers who do not know that when nihotour decided to swallow ntda and push it off the front seat of agencies leadership frontly supported by the former minister, it was the last chapter which grounded the ministry back to ground zero. If you can dare, ask folarin Coker, the Director General of ntda.. Nura Kangiwa exaggerated and overpriced his alleged self-worth in the power game as the new godfather of the sector and ministry and paid dearly for it.
If you ever have any
opportunity to help Nigeria, please be selfless and patriotic. Bye!