When Government Disappeared, One Association Carried Nigeria On Its Shoulders To The World
By Frank Meke
London – There is a saying in tourism: If you are not at the table, you are on the menu.
For almost ten years, Nigeria was not at the table.
After Otunba Segun Runsewe left the then Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) in 2013, Nigeria’s presence at the World Travel Market (WTM) London – the biggest travel trade show on earth – became inconsistent, then invisible. For a decade, the world came to ExCeL London, saw Ghana, saw Rwanda, saw Kenya, saw South Africa, and asked: Where is Nigeria?
While other stakeholders grumbled, issued communiques, and waited for government budget, one association decided to do something about it.
That association is the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA).
And from 2022 to 2026, NANTA has consistently, stubbornly, patriotically put Nigeria first.
2022: THE MODEST RETURN – THE YEAR NIGERIA CAME BACK
In 2022, Nigeria had been absent from WTM for nearly eight years.
NANTA, under the leadership of Mrs. Susan Akporiaye, with Pastor Chi Umeasiegbu as Eastern Zone Vice President driving the mobilisation, decided: Enough.
There was no government funding. There was no national pavilion. There was only skeletal support.
What NANTA had was members. Members who dug into their own pockets. La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort and Air Peace placed adverts on the Nigerian banner and magazine. NANTA members paid for logistics, for stands, for magazines.
It was modest. But it was mighty.
The BBC noticed. In its special WTM coverage, the BBC featured Nigeria’s return – a return made possible not by government, but by travel agents.
That was the spark. Nigeria was back on the map.
2023: THE COORDINATED PUSH – NIGERIA DAY
In 2023, NANTA came back bigger, bolder, more coordinated.
Ibom Air came on board. La Campagne stayed. NANTA produced a bigger magazine, a bigger presence, and on the last day of WTM, NANTA hosted Nigeria Day – a celebration of Nigerian culture, food, music, and tourism that stopped the halls of ExCeL.
It was no longer just a stand. It was a statement: Nigeria is not a one-off. Nigeria is here to stay.
As Akporiaye would later tell The Sun in London: “Nigeria has always been missing from all these trade shows… There was no stand that belonged to the private sector alone. It was always the government and the private sector. NANTA changed that.”
In 2023, NANTA proved that the private sector could carry a national brand.
2024: THE BLISTERING APPROACH – GRAND, AND A HANDOVER
2024 was NANTA’s finest hour – and its most selfless.
For the first time, NANTA did not just get adverts. It got co-exhibitors.
Ibom Air went beyond adverts to co-exhibit. Eko Hotels supported with advert placement. Sabre Travel Network brought its graphics to the stand. The 2024 stand was grand, colourful, professional – a true national showcase.
But the real story of 2024 was not the stand. It was what NANTA did with it.
In a well-attended ceremony at WTM London 2024, NANTA handed over the responsibility of Nigeria’s participation to the Federal Government through the then Ministry of Tourism and its agency.
Think about that. After spending its own money for three years to keep Nigeria alive, NANTA did not hold on to the glory. It handed the baton back to government, saying: We have done our part. Now you must take it.
The numbers tell the story of sacrifice:
In three years, NANTA spent ₦742,226,100 to deliberately put Nigeria on the global tourism map at WTM. 2411
90% of that money came from NANTA members themselves. 2411
“NANTA began attending WTM after Nigeria had been unrepresented at the event for a decade,” Akporiaye disclosed. “It’s been a wonderful and successful three years that NANTA has participated in WTM, filling the gap left by Nigeria’s absence for over 10 years.” 6791
That is not association work. That is nation-building.
2025: THE GAP THAT PROVED THE POINT
In 2025, Nigeria did not participate in WTM.
And the absence proved NANTA’s point: When NANTA is not there, Nigeria disappears.
The gap in 2025 was a painful reminder that Nigeria cannot afford to treat global marketing as optional. Visibility is not vanity. Visibility is business. If you are not seen, you are not sold.
2026: THE RETURN – NANTA AGAIN, EVER CONSISTENT
In 2026, NANTA is back. Again.
This time, NANTA is the only association with a dedicated stand at WTM London, under President Dr. Yinka Folami. The delegation is led by First Deputy President, Mustapha Mohammed, representing Folami who is away on another assignment for the association. 6840
And in a full-circle moment, Susan Akporiaye – the woman who led the 2022-2024 rescue – is in London again, this time coordinating efforts to ensure a hitch-free participation for the Federal Government through NTDA. 4b55
NANTA spearheaded Nigeria’s return “between 2022 and 2024 without government funding, is once again leading the country’s organised private sector players.” 6840
At the AITEC World launch on 4 November, Akporiaye, now Deputy President of FTAN, again called for “more serious and practicable cultural tourism action plans devoid of noisy proclamations” – the same consistency she has shown for four years. Action, not noise.
That is NANTA’s brand: Show up. Spend your own money. Do the work. Hand over. Come back again.
WHY THIS MATTERS – HOW NANTA IS CHANGING THE CONVERSATION
NANTA’s consistent effort is not just about WTM. It is changing how Nigeria must talk about tourism – for government and for people.
1. From Government-Dependent to Private Sector-Led:
NANTA has proven that tourism marketing cannot wait for budget cycles. The private sector can lead, and government can follow and support. That is the new model for Nigeria.
2. From Speeches to Products:
NANTA did not just talk about Nigeria. It printed magazines, built stands, hosted Nigeria Day, brought airlines and hotels to co-exhibit. It turned talk into tangible marketing assets.
3. From Shame to Pride:
For years, Nigerians were told our image abroad is bad. NANTA showed that when we present ourselves well – with culture, with Jollof rice, with Afrobeats, with our warmth – the world listens. WTM is now a platform to convert cultural appeal “into tangible tourism partnerships, investments and visitor arrivals.” 4615
4. From Fragmentation to Unity:
NANTA’s 2024 handover was a lesson in patriotism over ego. It showed other associations that the goal is not who owns Nigeria’s stand, but that Nigeria has a stand.
5. From Cost to Investment:
₦742 million sounds like a lot. But what is the cost of 10 years of invisibility? NANTA’s investment has now forced government back to WTM in 2026 with NTDA. That is return on investment.
THE LESSON FOR GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE
To Government: NANTA has done the heavy lifting. Do not waste it. Fund WTM every year. Make it a national calendar item, like Ghana and Kenya do. Partner with NANTA, NATOP, and associations- do not compete with them. Give them a seat at the table, not just a handshake in London.
To the People of Nigeria: Tourism is not just for government. It is for you. Every travel agent who contributed to that ₦742 million is a Nigerian who believed Nigeria is marketable. If they can, you can – by visiting Nigeria, by posting Nigeria, by buying Nigerian tourism products.
To Other Stakeholders: Stop grumbling. NANTA has shown muscle is not about noise. Muscle is about showing up, year after year, with your own money, when no one is watching.
GIVE NANTA ITS FLOWERS
In 2022, they returned Nigeria.
In 2023, they coordinated Nigeria.
In 2024, they made Nigeria grand – and handed it over.
In 2026, they are back again, still putting Nigeria first.
NANTA is now 50 years old in 2026 – an association founded in 1973 that has grown from ticketing to nation-branding. ef87
If Nigeria tourism ever becomes the economic powerhouse it should be – creating jobs, earning forex, keeping our culture alive – history will record that when Nigeria was missing, NANTA went to find her in London, and brought her back.
NANTA, ever consistent, putting Nigeria first. That is not just a headline. That is a legacy.
#NANTA #NANTAat50 #MarketingNigeria #WTMLondon #NigeriaFirst #VisitNigeria