January 21, (THEWILL) – Last weekend, Africa’s tourism ambassador, Ikechi Uko, clocked 60 and to celebrate his new age, as well as the things he has done to promote tourism in Africa and beyond, about 42 people contributed money to renovate the Nigerian National Museum in his honour. They decorated the walls with an installation art tagged ‘Naija Seven Wonders’ at the National Museum in Lagos.
‘Naija Seven Wonders’ is a project put together by some Nigerian tourism promoters, led by Uko, to highlight and showcase the huge tourism resources in the country. After an exhaustive search and public voting, the project team announced the seven wonders of Nigeria in 2012 which was expected to lead to the recovery and greatness of the tourism industry in Nigeria.
The ‘Naija Seven Wonders’ are Obudu Mountain Resort in Cross River State, Sukur Heritage Site in Adamawa State, Osun- Osogbo Groove in Osun State, Kano Walls, Oke Idanre Hills in Ondo State, Benin Moat in Edo State and National War Museum, Umuahia, Abia State. The surprise event also included the installation of a huge African cooking pot to signify Uko’s role in making jollof rice popular globally with the jollof wars that he began with the Ghana Tourism Authority in 2016.
They covered the walls with Uko’s pictures. They also organised a surprise party and brought in his friends from South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda, Gambia and the Former Minister of Tourism in Seychelles, Alain St Ange, to Lagos for the event.
A travel promoter, tourism development expert, media consultant and author, Ikechi Uko is also the organiser of Akwaaba African Travel Market, the first international travel fair in West Africa; Abuja Bantaba, Accra Weizo and Port Harcourt Bantaba.
Some of the guests in attendance at the event include former Minister Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Seychelles, Alain St. Ange; Wanda Ibru; High Commissioner of Trinidad and Tobago to Nigeria, Mr Wendell Vincent Carlton De Landro; immediate past DG, National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe; Chairman, Cross River State Carnival Commission, Gabe Onah; President, National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Susan Akporiaye and MD/CEO, Tour Brokers International Uloma Egbuna.
Others are the COO, IBOM AIR, George Uriesi; Sen Florence Ita Giwa; NATOP President Imeh Udo; CEO Experts Travel Rwanda Fifi Rurangwa and former Lagos Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Steve Ayorinde.
A little over a year ago, Uko was appointed Head, Aviation, Cargo Road Map Development Committee, an aviation cargo roadmap inaugurated by the Muhammadu Buhari-led government.
Considered one of the best to ever do it on this side of the divide when it comes to travel and tourism conferencing and events, Uko’s appointment has been applauded by many as putting a round peg in a round hole. A travel enthusiast, publisher of Africa Travel Quarterly Magazine and several others, he is a recipient of many awards and recognitions who has been appointed by successive governments both within and outside Nigeria to head various arms of the travel, aviation and tourism industry, as well as to boost it for development, promotion and revenue generation.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
