October, 2012
Tourism-Travel-Leisure News Undiluted
Vol.3 Issue 20, March 2014
ISSN: 2276-8319
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$4.00, N500.00
Stakeholders Rate Present Tourism Ministry Makeup Worst Ever In Nigeria By Our Correspondent
S Sally Mbanefo, Director General , Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation [NTDC] [Middle], David S . Parradang, Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service [NIS], [right] with Management Team of both Organisations in a group photograph today during a courtesy visit to the Immigration Chief in Abuja recently.
Immigration Boss Lauds NTDC Domestic Tourism Agenda By Lucky Onoriode George
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avid Parradang, Comptrollergeneral of Nigeria Immigration Service [NIS], has lauded the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation [NTDC], for evolving a sustainable vision needed to restart the tourism sector in Nigeria. Parradang, who made the commendation when he received Mrs. Sally Mbanefo, Director General NTDC and her delegation in his office recently in Abuja, said he was particularly happy that the director general of the tourism agency has been living up to expectation and spreading the gospel of domestic tourism in Nige-
ria, which he described ‘ as the magic and a potent instrument capable to jumpstart and kindle the zeal of tourism consciousness in the nation. He said “I am happy that you have discovered what is necessary and needed to unlock the hidden potentialities of this sector. “You will discover that most of the countries reaping bountifully from tourism today first of all looked inside, took the tourism inventory in their countries, drove the consciousness in their own people, develop the sites, enhanced them and invited foreigners to come and see. “This is exactly what Nigeria need to do and it gladdens my heart that you are
not only talking it but doing everything practically possible to bring it to be.” Parradang said statistic within the agency revealed that foreigners love to visit Nigeria tourism sites, but informed that some of them are skeptical about the status and facilities available in these sites, adding “these are the areas which your organization needs to work on.” The comptroller used the opportunity to highlight what the agency has put on ground to further the cause of tourism and tourists when he said “the vocal points of this administration is hinged on capacity building, robust border patrol ,deployment of appropriate technology for
monitoring and statically analysis of foreigners and tourists in Nigeria.” Parradang disclosed that “The Federal Government of Nigeria has made Nigerian visa procurement easy and smooth. “The operation of getting visa at point of entry has kicked off. There are facilities on ground now where you can renew your visa in a day, there is no room for delaying in obtaining Nigeria visa any longer.” He revealed the desire of the agency not only to partner with NTDC, but to collaborate in any way that could add value to the domestic tourism vision of Mbanefo. “Whatever the case is and
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ome tourism practitioners have expressed disappointment on the performance of the current leadership of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, describing it as the worst era since the creation of a full fledged ministry for the tourism industry. The practitioners said this in response to the statement credited to Ambassador Franklin Ogbuewu, former Minister of Tourism and Culture when he pointed out that Nigerians do not seem to understand the economic importance of tourism and culture to the country. Ogbuewu, who spoke at the National Tourism Forum/Expo in Lagos, recently noted that it is even more pathetic, when those in government see tourism as mere dance and enjoyment and not real business. The practitioners, who spoke with African Travel Times magazine, lamented that tourism under the current minister is nothing but a catastrophe. They expressed that the current state of the tourism industry is the worst since it was created in 1999. They are of the opinion that Edem Duke, as a former president of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria [FTAN], umbrella body for the tourism private sector, much is expected from him. Without mincing words, they were unanimous that current minister is a joy killer for setting a bad precedent for the industry, as
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October, 2012
PROUD TO SERVE ENUGU, NIGERIA
FOUR TIMES WEEKLY TH STARTING 24 , AUGUST 2013
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Publisher’s Note Lucky Onoriode George
National Airlines And Future Of Tourism In Nigeria
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ccording to Ralph Emerson, enthusiasm is the grand mother of all interests; without it nothing great is ever achieved. Since the liquidation of our former national airline, Nigerian Airways and its subsequent sell off, Nigeria and Nigerians have been dealt a reputational blow. Following that liquidation, the nation experimented with two different national carriers namely: Virgin Nigeria only for its fingers to be burnt again, and eventually Air Nigeria that also failed to fly beyond 2012. Although this writer is not ready to go into the reasons or the merits of why a new national airline is desirable, it’s obvious that most aviation journalists, the existing airlines and their related operators are the ones working against the survival of the sector. From the contents of Thisday Newspaper’s recent publication and several others that have been carefully analysed by people in the industry, it’s obvious that some journalists are pro aviation ministry, while others are considered anti aviation ministry. From a vantage position, both have reasons to stick to their respective views. However, the contents of their regular analyses, which
were as a result of their respective aviation correspondents’ writings, without doubt have led their media houses to believe that the media opinion is the public opinion. Only recently, an aviation journalist wrote that there are three major reasons why Nigerians oppose the set up of a national carrier. According to the article, people believe that government should not run an airline, especially considering that it never worked in the past. “Secondly, people are also conscious of the corruption in the defunct Nigerian Airways Limited [NAL] and therefore, see the planned new airline as conduit for government officers and their private sector stooges to siphon public fund, going by what happened to the intervention funds deployed by government to help some airlines in the past”. Finally, the writer also noted that others feel that such designation has become old fashioned and may not work in today’s Nigeria. For this group, the prospect will not work now, as long as government has any stake in the airline. Without a doubt, there are many that criticised the present government’s plan to establish an airline on mere cynicism and political antagonism, believing that anything this present
administration has started, no matter how lofty, must be excoriated. Come to think of it, many of us genuinely believe that Nigeria should have one national airline at least, but not carrier. The on-going debate concerning a national carrier that is centred on the decision by the federal government to designate Aero Contractors as national carrier/airline is a welcome development, and those opposing it because of Arik Air are ignorant of the argument and the need for a national airline for the sake of our nascent tourism industry, is a necessity. Those arguing in favour of Arik Air that has the highest number of aircraft [26 of them with average age of seven years], instead of Aero that has only nine aircraft with average age of 19, are even more less informed, because it’s been in public domain, that designating Aero Contractors as the national carrier is underpinned by the fact that Amcon, a federal government institution, already holds 60 per cent stake in the airline and that there is no wisdom negotiating with Arik. But tongues are still wagging that it does not sound right, to exclude Arik Air from the establishment of a national carrier, and how such argument holds, remains
a source of embarrassment to many of us in the travel and tourism industry. It is also a known secret that the airline business is capital intensive, and leaving such in the hands of Nigeria’s private sector, is perpetually sentencing the industry in the hands of mediocre that we have experienced in the last 30 year or thereabout. We all know how Arik Air came to be and the many rumour and stories still hanging around its ownership. Countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Morocco and even small Rwanda, have their national airlines through which they drive tourist traffic to their countries. They provide alternative cheap air transportation to willing tourists to those various destinations that have become main stay of their economies. It’s also a fact that the aviation sector in Nigeria is made up mediocre, and people whose personal interests is the only thing that is permanent, hence the major troubles that the sector has witnessed in recent years. Apart from the absence of competitive and strong tourism products in Nigeria, it’s also obvious that the absence of national airlines is a nail in the coffin of our tourism development, marketing and promotion.
I Was Highly Restricted As A Child – Sobola Page 8-9
FILM: 12 Years a Slave’s Chiwetel Ejiofor Page 16 Editorial Advisory Board Chief Sam Alabi Ogho Okiti [Phd] Jude Nneji Ini Akpabio Mubo Eniola [Phd] Wanle Akinboboye Kunle Adewale Rex Yakpogoro. Babalola Wasiu Adeyemo [Phd] Publisher/Editor Lucky Onoriode George Winner, European Commission Lorenzo Natali Prize for Journalists Reporting Development, Human Rights and Democracy Researchers Richard Debrah, Ike Uchechukwu, Adebukola Adewusi
Contributing Editors Kola Raji, Kirk Leigh, Bayo Adesina, Emeka Umejie
African Travel Times Is A Publication Of Tourism Today Communications Office 40 Mike Akhigbe Way, Jabi Federal Capital Territory [FCT], Abuja Contact: P. O. Box 6250, Festac Town, Lagos. Tel: +234-8033546608, 08057984769 E-mail: info@travelafricanews.com Websites: www.travelafricanews.com www.travelafricanews.com
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Immigration Boss Lauds NTDC Domestic... Continued From Page 1 may be, just be assured that the Nigeria Immigration Service is not only in alliance with your vision of domestic tourism, but ready to support and collaborate with your corporation for the lifting of Nigeria’s tourism status in the comity of tourism states.” In her response Mbanefo commended the Immigration Boss for having a good grasp of the tourism sector “I am impressed by your brilliant overview and suggestion about the tourism sector, which revealed the fact that you are not only a thorough bred Immigration boss, but one with having an informed global perspective of tourism trends. This is a good sign for us at NTDC. “NIS is a very important stakeholder to NTDC and it will be unwise if I did not pay respect to you and seek collaboration and advice. As partner in progress, we want a strong partnership with Nigeria Immigration Service, in the area of easy Visa regime for the entire tourist that will attract the foreign investors”. She disclosed that “We are here to strengthen and lubricate the chord of relationship and collaboration, which should be between the Immigration Service and NTDC, the two Siamese twins of the travel and tourism sector.” Mbanefo said that no tourism agency can make any meaningful impact without a strategic partnership with the immigration service, thus “our paying you this visit is to tell and show you our respect and appreciation of your import and essence to the tourism sector and the domestic tourism vision. We are happy that we met here a man who is well grounded in what we are about to sell to him. “This has made my work smooth,” she disclosed, and that no serious tourism driver of a nation would undermine the position and essence of Immigration service because, “statistical data and effective border control is essential to the growth of tourism and protection of the nation security integrity.” Mbanefo commended the Immigration boss for his sense of duty and the warm reception accorded her delegation “ We commend you for your warm reception, enlightenment and Assurance for collaboration and support, we are leaving here re-energized, re - invigorated and with the assurance of having a productive partner in Nigeria Immigration Service.
South Africa Opens Tourism Office In Nigeria By Godwin Okafor Ekene
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outh African Tourism and by extension South Africa underlined the importance placed on Nigerian tourists by opening their first marketing office on the African continent in Lagos. The rainbow nation’s Tourism Minister, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, along with Nigeria’s Tourism, Culture and National Orientation Minister, Chief Edem Duke, officially opened the office. Speaking, South Africa’s Tourism Minister Mr Marthinus van Schalkwyk said “As a nation, we see the special and longstanding relationship between Nigeria and South Africa as
pivotal towards maintaining an Africa that is economically vibrant and resilient and an Africa that grows through partnerships between nations. “We’ve experienced positive growth figures out of West Africa; a total of 73,282 Nigerian tourists visited South Africa last year marking a 13.8% increase from 2011. At the end of June 2013, Nigerian tourist arrivals had continued to grow on a strong trajectory with 15.9% during the first six months of the year. “Likewise, tourist arrivals from Ghana to South Africa grew by 23.8% in 2012, when South Africa welcomed 22,953 Ghanaian tourists. Up to end June 2013, arrivals from Ghana
Marthinus-van-Schalkwyk, South African Tourism Minister
were growing at 27.3%, to 13, 663 tourist arrivals for the six-month period. The steady growth in both markets makes this region very valuable to us,” van Schalkwyk said. The Nigeria office open-
ing comes on the heels of South African Tourism having officially extended an invitation to the rest of Africa to showcase the continent by exhibiting at the annual Tourism INDABA held in Durban in May every year.
Stakeholders Rate Present Tourism ... Continued From Page 1
L-R: Sally Mbanefo, [M] Director General Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation [NTDC], Leadership of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria [FTAN] and Some NTDC Directors in a Group Photograph Recently in Abuja.
majority of core investors would never support a practitioner as minister again, and that the current minister is nothing but a betrayer of the tourism industry. According to them, “the minister never talked about tourism, except for what he called creative industry; Nollowood because the politicians and the government are using actors and actresses for their selfish interest. They feel even more insulted when the minister launched ‘Fascinating Nigeria’ sometimes last year without substance and frowned at the way and manner the ministry has handled the popular ‘Abuja Carnival’ he inherited.
Ogbuewu, who was considered as the best minister of tourism the country ever had, urged practitioners to come up with statistics to show the contributions of the industry to the nation’s economy, “one way of doing this is through the Tourism Satellite Account [TSA],” he said. The former minister explained that the lack of TSA, which the United Nations’ World Tourism Organisation [UNWTO], has consistently encouraged in the country, has deprived Nigeria from capturing the growth of tourism. “TSA provides the tourism sector with reliable data to assist them in the
design of policies and strategies fo r tourism and to measure performance,” Ogbuewu noted. Delivering a paper on the imperatives of TSA for Nigeria, Ms. Anitha Soni, a tourism consultant from South Africa, said tourism is an important economic and social activity in the majority of countries’ national economies. “It is however, the view that there is insufficient statistics and reliable data in many countries to profile the importance of tourism,” she said. Soni explained that the absence of supply and demand side information, affect the ability to develop sound policy and strategic interventions and pro-
grammes. She said this is because “tourism sector is not measured as a sector in its own right in national accounts; as it is not a clearly defined industry, but rather an amalgamation of industries such as transportation, accommodation, food and beverage services, recreation and entertainment among others.” She said to achieve an accurate quantum of tourism’s contribution to the economy of a country, it is important to measure tourism based on ‘purchases by tourists to the total supply of these goods and services within a country.’
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NTDC To Explore Turkey’s Untapped Tourism Funds
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NCPC Boss Mr. John Kennedy Opara (middle) flanked on his right is the Senate President National Association of Nigeria Students, Comrade John Shima while on his left is the Vice Senate President of the Association , Peculiar Asemota in a group photograph with other members of NANS during their visit to NCPC Corporate HQRTS Abuja.
SGF Commends NCPC On 2013 Christian Pilgrimage
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he Secretary to the Government of the Federation (NCPC), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim has commended the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) for its remarkable performance in the 2013 Christian Pilgrimage Exercise. He make the commendation recently in his office in Abuja during the submission of 2013 Christian Pilgrimage report by NCPC. He commended the commission for the Presidential Pilgrimage last year in which Mr. President, 16 Governors four deputy Governors and some National Assembly members participated. Senator Anyim further commended the Commission for the introduction of three Pilgrimage circles- the Easter pilgrimage, Family pilgrimage pilgrimage and the October/ December pilgrimage. The congratulated members of Board of the Commission for the increased number of self sponsored Pilgrims recorded last year from the States, which was the consequent of the sensitization drive embarked upon by the Commission. According to him, “I am particularly happy that private sponsored Pilgrims for last year was 4,000”.
He maintained that with the signing of BASA, the cost of undertaking pilgrimage would be drastically reduced this year. In the words of the SGF, “you have really contributed your quota very distinctly in the foreign policy of the country with the signing of the Bilateral Air Service Agreement with the State of Israel Senator Anyim further stressed the need for the Board to instill discipline among its Tour operators. His words, “If we have to achieve perfection, there should not be room for indiscipline”. He added,” any Tour Agent that performs below standard should be blacklisted”. He emphasized that greater efforts should be geared towards self sponsorships of pilgrims, adding that no stone should be left unturned to have a wonderful hitch free pilgrimage exercise this year. The SGF also called on NCPC BOARD to ensure that Mr. President would also participate in this year’s pilgrimage exercise. His words: “To sustain the high level of participation last year, whatever the Commission did to make Mr. President participate last year should be replicated this year. Earlier, the Chairman of NCPC, the Most Rev. Nicho-
las. D. Okoh who presented the 2013 Christian pilgrimage report to the SGF on behalf of the Board thanked Senator Anyim Pius Anyim for his support to the Commission. He informed the SGF that the 2013 Christian pilgrimage report was a remarkable one, considering the fact that Mr. President, 16 Governors, deputy Governors and some National Assembly Members participated in the exercise. According to him:” We are happy that such a level of interaction between Nigeria and Israel was achieved”. The Chairman further mentioned that the signing of Bilateral Air Service agreement (BASA) with the State of Israel was finally signed last year, adding that the Commission had contributed positively to the foreign policy of the country. He hinted that the Commission was able to commence the Family Pilgrimage Exercise last year to give Families the opportunity to pray together in the Holy Land. The Most Rev. Nicholas. Okoh who is also the Primate of church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, said that over 4,000 self sponsored Pilgrims embarked on Holy Pilgrimage last year which he attributed to the effect of the sensitiza-
tion drive of the Executive Secretary of NCPC, Mr. John Kennedy Opara to 29 states of the Federation. He informed the SGF that 15,314 Pilgrims were paid for from the States and that the Commission now runs three Pilgrimages in one year. He further mentioned that two additional Airports were used last year to ease the difficulties being faced by pilgrims from the states such as Enugu and Gombe airports. The most Rev. Okoh also noted with excited the completion of the Pilgrims’ Reception by the Commission centre billed to be commission in February, 2014. He affirmed the resolve of the Commission to continue to explore the expansion of the scope of Pilgrimage operation to other Holy sites in the world in accordance with the mandate of the Commission. His words:” We are also extending our research to other parts of the world where rich spiritual heritage can be explored”. The Chairman was accompanied to the SGF Office for the submission of the 2013 Christian Pilgrimage report by the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Mr. John Kennedy Opara and other Board Members.
ally Mbenefo, Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation [NTDC] has said that the corporation is considering exploring the untapped tourism funds in Turkey to develop Nigeria. Mbanefo said this while signing a Memorandum of Understanding [MoU] with the Nigerian-Turkish Chambers of Commerce and Industry [NTCCI] in Abuja. She said the agreement being the first the NTDC was entering into in 2014 was meant to open up avenue to promote private sector investment in tourism, and upgrade the hospitality industry in Nigeria as well as promote bilateral cooperation between both countries. “This agreement is an avenue to promote private sector investment in tourism, because private sector is very important to us,” she said. The NTDC boss also urged Nigerians to travel within the tourist sites in the country more often, spending their money in Nigeria to improve domestic tourism in order to attract foreigners. “If 10 per cent of Nigerians visit tourist sites in the country spend their money here in Nigeria, and another five per cent takes the story abroad, then I believe my job is done,” she added. Speaking earlier, Chairman of the NTCCI, Dr. Eze Eche Hyacinth said the NTDC needed more participation from the private sector, with the experience and passion to portray the country’s tourism at home and abroad.
Ghana: ‘Put Local Foods On Your Menus’
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lizabeth Ofosu-Adjare [Mrs.], Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, has called on tourism operators, especially managers of star-rated hotels, restaurants, etc to consider putting Ghanaian indigenous foods on their menus. She says this is particularly important because Ghanaians and visitors alike are getting increasingly attracted to local Ghanaian cuisines. “I must mention that doing so will also ensure that we keep our hardwork-
ing farmers constantly in business and also provide security for Ghanaian businesses. The Minister made the call when she launched the Health and Critical Analysis Training Programme by the Flair Training Institute in Accra. According to the Minister “the handling of food safety issues in the hospitality industry is critical to the survival of the sector, as various unhygienic foods and other forms of contamination of daily consumables have resulted in a number of health hazards around the world.
Mrs. Ofosu-Adjare commended Flair Catering for its initiative, noting that if concerns of food safety are not addressed in a coherent, consistent and collaborative manner, the livelihoods of vendors and the health of consumers may be at risk. She was full of praise for the enormous contribution the school had made towards improving service standards in the industry, and the offering of employable skills and opportunities to the youth and women since its establishment. She announced that her Ministry, through the
Ghana Tourism Authority, would clamp down on operators in the industry who were not conforming to standards, including that of food safety. On her part, the Executive Chairman of Flair Catering Institute, Mrs. Barbara BaetaBentsiEnchill, said her passion for the introduction of the programme was motivated by her acknowledgement of the little or no concern given to food safety issues. She said the project, funded by the Social Development Fund, is a collaborative one with Accra Sally Mbenefo Polytechnic.
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Starwood Hotels Appoints Tyem As New Area PR Manager For Nigeria
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tarwood Hotels and Resorts recently announced the appointment of Ms Nanji Tyem as Area Public Relations Manager Nigeria with effect from January 1, 2014. By this appointment, she will oversee the Communication Affairs of the five Starwood Hotels in Nigeria; namely Sheraton Abuja Hotel, Sheraton Lagos Hotel, Four Points by Sheraton Lekki, Lagos, Le Meridien Ogeyi Place Port Harcourt and Le Meridien Ibom Hotel & Golf Resort. Tyem, who also doubles as the Public Relations Manager for Sheraton Abuja Hotel, is Stepping into her new position with over 15 years’ experience in Public Relations in the Hospitality Industry. She began her early education in Liverpool England and Islamabad Pakistan, and later got her Tertiary Education at the University of Jos Plateau State and University of Abuja. She has over the years worked as a key member of the international PR
team, managing & facilitating the implementation of the PR strategy for Starwood’s properties, products & corporate initiatives. Her duties also included establishing and managing PR communication processes, ensuring in conjunction with the International PR Director, Water sport at La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, Lagos that Divisional/Corporate image and messages are appropriately projected, distributed and communication objectives are met. Nanji has undergone several professional trainings, international By Lucky George standards and quality of courses as well as rehospitality outfits in terms ceived several awards he Nigerian Tourof service delivery. and recognitions. She ism Development She observed that inspecis currently the UNICEF Corporation [NTDC] tion of Hotels is an overAmbassador for Sheraton has flagged off a sight function of the NTDC Abuja Hotel, a Position nationwide inspection of as the apex hospitality outshe held since 2002. hotels and other tourism fit in Nigeria, charged with The General Manager of enterprises, beginning with the responsibility of ensurSheraton Abuja Hotel Mr the Federal Capital Terriing efficient and effective Boris Bornman, described tory, Abuja and its environs. services for all tourists both the recent appointment In a release made availdomestic and foreign. as a welcome developMbanefo added that the ment, adding that Tyem able to African Travel Times and signed by Mrs. Sally exercise will avail the fedwill definitely bring her Mbanefo the Director General government the opporcreativity, dedication and eral NTDC, she said, the tunity to also ensure those passion for hard-work in essence is to assess the facilities and operations of the discharge of her duties in her new role.
NTDC Flags Off Inspection Of Hotels, Other Tourism Enterprises
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hospitality and other tourism establishments, conform to international best standards; noting that hotel practices across the globe are the same and are rated based on internationally acceptable indicators. She explained that the Inspectorate is meant to be a watchdog on Hospitality & Tourism Enterprises [HTEs], with the aim of ensuring and sustaining standards as the NTDC will use the inspectorate to advice, guide and /or sanction defaulters accordingly.
Gambia Lures Nigerian Tourists
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Nanji Tyem
he Gambia, a popular tourist destination in Africa known as the ‘Smiling Coast’, has thrown its doors open to discerning Nigerian visitors seeking an exotic vacation, family holiday, or savvy corporate organizations requiring high quality facilities for corporate meetings. “We have concluded plans to implement a comprehensive multifaceted campaign in Nigeria to launch The Gambia as a year round destination of choice to all categories of Nigerians”, said Adama Njie, Marketing Director, Gambia Tourism Board [GTB]. Mr. Njie revealed that, through accredited agents and operators, all classes of Nigerian visitors can now have access to comprehensive round-the-year travel and tour packages to enjoy the world renowned hospitality, the spontaneous smile and the warmth of the
people of The Gambia. “For years, The Gambia has been the region’s most formidable destination for people from all over the world. We believe the country offers special attractions which are yet to be discovered by Nigerians. Also, according to Mr. Benjamin A. Roberts, the Director General of GTB, ‘’Nigerians are very hard working and busy people, with a great need for leisure and rest. “Our unique geographical position at the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean enables The Gambia to remain an attractive tourism destination with natural waterways that extend the entire length of the country, lagoons, islands and islets for water sporting, fishing and inland cruise activities”. ‘’The Gambia has an astounding ecosystem which has placed the brand in the eco-tourism forefront in Africa, with a blend of nature,
communities; fauna and flora interacting in a responsible and suitable manner”. ‘’Our ecosystem is sanctuary for over 50 species of birds which crisscross the country through migration activities, making the destination a bird-watching haven. The Smiling Coast of Africa is home to world renowned and African inspired cultural patrimony, some of which are now listed by UNESCO as world heritage sites,” Benjamin further said. For Nigerians who will like a blend of business and pleasure, The Gambia also offers virgin investment opportunities waiting to be explored, particularly in the areas of eco-tourism, agriculture, manufacturing and services, with the added advantage of market access to over 300 million consumers in West Africa, given the Gambia’s gateway advantage.
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London Overtakes Paris As World’s Most Visited City
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aving welcomed a record-breaking number of visitors last summer, London can now claim it is more popular than Paris. London & Partners, the official promotional organisation for London, claimed that investment in the London 2012 Olympic Games would lead to a surge of international interest in the capital. A year after the Games, it seems it has been proven right. Figures released yesterday by the Office for National Statistics show that the city welcomed 4.9 million visitors between July and September 2013, an increase of almost 19.5 percent on the same period in 2012. The figures are a new record for London, not only surpassing the previous peak of 4.7 million visitors seen during that same period in 2006, but also beating the visitor numbers in all other popular city destinations around the world. Britons can now incontestably claim that their capital is more popular than Paris. When yearend figures are released, it is expected that the capital will have wel-
Johnson recommends cycling and the pie and mash in a local pub. Speaking about London’s record-breaking tourism figures at the launch of the campaign, the mayor said: “With so many fascinating museums, the best theatre scene in the world, more green space than any other European city, numerous top sporting venues, a low crime rate and much else besides, it is no wonder that people from all over the globe are flocking to London in record numbers. These incredible figures prove that London is without doubt the greatest city on the planet.”
comed over 16 million overseas visitors in 2013, representing another record-breaking performance. Visitors who came to London during last summer’s heat wave might have witnessed spectacles such as Andy Murray’s Wimbledon win and the celebrations that marked the birth of Prince George, or visited exhibitions including Life and Death Pompeii and Herculaneum at the British Museum or the
V&A’s David Bowie is, which attracted an audience of 312,000 people. The Evening Standard reports that attractions such as the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral and the National Gallery also saw a surge in visitor numbers; spending by foreign visitors over the summer totalled £3.37 billion [$6.3 billion], an increase of approximately five per cent on spend over the Olympic period. Seeking to maintain
this level of success, London & Partners has launched a new video campaign, the London Story, which will see celebrities and locals detail what they most love about living in the capital. For Joanna Lumley, that includes exploring Holland Park and hearing the chimes of Big Ben from her Stockwell home; Gordon Ramsay expresses his fondness for the Royal Albert Bridge and the city’s world-class restaurants; Mayor of London Boris
Okosi Blessing Bassey, Miss Hospitality 2013/14, in a group photograph with students and pupils of Big Qua Girls Secondary and Nursery School, Calabar Municipality, Local Government Area Cross River State.
Almost 100 Million Chinese Travelled Abroad In 2013
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early 100 million Chinese tourists visited foreign countries last year, and they are likely to extend their lead as the world’s biggestspending travellers, state media reported Thursday. A total of 97 million Chinese tourists left the country in 2013, up 14 million from the previous year, the staterun China Daily reported, citing official data from China’s National Tourism Administration. The figures underline the rapid rise in the numbers of Chinese travelling abroad, who numbered just 29 million in 2004. Chinese travellers spent $102 billion overseas in 2012, making them the world’s biggest spenders ahead of Germans and US tourists, and are almost certain to have surpassed that record last year, the report said, citing researcher Song Rui. China’s economy has boomed over the past decade, expanding the ranks of its middle-class who are hungry for foreign travel after the country’s decades of isolation in the last century. European Union and Asian countries have moved to ease visa application procedures for Chinese tourists in recent years, keen to cash in on their big-spending habits. “Chinese tourists spend so much abroad that some foreigners are calling us ‘walking wallets’,” Song, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was quoted as saying. Hotels and retailers around the world have stepped up efforts to woo Chinese visitors. London’s renowned Harrods department store says it now has 70 Mandarin-speaking staff and more than 100 China Unionpay terminals allowing direct payment from Chinese bank accounts.
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March 2014
I Was Highly Restricted As A Child – Sobola Tayo Sobola is an amiable lady, bold, fearless and intelligent, who despite all olds breaks barriers that are always too difficult to scale. In this interview with Lucky Onoriode George, she talked about the very beginning and the journey and prospects ahead of her. Excerpts:
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ho is Tayo Sobola? Tayo is a very simple girl like most out there, because I am not married yet; I am in my late 20s and from Ogun State. Tell us about upbringing and the challenges then in your neighbourhood? I grew up in a polygamous home, but expectedly, I grew up under the roof of my mother and I only see my father when he comes visiting weekends. Growing up in my neighbourhood, I am extremely restricted from mingling with people, and even visiting family members too was not encouraged. My only confirmed outing then was the regular visit to my father every December 24 to January 2, and back home. Besides visiting my dad, my other outing is school and sometimes could be in the house for two weeks, which has really come to be part of me till today. Growing up, what was your desire or dream? Growing up, my dream was to become a lawyer. As a result of my dream and desire of becoming a lawyer, I studied for Diploma in Law at the Lagos State University [LASU] between 2002 -2004, before crossing over to Olabisi Onabanjo University for a degree programme in Public Administration. When did you decide in going into acting? Never sat down to plan one day I would go into acting. It just came and I grabbed it. Shortly before I left LASU for Olabisi Onabanjo University, I had this friend called Emeka Okoro, who said to me that I could act, and he volunteered to register me as a member of Guild of Actors, which he actually paid for. After he successfully registered me, I found myself thereafter going to the National Theatre for auditioning and casting. From that point, I started doing some stuff here and there before I left Lagos to school in Ogun State, while there; the whole movie stuff almost went off my head. Many today know you as an audacious producer; can you lead us into some works you have been involved in; Films you‘ve acted in? Waooo! I have been involved in so many aspect of the industry. I started as an actress and gradually now into production. Though I started with English movies, but today, am mostly involved in Yoruba movies. I Kicked off as an actress, but not necessary as a movie producer. Like you know, Nigeria is much more different from other countries, I sat down and thought about it and concluded I could as well do the production stuff too. Largely, it all depends on your ideas and what you think you can do. Just like musicians and other people in various fields, who are doing well without the certificate they had acquired; and
I said I could do same and the rest is history. I have featured in some movies that I cannot even traced myself in them because of the different roles and names; until someone will call to say, ohhh! I saw you in a particular movie. Nowadays, I am more into Yoruba movies, even though I started with English ones. Can remember I starred in ‘Ewu Loko Longe’ produced by, Yinka Sam Aina and that happened to be the first film where I was prominent if I should put it that way. I also did Ojukoju with Femi Adebayo and another by Gbenga Oyeyiga and few others. In production, I did Arewa Onijogbon and the latest one, ‘Corper Jide’ which I am planning to take on tour of all Yoruba speaking states. Back to your question referring to me as an audacious person, yes, I have plans to seat down, observe very well, learn and make moves. I am not afraid, because I am willing to learn. Why into Yoruba film making, knowing you to be a young swagger and very modern/new generation person? That really surprises many people because appearance wise, I don’t really look like one and they say you are not Yoruba, and that maybe I just know how to speak. Most times, people watching movies I featured in would wait until my name is scrolled to believe I am really Yoruba. Like I said before, I started with English movies, but in the very beginning, I was not even sure if I could do Yoruba movies, because I was still not very sure if I speak enough of my mother’s tongue to do so. However, I am strong believer of the popular saying that ‘practice makes more perfect’. I chose Yoruba movies, if am allowed to use the word, ‘accommodating’ because of the ‘charm’ too. I have also done lots of soap, some of which are not out yet.
Let’s talk of your first film Arewa Onijogbo? The movie is about a step-mother and her step-daughter. In summary, it’s about a man who lost his wife and the only child who happened to be a girl lives abroad. Before she returned, the father had re-married and the lady, who had now acquired western culture, is now having a running battle with the step mother, who would always insists that the step-daughter must respect her as her mother by always kneeling down when greeting her. The aforementioned was just the genesis of the crisis. How did the public receive it? It’s been well received I must confessed. Though, there is a myth that marketers to put new face or faces of movie pack, funny enough, I am lucky and it’s been very positive. Who are the known names in the movie? I have popular names from the industry and comedian; Akin Lewis, Rachel Oniga, Tunde Bernard ‘Baba T’ and Olaniyi Afonja among others. In term of success financial wise, how good was it for your bank account? You really want me to tell you that? To be very candid, there isn’t much money in this stuff, but just enough to get by. You don’t just wake one morning and think everything would just workout perfectly and expect the cash to roll in, it would certainly takes time. All I can say is that, the outcome was very rewarding and pleasing. Your second film ‘Corper Jide’ why such a title? A movie should be ‘suspense’ until you watch it. Am, ever willing to learn and ensure that same mistakes are not
March 2014
repeated in my new works. Like most Nigerian movies, you can figure out what the film is all about from their title. However, for ‘Corper Jide’, if you don’t watch it, you never decode what the film is all about. Am sure most people would be expecting to well dress National Youth Service Corps [NYSC] members, but far from it and you will not know where Corper Jide comes from, until the end of the movie. How many top stars do you have in Corper Jide? So many of them, I have Dele Odule, Yemi Sholade, Aremu Afolayan, Ayo Mogaji, Ayo Adesanya, Iyabo Oko and Wale Akorede. How did you raise money to pay them? I paid them from my pocket. Like you said in the beginning of the interview, you know me for a while and you can testify to how hard I have worked and hustle. I know a lot of people would be saying where did she raise money from? The records are there that I have been working since 2003 and the bottom line was that, I saved. Because my mum would not always allow me to go out, once in awhile, I sneaked out to get stuff done and such earnings I put away. Eventually when my parents started seeing news and interviews about me in the papers, it was too late to stop me and thereafter, was allowed to pursue my passion.
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you have them? I have one on my right leg, another behind my right shoulder and the last one on my left arm. What inscription are they? They are just for fun though, and I can confirm that nothing is attached to them. How would you describe your fashion sense? I wear whatever I feel comfortable in. I don’t do things because everyone is doing. I do things my own way. Sometimes, I prefer them very simple and not too loud. Again, I don’t like wearing heavy makeup, I like appearing very simple and natural most times, except it is for work and a particular role in what I do. You are now a different person, public figure for that matter, how is your love life? Well, as far as I am concerned, I am still single till I am married. Succinctly put, I am extremely single till I am married. How have you handled sexual intimidation that many talked about in Nollywood? It happens everywhere. Be it in the banks, schools, government parastatals and others, if you are good looking, you would surely
Apart from being an actress, you are also a writer, dancer and singer, how do you cope? I am coping, but now, am more into production and modelling photography. You are not on location every day, so when you are not there, you get yourself busy with other stuffs. You socialise with lots of comedians, how come? I have been in the entertainment industry for about 10 years now and know most of them. They are friends and some just like brothers. The industry in a sense is just one big family. Tayo Sobola How do they take you, because most of them I have seen you socialising with are far more your seniors and veterans if I may say so? They all call me their sister. Honestly, everyone can see far, if they so wish to see. It all started turning out well, when many saw the stuff I did with Bovi, and the surge in contact if I could do stuff with them. The question is where were they all these years, after-all, I have been with them. Thanks to Bovi, he saw what others perhaps could not figure out in me. Sometimes, I am even still wrongly introduced as a comedian, which I am not, just an actress. If there is any comedy scripts though, I can always act and play the part.
be pestered with sex, love songs and their likes. As a young single person, if no one talks to you in two months, go in front of the mirror and examine yourself. It also depends on your personality. If you do not want to work hard as a lady, be prepared for it. Any regret on the path you have chosen? Honestly for now, no. What are your future plans? One of my main goals is to go abroad to study more on what I am doing now because; there would be a time that I would go behind the scene, doing more of production and directing, instead of acting.
What message do you have for your fans? People think you love tattoos, Whoever you are out there, just how many do you have? be determine. Whatever you do, I have got three tattoos. hard work pays and can get you Which part of your body do that stuff that you want to be in life.
10 March 2014
Photographs of Canival Calabar 2013
His Excellency Senator Liyel Imoke and his wife Obioma Liyel Im
Senator Ndoma Egba and his Bayside band.
L-R: High Chief Edem Duke, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Na Gabe Onah, Chairman Cross River State Carnival Commission making a speech during the celebration
Some Revellers at the event [M] Carnival Queen 2013
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Some happy faces at the event
moke during the tape cutting of the event.
Children are not left out too
ational Orientation with some dignitaries during the event
Ikechi Uko, CEO of Akwaaba Travel Fair and some Rwandees babes at the event
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October, 2012
March 2014
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Imo Will Bounce Back – SA Culture Paddy Obinna is the Special Adviser on Culture to His Excellency, Owelle Rochas Okoroha, Imo State Governor. In this interview with Ike Uchechukwu, he bares his mind on salient issues bordering on the development of the tourism and hospitality landscape of the state, with regards to the rejuvenation of Imo Concorde Hotel, development of Cultural centres, as well as the Imo carnival. Excerpt:
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n your opinion, what is the distinction between tourism and Culture? Tourism is the movement of people, site seeing and relaxation, but something has to attract people to the place. It could be sports tourism, religion where people go for different fellowships/conferences. Even in the Catholic Church, they do Christ the king and take to the streets. These are many forms of tourism. In the process, people come in, book hotels and do so many things that positively affect the economy of the people and invariably their lives. Under culture, we still have festivals and carnivals, which are two different things. Festival is done in-house while carnivals are floats, road shows, parades. Culture of our people here in Imo state, which is made up of 637 autonomous communities, will be a showcase of different dances, masquerades, music, dressing, etc. this could be exhibited in an arena where people come from different parts to experience this. So, you see the correlation between culture and tourism. Many states have cultural calendar running from beginning of the year till the end. Once you have an established cultural calendar, the tourist who comes, look forward to what will happen in Imo state in January and every other month. As we have finished with the Christian festivities, there is a new season, because the weather is changing and it is becoming more sober, people start going into cultivation which is our mainstay. In those days, they had certain ritual and cultures before going into farming to celebrate the god
of Yam, cassava, mother earth [ala], asking for God’s divine favour as they go into the farming period. With the advent of Christianity, the Easter celebration comes up. What is the synergy between your office and the hospitality industry in Imo State? Whatever programme we are implementing is to create a market for the hospitality industry, for the numerous beautiful hotels that abound in the state, especially with what the governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has done in terms of creating a serene environment for tourists and visitors alike. Beautiful roads and hotels are scatters all over, good environment. Also, any programme that we have, they will be carried along both as stakeholders, partners and sponsors. So, there is a solid synergy. Is there an established platform between government and the private sector to harmonize the tourism/hospitality industry in Imo state? For the fact that most of these establishments in one way or the other are members of the same family, because we want to sell to the larger world, our interest is to market Imo. So, whether it is the commissioner for tourism, commerce or the private sector, we are in this together. If I tell them that this is what I am doing, they will key into it because I will call on them to give me their support. As you also know, it is a multi faceted industry: the Security agencies are involved, transport companies, travel/tour agencies and many others, they are
Paddy Obinna
Whatever programme we are implementing is to create a market for the hospitality industry, for the numerous beautiful hotels that abound in the state all stakeholders. It is a holistic industry. So, if we get it right, we all smile together, even the telecommunication companies. The little things like water were on high demand during the carnival, so the economic impact if we get it right is immeasurable. That is the power of movement of people [tourism], we are trying to achieve that now in Imo, because culture is our way of life. Can you give more insight into programmes and policies your governor has in place to drive this sector? In an attempt to drive tourism forward, he established this office; there was nothing like this before now. There is also the ministry of
Transport and tourism. He has tried to appreciate the people’s way of life. We work hard, therefore we also enjoy hard. If you were here during the Christmas period, you would discover that there was never a dull moment in terms of what happens in the evening. Christmas carols, Eagles square, all kinds of people were treated to savour experiences of appreciating the beauty of Owerri. The governor, in his rescue mission, wants to take Imo and make it better than it was. Anyone who was here 4-5 years ago will definitely attest to the fact that Imo is better. There is now night life. You can now walk the streets at night and wonder if this really is the Imo you
know. Owelle is integrating every facets of our lives, meeting people feel better, behave better and live better, including the children; in fact touching the lives of everybody at this time you would have seen children loitering and hawking round the streets, selling pure water, but the moment school begins, every child is in school because there is no school fees to be paid up to university level. By so doing, a lot of nuisance has been curbed. Whatever programme Owelle has, be it in education, tourism and so on, he has tried to see our way of life moving better, ensuring he integrates it. Can you give us a holistic view of the tourism and culture industry in Nigeria? Being a part of all the carnivals in the country, including Africa’s biggest street party, the carnival Calabar, which started in 2000, Donald Duke thought it wise to use the carnival as a platform to open up Cross River to the entire world, and we have all seen the extract it has grown to today. It is the putting of one foot in a thousand miles that shed Calabar to where it is today. The idea of Tinapa and Continues on Page 18
16 March 2014
FILM: 12 Years A Slave’s Chiwetel Ejiofor Profile
E Chiwetel Ejiofor on set
By PAM GRADY
C
HIWETEL Ejiofor was already familiar with the slave trade through his own research before he signed on to play Solomon Northup, the beleaguered hero of Steve McQueen’s harrowing drama 12 Years a Slave. Between that background, John Ridley’s screenplay and Northup’s memoir on which the film is based, the London-born actor had all the material needed for his character. Then a trip to Nigeria, his parents’ homeland, to make the film Half a Yellow Sun proved invaluable, deepening Ejiofor’s insight into the history he was about to re-enact. “I was lucky enough to be in Calabar in Nigeria. My last day was spent at the slave museum there,” said Ejiofor. “My family is Igbo. Hundreds of thousands of Igbos were taken out of there to Louisiana, so I then was able to travel on the journey, that exact line. I spent a day eating okra in Nigeria. I turn up New Orleans and I have a plate of okra. You’re there.” Northup never made that journey. He was born a free man in Saratoga Springs, New York. He was a husband, a father, a musician and a working man in 1841 when two men hired him to play violin for their circus troupe, a ruse to lure him to Washington DC, where he was shanghaied and sold into slavery. McQueen and Ridley
were already at work on a script about a fictional character in similar circumstances when McQueen’s wife, historian Bianca Stigter, found Northup’s 1853 memoir, a book that created a sensation when it was published shortly after he regained his freedom, but had since fallen into obscurity. “When I read Solomon’s story, that was it,” McQueen says. “It’s such an extraordinary story that I thought, ‘Oh, wow, I need to make this’. Every time I turned a page of the book, I saw images.” 12 Years a Slave is a huge production with a large ensemble cast that includes Paul Giamatti as a slave trader, Benedict Cumberbatch as a relatively benevolent slave owner and McQueen’s Hunger and Shame star Michael Fassbender as Solomon’s ruthless later master Edwin Epps. The director’s most vital casting decision was who would play Northup, and as he read the man’s memoir, Ejiofor was the only actor he envisioned. Over nearly two decades, the actor, 36, has built an impressive career. He made his screen debut in Steven Spielberg’s 1996 drama Amistad, won a British Independent Film Awards best actor prize for his role in Stephen Frears’ 2002 immigrant drama Dirty Pretty Things, and captured an Independent Spirit Best Supporting Male award in 2008 for Talk to Me. “He was the man,” McQueen said. “I needed someone with a certain
kind of grace, a certain kind of decorum, a certain kind of stature in the same vein as, say, Harry Belafonte or Sidney Poitier. Chiwetel, he was the man.” The challenge for Ejiofor was how to approach a role that was going to be emotionally and physically draining. Northup was a man who spent a dozen years being brutalised and dehumanised. When actor and director first met to discuss the film they talked about Northup’s experience in terms of a fairy tale. McQueen referenced Pinocchio and Alice in Wonderland. It was the latter that gave Ejiofor his key into getting under Solomon’s skin. “You slip down the rabbit hole,” Ejiofor said. “I suddenly thought that’s probably how he viewed it, as more of a kind of surreal science fiction. You feel like you’re in one battle at the beginning, but actually you’re in a completely different battle. You think you’re in a battle for your freedom, but you’re actually in a battle for your mind.” Adding to the verisimilitude of 12 Years a Slave were the heat of a Louisiana summer and locations that included plantations with roots that stretch back to Northup’s time. “You go on those plantations and there are oaks that are over 300 years old and have witnessed slavery,” said Ejiofor’s costar Lupita Nyong’o, who has a breakout role as Patsey, a slave favoured by Epps but despised by his wife (Sarah Paulson).
“They are the trees under which slaves took shade, and then they are also the trees that slaves hung from.” Among the things that Ejiofor did to prepare to play Northup was learn to play the violin, cut sugar cane and pick cotton. The part was physically taxing, even if the actor did not have to go through the real torture that Northup experienced. “It was deeply uncomfortable,” he said. “I think that was part of how to get inside this man. I felt like being uncomfortable or feeling pain was very advantageous in this film for me as an actor. Feeling pain in some of the beatings - obviously not to the extent that Solomon or anyone being hit by a paddle or whip - but feeling some pain, feeling some discomfort. Feeling those moments were important because they put you into contact with the experience in a way that is very, very valuable. “There is something cathartic about the physical energy engaged in cutting down trees or even sugar cane,” he added. “That is really hard. Sugar cane is tough.” Northup’s words provided Ejiofor his biggest inspiration in playing the role. When he read the memoir, Ejiofor came across a passage in which Northup recalls being tortured under the hot Louisiana sun. “But I would have given more years of servitude,” he wrote, “if they only moved me a few feet into the shade.” “At that moment, that’s when I realised, ‘OK, this guy’s working on a com-
jiofor was born in London’s Forest Gate, to Nigerian parents. His father, Arinze, was a doctor, and his mother, Obiajulu, was a pharmacist. His younger sister is CNN correspondent Zain Asher. In 1988, when Ejiofor was 11, during a family trip to Nigeria for a wedding, he and his father were driving to Lagos after the celebrations when their car was involved in a head-on crash with a lorry. His father was killed, but Ejiofor survived. He was badly injured, and received scars that are still visible on his forehead. Ejiofor began acting in school plays at the age of thirteen at Dulwich College and joined the National Youth Theatre. He then got into the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art but had to leave after his first year, after getting a role in Steven Spielberg’s film Amistad. He played the title role in Othello at the Bloomsbury Theatre in September 1995, and again at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow in 1996 when he starred opposite Rachael Stirling, who played Desdemona. Ejiofor was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours. pletely different level’,” Ejiofor said. “He is operating on a level of survival that is so unique, that is so rare, that he is bound to get through this, instinctually. That was what was surprising to me. It wasn’t an intellectual decision that ‘if I think in this way about this then I have some kind of hope of getting out of this’. It was an instinct. “His instinct told him, ‘Life is too precious, life is too joyous, and there is a way back around’. That’s why it’s such a privilege to play Solomon Northup.” San Francisco Chronicle
October, 2012
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18 March 2014
Ethiopian Airlines: Can The Success Story Be Replicated By Cees Harmon
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lthough this writer had developed a phobia for air travels recently, considering recent air mishaps in Nigeria, where he lives, when the opportunity came to fly Ethiopian Airlines on a five hour flight from Lagos to Addis Ababa, the phobia sort of melted, largely owing to the airline’s long standing good record of safety. That this story is written is a testimony that that safety expectation was met. But beyond safety, the ever smiling and amiable air hostesses, who later served food and transmuted again into air hostesses naturally inspires a yearning for another Ethiopian Airlines experience. In an industry that is troubled by global standards, and dying, by African standards, Ethiopian Airlines has remained successful in terms of safety and profitability for its almost seven decades of existence and counting. In 2011 alone, for instance, Ethiopian Airlines received four different awards. These include African Cargo Airline of the Year, Deal of the Year 2010 Award, Africa’s Most Profitable Airline of the Year [2011 was the third in a row] as well as African Airlines Association [AFRAA] Award for being consistently profitable over the years. [AFRAA is the trade organization open to membership of African Union states in the airline business]. Ethiopian Airlines’ success story is no doubt a far cry from the underperformance and/or comatose state of the likes of South African Airlines, Kenyan airlines, Air Afrique, and Nigeria Airways, to name a few. It leaves many in wonderment what accounts
for such achievement? Some close watchers of the airline are of the opinion that national pride is a contributing factor. According to one source, after the liberation of Ethiopia, Emperor Haile Selassie I asked the United States, the United Kingdom, and France to help him establish an airline as part of his modernization effort. The BBC, in a report once attributed the possibility that the Emperor intended the creation of a quality national airline to help dispel impressions of Ethiopian poverty. That instinct to dispel the poverty perception of Ethiopia in the emperor smacks a sense of dignity as a person, which may have permeated the nation, coupled with the desire to live that Ethiopian pride may have impelled the emperor to employ his best resources towards establishing the airline and ensure that it worked.
Probably that desire formed the very basis that would become a tradition that would keep the airline afloat to date. And as if to shield the entity from the claws of a financially hard-pressed government, the emperor in time made the airline completely independent of government interference. Ethiopian Airlines, which is wholly owned by the government of Ethiopia, has traditionally been unfettered by government intervention, even during times of significant turmoil and domestic hardship. Whereas many African state owned airlines were and remain poorly run, with staffing even serving nepotistic purposes, and business decisions being made on political grounds, Ethiopian Airlines remains professionally run and managed, leading the Christian Science Monitor to term it more than two decades ago as a capitalist success in
Marxist Ethiopia. That sense of dignity may have infused a tradition to make the airline to succeed in the generations to come. As if to bolster that argument, the airline’s CEO, Tewolde Gebremariam, has said: “First and foremost, the airline has exceptionally dedicated and uniquely committed employees and management. Ethiopian Airlines employees do not consider their association with their airline as a simple contract of employment for a monthly pay check; rather they consider themselves to be in a long-term mission of building a competitive global airline brand for their country. “The airline has also been very strict on cost leadership. We knew we had to be a fullservice network carrier but we wanted the lowest possible unit cost while providing a product that meets global standards.
That has given us a competitive advantage in terms of pricing flexibility. “And we have a long-term vision. Very few airlines think in terms of a 15-year strategy. If you just go from quarter to quarter you may hit a few targets but you will neglect your longer-term goals. He further explained, “corporate governance has played a role too. The ownership and management of the airline are completely separate and this has been a successful set-up. The government is the 100% owner, but the management are aviation professionals and run the airline as an independent business. There is no unwarranted interference and management are responsible and accountable for day-to-day operations. Last but not least, we have a strong brand in Africa. We have been providing connectivity for a long time and we have a lot of good will from all African countries.” Abenet Bekele, the Chief Strategy Officer of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange added that the Airlines invests in the professional ability of its employees with the goal of rendering such services to its clients that they always want to come back. The foregoing points to costeffective management, as well as well trained work force that contributes to high retention of customers and dedication to build a brand as the success factors of the airline. But if that is so, then it leaves a lingering question in mind, why hasn’t the Ethiopian airline’s success story been replicated in other sectors of the economy? Not a few Ethiopians point to the fact that the airline has been independent of government interference for almost five decades, whereas other sectors have only until the past 10 or 15 years been run by government. They posit that with government getting its hands off business, Ethiopia may begin to score successes in other sectors of the economy.
Imo Will Bounce Back – SA Culture Continued from Page 15 Obudu also made Cross River what it is today. It is in the same vein that other states are keying into developing their own industry. In Imo, we brought new life to Concorde Hotel and expanded it; what used to be the parliamentary area is now part of Concorde, so the people can have where to stay comfortably in a safe, serene and exquisite environment. Now that we have finished the phase of building hotels, we have moved to building Cultural Centre. This mandate was given to my office by the governor in the capital and the 27 local governments, with a view to effectively harness our arts, skills and crafts and get people to see our culture and see Imo. This platform is where the artists, craftsmen will be able to build and showcase their works. It is not high rising structure, but it will be in the form of natural home and village setting. People will be able to see Imo as they move from the state Cultural Centre to the ones in the 27 local governments, and then the tradi-
tional institution can judiciously use those places in the natural form on such things like traditional marriages, discuss things on our culture instead of expecting everybody to run to town, you can see development happening in the local government and at the zonal level. What other tourism sites/ products are in Imo? We have places like the Ugwuta and Abadada Lakes. We also have some sites like the Lagwa Monkey Colony, the Nekede Zoo, and the Mbari Cultural Centre, where we have the cultural areas [see traditional Sculptural arts]. The Ada palm Plantation spanning over 600,000 palm trees, very natural and tourist will love to see the place because of the esoteric ambience Nekede Zoo is no longer what it used to be, what plans has the government put in place to revive it? Everything in Imo must be better. We have indent in it. We are looking at the 22
acres of land, not just for the animals, but it also forms a cultural setting. You still see exotic trees, so apart from the animals, trees preservation is also part of our loan, because there are some of them you see there that will make you or any tourist marvel at nature. What has been your major challenge? My challenge so far has been shortness of time. We were supposed to have a carnival in Imo, but due to time constraint and other carnivals too that fell within that period, we had to re-strategize so that it would not conflict with theirs, but we have already programmed it to come up in April, which is Easter. Can you elaborate on the Imo Carnival? It’s something you have not seen before, something new. Before now, we had the Omenimo cultural festival, which is just a collection of dance troop and masquerade from the different communities. We want to give
Paddy Obinna the masquerades a new look, something different from the devilish days or near devilish contention, that the perception of a masquerade is supposed to be something scary. We now want to get out of that mind set and present things that people will and should enjoy. If you look at the carnival Calabar, people are well costumed, you see different coolers and they form part of the carnival, and they cannot dress that way on an ordinary day because people
will take flow for masquerades, but beautiful ones. We are trying to blend our culture, registering into bands and giving them the needed orientation and training. We want to see and admit our local ingenuity and blend it with modernity of our carnival. What will be the unique selling point of Imo Carnival? The originality and authenticity that is what we are trying to establish. We don’t want to over imitate.