Connect with us

Personality in Focus

Ex-NTDA DG, Stakeholders Call for Improved Regulations, Transformation of AI

Published

on

The former Director-General of the Nigeria Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Mr. Folarin Coker, and other tourism stakeholders have called for improved Artificial Intelligence regulations and its transformation for sustainable growth in Nigeria’s tourism and travel sector.

The call was in sequel to the recent technical network glitch involving the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Nigeria International Travel Portal (NITP), which disrupted travel operations and left thousands of inbound and outbound passengers stranded at airports worldwide.

The incident, which reportedly prevented passengers from boarding flights bound for Nigeria, has renewed concerns over the country’s reliance on digital systems and highlighted the need for stronger technological infrastructure, effective regulation and improved AI integration to ensure seamless travel operations and enhance the tourism experience.

Speaking on Villa Square, a special segment of Cre8tive 9Ja, a weekly tourism and culture magazine programme hosted by veteran tourism journalist Frank Meke and Bunmi Bade-Adeniji on Mainland 98.3 FM, Lagos, former Director-General of the Nigeria Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Folarin Coker, said Nigeria should not confuse digitisation with transformation.

“We should not confuse digitisation with transformation. Putting a broken process online is not reform,” Coker said.

He noted that the country’s ambition should be to make travel easier, improve the productivity of tourism businesses and ensure better management of destinations.

Coker said there was a need to deconstruct the existing system and create an ecosystem in which the necessary structures work effectively before AI is deployed to deepen the passenger experience.

According to him, AI can improve various aspects of travel, including the embassy and visa processes, flight bookings, pricing, arrival experiences, transportation and cultural engagement.

“Artificial Intelligence and technology are being mistaken for true development. It is not about another app or website, but about fixing the things that need to be fixed and setting the standards,” he said.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of Global Links Service, Pastor Chinyere Umeasiegbu, said airline operators were often responsible for flight disruptions.

She urged airline operators to address the recurring issue of flight cancellations, stressing the need for sustainable reforms that do not rely solely on Artificial Intelligence.

Umeasiegbu also called for improved communication between airlines and passengers, advising travellers to take screenshots of messages relating to flight delays and submit them to the appropriate authorities when necessary.

Coker further stated that the government must address fundamental infrastructure challenges, including roads and security, while establishing standards for globally competitive hotel services rather than relying on AI as a substitute for broader development.

“A digitally driven tourism agenda is what most people are using. However, we have a gifted cultural expression that can help amplify our tourism agenda, from music, fashion and food to medical tourism,” he said.

He stressed the need for government to make Nigeria’s tourism experience more accessible by providing the necessary infrastructure and ensuring that tourism products and destinations are easily bookable without technological disruptions.

The Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Obi Asika, disclosed that the council had established a Council for Creative Technology and would soon publish a digital roadmap outlining how Artificial Intelligence could be incorporated into the arts and culture sector.

“We need to enrich Artificial Intelligence with the elements of our culture, our history and our content. We need to do this and put the necessary systems in place because, if we don’t, Artificial Intelligence might not be able to see us,” Asika said.

He explained that the concern was partly linked to the data and content used to train AI systems, noting that African and Black tourism and cultural knowledge needed greater representation.

On the role of AI in food tourism and promoting Nigerian cuisine globally, Chef Shine said the technology could be used to properly document and promote the country’s culinary heritage.

“It is important for us to use AI to document our food properly. AI will not take over our food, nor will AI cook the food,” he said.

“This is the best time to discuss the digital agenda and Artificial Intelligence. We need to use AI to document our food and monetise our cuisine,” he added.

Speaking on the use of AI in promoting Nigeria as a tourism destination, travel and tourism journalist Okorie Uhuru said the technology was already transforming the way destinations and tourism products were marketed.

“The old order of doing things, like packaging a destination tour and marketing tourism, has faded because of Artificial Intelligence. AI has helped us market our tourism to a global audience,” he said.

Uhuru urged tourism stakeholders and individuals to adapt to the technology in order to remain competitive.

“As individuals, you have to make an effort to align with AI to sell your tourism product; otherwise, you will be left behind,” he said.

Professor Wasui Babalola called on the government to develop policies that would help translate technological advancement into economic value.

He said the digital transformation process must retain a human element if it is to contribute meaningfully to the development of Nigeria’s tourism sector.

“The knowledge of the digital process should be given with a human element, and that is when our tourism would improve,” Babalola said.

This piece is contributed by Onyeka Ezike

Continue Reading
Advertisement


Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Personality in Focus

Anne Carson Wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature Award

Published

on

Canadian poet, essayist and translator Anne Carson has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature for her inventive writing and her engagement with the classical tradition. Her work brings together poetry, criticism, translation and narrative, expanding the forms through which contemporary literature can tell stories.

Born in Toronto in 1950, Carson trained as a classicist and has combined writing with university teaching and translation throughout her career. Her interest in the origins and meanings of words informs both her scholarship and her poetry. Ancient texts provide material for her explorations of desire, grief, identity and human relationships.

Her translations include If Not, Winter (2002), a rendering of Sappho’s surviving poetry that preserves the gaps between fragments. She has also translated plays by Sophocles and Euripides, bringing the language and conflicts of Greek tragedy into contemporary expression.

Carson’s writing gained increasing recognition during the 1990s. “The Glass Essay,” published in Glass, Irony, and God (1995), combines the experience of a relationship’s end with reflections on Emily Brontë, family life and solitude. Its movement between personal narrative and literary interpretation demonstrates her freedom in working across genres.

Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse (1998) remains among her most celebrated works. Drawing on fragments by the ancient Greek poet Stesichoros, Carson reimagines the winged red monster Geryon as a young person discovering photography, desire and heartbreak. The book places his experiences at the centre of a story traditionally associated with the exploits of Herakles.

Her later publications continue this experimentation. Float (2016) consists of twenty-two chapbooks that readers can approach in any order. Wrong Norma (2024) brings together varied prose pieces, extending her interest in the possibilities of short, loosely connected forms.

Carson has also collaborated with visual artists, choreographers and theatre and opera directors. These projects carry her writing into performance and establish connections between literature and other arts.

The award recognises a career devoted to close attention to language and continual experimentation with form. Through translation, poetry and collaboration, Carson has made classical literature an active part of contemporary writing.
Souce:Classic Books.

Continue Reading

Personality in Focus

Otti, Kalu Mourn Abia-born NAF Pilot Killed in Ondo Plane Crash

Published

on

Abia State governor, Alex Otti, and Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, have expressed sadness over the death of Abia-born Squadron Leader Ahamefule Aham Man-Ugwueje, one of the pilots of the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft, NAF 931, which crashed in Igbokoda, Ondo State, on Monday.

Governor Otti, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, described Squadron Leader Man-Ugwueje’s death and those of other military personnel aboard the Nigerian Air Force plane as painful and devastating.

“This accident is both painful and devastating, because it has brought untold sorrow and anguish to the victims’ families, their friends and loved ones, the Nigerian Air Force, and the nation at large.”

Governor Otti regretted that Squadron Leader Man-Ugwueje perished in the air disaster barely two weeks after he wedded his beloved wife, Flight Lieutenant Damilola Adekunle, in Abuja, a sad development he said has robbed the couple of the opportunity of spending their lives together as husband and wife.

The governor, on behalf of his family, the government and people of Abia State, commiserated with the families of the victims, the people of Umuahia where Squadron Leader Man-Ugwueje hailed from, the Nigerian Air Force and the Federal Government of Nigeria, and prays for the peaceful repose of their souls in God’s bosom.

In his own message, Senator Kalu commiserated with the Nigerian Air Force over the loss of the Air Force personnel and others in the Ondo plane crash.

The former governor of Abia State, while expressing sadness over the loss, extended his heartfelt sympathy to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, the entire Nigerian Air Force and the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic incident.Describing the incident as painful and heartbreaking, Kalu said the death of personnel who devoted themselves to the service of the country is a huge loss to the Nigerian Air Force and the nation.

“I extend my heartfelt sympathy to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and the entire Nigerian Air Force over this painful loss.

“My thoughts and prayers are especially with the families who have lost their loved ones. Losing men and women who dedicated themselves to serving and protecting our country is indeed a tragedy for all Nigerians.

“At this difficult moment, I pray that God comforts their families, colleagues and loved ones, and gives them the strength to bear this irreparable loss.

“May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Kalu said.

He urged the Nigerian Air Force to remain strong in the face of the tragedy, noting that the sacrifices of its personnel in the service of the country would always be remembered.

Continue Reading

Personality in Focus

Tinubu Celebrates Ogunsan at 50, Urges More Dedication to Security

Published

on

President Bola Tinubu has sent warm greetings to the Executive Secretary/CEO of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) Dr. Ayodele Ogunsan, on the occasion of his 50th birthday on October 6, 2026.

In a statement released by the Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy), Bayo Onanuga, the President indicated acknowledged Dr. Ogunsan’s commitment to institution-building and promoting partnerships among government, the private sector, and other stakeholders to advance security and development.

Tinubu also commended the celebrant for his dedication to serving Lagos State and his contributions toward strengthening the security architecture, public safety, and public confidence through the Lagos State Security Trust Fund.

Before becoming the Executive Secretary/CEO, Dr. Ogunsan served on the Board of Trustees of the LSSTF. He has held other significant responsibilities in the security and community-safety space, including as Chairman of the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV), Lagos State, and Patron of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC).

The President noted that under Dr. Ogunsan’s leadership, the Trust Fund has continued to play an important role in supporting security agencies with critical equipment, infrastructure and other resources necessary to enhance their effectiveness in protecting lives and property.

“As you mark this significant milestone, I urge you to sustain your dedication to the security and progress of Lagos State and Nigeria. I wish you many more years of good health, wisdom and fulfilment, as well as continued success in your service to humanity and our nation,” the President charged.

Continue Reading