Personality in Focus
Nigerian Cultural Tourism Odyssey: Remi Tinubu’s Poetic Response to Hannatu’s Endless Tales
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By Frank Meke
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, practically showcased depth to creativeness and empowerment mechanics in our cultural tourism space by initiating the first ever national cultural dress code for Nigeria.
The First Lady, a former Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, easily disconstruted the Web and shenanigans around certain cultural misteps, which has held down our people, particularly the young persons, from taking giant steps and assured confidence to tell their stories of creative influences and identity, usually bulied and waved aside as nothing by eurocentric merchants of foreign cultural superiority.
Unlike Hannatu Musa Musawa, Nigeria’s failed minister of culture and supposedly our culture’s chief driver, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, mobilisied young persons across the country, incentified their passion for creativity in indigenous fashion designing and pronto, one of those young nigerian persons, emerged the winner and her design which thousand of tailors will give a grace and light to its operational reality, will be on showcase on October 1st during the celebrations of Nigeria 64th independence anniversary in Abuja.
Jobs has just not only been created across board by the first lady, the effort is a strategic cultural fashion reorientation agenda, a call for us to be proudly nigerian once again in our way of dressings, it also could help reactivate our dead textile industries, bringing life back to the rural communities.
Our first lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, may be accused of being culturally ” political” by those outside our cultural tourism space, but what she has done with the search for a cultural national dress code for Nigeria with a focal elegance, ease and simplicity is to show that we don’t need an endless oddesay, a fantasied , dreamy and tales by moonlight talkshops on cultural economy as desperately parroted and canvassed by Hannatu Musa Musawa.
Indeed, the first lady’s practical, cultural fashion designing skill acquisition exposition targeting our youths and creative young persons resonates with me, highlighting the urgent need to critically evaluate our trust in our national character as against imported ideas and characters on how to husband the huge creative geniuses in our culture space.
No doubt, Nigeria is gifted in every area of cultural tourism diversity, but our problem, just as we are currently being punished by the presence of Hannatu Musa Musawa who has refused to read the hand writings on the wall, running from one eurocentric academic cultural pillar to another in the past one year, is the failure of leadership to carefully interrogate and boost these gifted children and make them the culture billionaires.
As much as we are blessed with these talented creative and cultural assets, we equally have the market in Nigeria, with our over 200 million people, ever willing to consume our cultural tourism products, not with the world shutting its doors against us out of endless economic and political foreign policy shenanigans .
What madam Senator Remi Tinubu has done may actually not be novel but it is indicative of the truth and reality that we need leaders who are at home with some measure of street sense and creative leadership to stimulate the our cultural tourism economy, and not the likes a pratting minister of culture who is looking up to either Taiwan, or India and many other countries to blindly copy developmental models which will only gulp our little resources in paying smart foreign cultural consultants, many who in the first place, trembles and fears our entrepreneurship in music, fashion, movies, and artistic works.
Go to Aba, Oshodi, Dugbe, kaduna, sokoto, Enugu and Abakiliki and see first hand the cultural fashion entrepreneurship passion of Nigerian young persons, whose only misgivings are the lack of opportunities for easy access to funding and export platforms.
I honestly wonder what Mr. President wants to do with our cultural tourism economies by appointing the two ladies, wasting our time and resources in the culture and tourism space. They don’t just fit into the system. The two, Hannatu Musa Musawa and lola Ade John, equally and sadly compete to muddle and poison the system, throwing around weights, which rankle the private sector players instead of pushing them to geometric boisterous achievements and presence.
While the first lady practically attracted the support, goodwill and collaboration of the private sector known influencers in the Nigerian fashion sector, same cannot be said of Hannatu Musa Musawa who is being regarded by self made industry players from Nollywood, to Music, fashion and artistic works communities as an irritating stranger, and a “waka pass” minister who has no known pedigree in the business and largely an unwilling servant employed by Nigerian citizens through the office of the president to learn , assist and honour those who have toiled in the past and are still toiling to make Nigeria culturally great.
Our cultural tourism narratives do not have a Hannatu Musa Musawa content, neither has she in the past one year shown capacity to understand the intricacies and flow with the power brokers. Unfortunately, her many oddesay of fanciful retorts to outdated statistical information or should I say a politically weaponised cultural statistics gain fails to impress.
Since her coming a year ago and quite sadly, Hannatu Musa Musawa has hugged controversy like bees and indeed, behaved like a boss rather than a servant of the industry where many had committed blood and passion without government helping out in any way .
She trotters around as queen mother of culture ( unpopular one at that), flooded her office with a national team of aides, picked blue eyed and equally day dreaming chief executives for the agencies under her watch, turned our television stations to platforms to showcase her ignorance, and market her beauty and is ever unwilling to read the handwriting on the walls for a change in strategy and corporate relationship.
Our Hannatu wishes we “CLAP” for her many failings, for shopping for pedestrian achievements, which her office neither influenced nor gave a bite.
Recently, she went on her national propaganda mission, as usual, with the most untested media troupe, which has a challenge of understanding the critical inside knowledge of the cultural tourism industry and regaled us to no end. Nobody CLAP’ PED” to her confusion.
It has indeed become boring and tiring to listen to Hannatu Musa Musawa on national television even to read her in our newspapers. She is clearly a desperate cultural spin doctor, the type that the gods sent as messengers of hopelessness and frustration.
To those who possibly wish to fact check the many cultural tales and missteps by this latter day mother saint of our cultural economy ” renaissance ” , please go read a certain piece written by one ” cultural anthropologist” a certain Dr Deji Ayoola in the vanguard newspapers of May 7th, 2024 and compare it to her recent national cultural evangelical propaganda wherein she told us of her mission to help us get a united States based Boston Consulting Group ( BCG) , her new Olympic god that would make our culture economy egg down to 100 billion dollars, transporting our global ranking in the business as world class and gainfully unbelievable.
What about her two million cultural jobs? Her microwave cultural jobs machine is still not timed to deliver since a year ago!. Instead, Hannatu went shopping at the portal of Nigeria Corporate Affairs Commission, appropriated and harvested twenty three thousand new creative cultural start up jobs without telling us how she funded them or assisted them.
Her propaganda oddesay is top-notch, endless spins and tales, cultivating captivating make-believe narratives that could make Nollywood film producers green with envy. All na shakara! Na magic!
Her cultural renaissance agenda has jumped us from the mere 1. 3% ranking in the economy to an impressive 2% by the end of second quarter in 2024, a conjured statistical equivalent according to Hannatu, birthing a 420 billion naira, exceeding government target of 1.8 % for the entire year, 2024, ” reimaging” and reflecting her assumed and self posturing submission of over 50 % in nominal terms in showcasing how effective she has delivered on cultural renaissance policy. All na wash, propaganda, bare faced fallacies which is built on nothingness.
Honestly, I should not waste our time, detailing all Hannatu Musa Musawa desperate cultural conjures just to impress and remain in office or to equally waste our time to audit her managerial incompetence of our cultural economy, doing that is to tell you the many woes which is a daily sing song of those who has the misfortune of being inherited by her from the Ministry of Information, Culture , Tourism and National ORIENTATION.
Her so-called ground zero cultural rebuilt ecosystem brought with it the famous proverbial dog in a manager. Those who work with her are living in hell fire . Her agency operators are divided down the line, as everyone must kiss the hand of the queen even for the most mundane issues.
At a recent public event in lagos three weeks ago, one of her agencies’ head publicly brought to the public the internal administrative rot in the ministry, which she was alleged to turned to her farm yard.
The guy in question who is a direct reflection of failings in her ground zero cultural renaissance management is a known shopper of achievements before his coming and a direct competitive cultural orientation propagandist , only second to Hannatu Musa Musawa fairy cultural tales .
If President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must get Nigeria cultural tourism going, and impactful, Hannatu Musa Musawa is certainly surplus to requirement, ditto Lola Ade-John in the ministry of Tourism. Those two ministries should be remerged and go getters, I mean fearless and powerful of game changers not lame duck and pedestrian propagandists, be appointed to lead us to our deserving cultural tourism destination of hope and empowerment.
We are tired of being told stories of ages past. Mr. President, please give us peace of mind by resting Hannatu Musa Musawa and lola Ade John to the sidelines.
Find them filling jobs at the villa, at least the ones they won’t mess up as they had sadly done in the culture and tourism assignment in the past one year!
Basketball icon, Hakeem Olajuwon will, this week feature on CNN’s African Voices Changemakers, a 30 – minute magazine programme sponsored by telecommunications company, Globacom.
The twelve-time NBA All-Star,and two-time NBA champion will, in a chat with CNN’s Larry Madowo shares his inspiring journey from Nigeria to the United States, where his extraordinary talent earned him the iconic nickname “The Dream.”
The 7-foot center who discovered basketball in 1978 at the Muslim Teachers’ College, Lagos was born in Lagos, Nigeria, on January 21, 1963 later relocated to the United States in the early 1980s to play college basketball for the University of Houston Cougars.
Olajuwon’s professional career launched when the Houston Rockets selected him as the first overall pick in the legendary 1984 NBA draft, which also featured top basketballers like Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton.
Beyond his historic club career, he won an Olympic gold medal with the United States national team in 1996 and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. His outstandibg career secured him inductions into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2016.
Olajuwon was further celebrated on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team in October, 2021. He retired as the league’s all-time leader in blocked shots (3,830), remaining one of only four players in NBA history to record a quadruple-double and the absolute leader in 5×5 games.
African voices comes up on DSTV Channel 401 this Saturday at 12:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. (West African Time), with repeats scheduled for Sunday at 4:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Monday at 4:00 a .m.and 6:45 p.m., Tuesday at 6:45 p.m., and continuing next week on Saturday at 12:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., Sunday at 4:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., and Monday at 4:00 a.m..
The President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Dr. Yinka Folami, has commended the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA) and its Director General, Dr. Ola Awakan, for putting together an impressive outing for Nigeria at the just concluded WTM London 2026, held at ExceL London between November 3 and 5, 2026.
Speaking on behalf of NANTA, the umbrella body for travel agencies in Nigeria, Dr. Folami said the NTDA’s outing was not just impressive, it was historic, it was dignified, it was Nigeria at its best.
Dr. Folami, who was represented in London by NANTA’s First Deputy President, Mustapha Mohammed, leading a high-powered NANTA delegation, with NANTA as the only association with a dedicated presence at the NTDA stand at WTM London, said he watched with pride as NTDA led Nigeria’s participation, with the endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who had commended Awakan for his immersive storytelling, collaboration and innovation in his first year in office.
He said: “On behalf of NANTA, I want to commend the Director General of NTDA, Dr. Ola Awakan, for putting together an impressive outing for Nigeria at WTM London. He did not just take Nigeria to London, he took Nigeria back to the world. After years of absence, after years of invisibility, Nigeria was seen, Nigeria was heard, Nigeria was engaged. The NTDA stand was a true national showcase. The storytelling was compelling. The partnerships were strategic. The visibility was real. This is what leadership looks like. This is what commitment looks like. And NANTA is proud to have stood side by side with NTDA in London.”
Dr. Folami noted that Nigeria’s participation at WTM 2026 enabled the country to present its tourism assets to a global audience, raising the profile of key destinations and products while opening new market possibilities, advancing collaboration, innovation and storytelling in promoting Nigeria’s tourism potential.
The NANTA President was emphatic: NANTA’s support for NTDA is not a one-off, it is a commitment.
“I want to assure Dr. Awakan and the entire NTDA that NANTA under my leadership will continue to support his leadership of NTDA. We will always partner with NTDA and other government tourism agencies to harness, develop, grow and market Nigerian tourism assets and destinations. That is our mandate. That is our promise. Government cannot do it alone. Private sector cannot do it alone. But together, government and private sector can put Nigeria where she belongs – on the world map, and on the world market.”
“We handed over in 2024 because we believe the goal is not who owns Nigeria’s stand, but that Nigeria has a stand. And now that NTDA has taken up the baton with such excellence, NANTA will stand beside NTDA – wherever Nigeria needs us, we will be there.”
In a special tribute, Dr. Folami appreciated Elizabeth Agbola, Founder and CEO of NTT Global Destinations, who worked hand in hand with NTDA to birth the return of Nigeria to the global tourism trade event.
“I want to specially appreciate our sister, Elizabeth Agbola, who worked hand in hand with Dr. Awakan to birth this return. Behind every successful outing, there are silent workers, there are bridge builders, there are people who make calls, and who encourage support for greater good. Elizabeth is one of them.
Dr. Folami prayed for greater visibility for Nigeria in international tourism expositions across the world.
“My prayer is that this WTM will not be a one-off. My prayer is that Nigeria will be at FITUR in Madrid, at ITB in Berlin, at Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, at WTM in London, every year, with a bigger stand, with a bigger story, with bigger results. Visibility is not vanity. Visibility is business. If you are not seen, you are not sold. And Nigeria must be seen. Nigeria must be sold. May God give NTDA, NANTA, and all of us, the grace to sustain this momentum.”
The NANTA President also called on other players and associations to support government efforts to promote tourism in Nigeria.
“I am calling on all other players, all other associations – FTAN, NATOP, ATPN, hoteliers, tour operators, airlines, state tourism boards – let us support government efforts to promote tourism in Nigeria. Let us stop grumbling. Let us stop competing for who owns Nigeria. Let us compete for who serves Nigeria better. Government has done its part at WTM. Now we must do our part. Let us bring our products, let us bring our packages, let us bring our investments, and let us make Nigeria the destination of choice in Africa.”
Finally, Dr. Folami commended NANTA members and all stakeholders who came out in numbers to support NTDA and Nigeria’s return to WTM.
“To our NANTA members who travelled to London, who committed financial support to NANTA, who paid their way, who manned our stand, who marketed Nigeria with passion, I say thank you. To our NANTA BOT Chairman Alhaji Aminu Agoha, supported by BOT Member Alhaji Kabir Maiwada, who visibly graced the event with their support and presence, I say thank you, and To all stakeholders, FTAN, NATOP, AITEC World, the media, the diaspora community in the UK who stormed our pavilion, I say thank you. You came out in numbers to support NTDA and Nigeria’s return to WTM. You proved that when Nigeria calls, her children answer. This victory belongs to all of us.”
Dr. Folami concluded with a message of hope: “Nigeria is back. And by the grace of God, Nigeria is here to stay. NANTA will always partner with NTDA. NANTA will always put Nigeria first. That is not just our slogan. That is our legacy.”
Personality in Focus
Khaira Bala Emerges Winner of 16th UBA Foundation Essay Competition, Gets N15m Grant
Khaira Bala emerges winner of16th UBA Foundation Essay Competition, wins N15m
Khaira Ojima Bala of Metro International School, Abuja, has been crowned as Nigeria’s top secondary school essayist for 2026, emerging as the winner of the 16th edition of the UBA Foundation National Essay Competition
Khaira, 15, was announced as the winner during the grand finale of the competition, where she received a N15m educational grant to study at any university in Africa. The event was held on Tuesday at UBA House, Marina, Lagos, and had a large audience which included finalists, parents, students, teachers and judges.
An elated Bala dedicated the award to her parents. “I am so happy right now. My parents have sacrificed so much for my education, and this award belongs to them as much as it belongs to me,” she said. “I also want to thank the UBA Foundation for believing in young people like me and giving us a platform to share our ideas.”
Unwanabasi Otobon Udom of Topfaith International Secondary School placed second, receiving N10 million, while Flourish Chibunumoma Ndamzi of University of Port Harcourt Women Association International Secondary School came third, receiving N7.5 million.
God’sfavour Ezekiel Udo of Federal Government Girls College, Ikot Obio Itong, and Uchenna Olivia Anyanwu of Coral Impacts International School, Abuja, came 4th and 5th, receiving N5 million and N3.5 million, respectively.
The 20 finalists emerged from over 15,000 entries submitted by senior secondary school students across Nigeria, as they wrote on the topic: “No nation can develop without food security. How can Nigeria deal with this problem?”
They also had the opportunity to be part of a one-day writing boot camp with the judges.
This year’s grants total N41 million, an 82% increase compared to the N22.5 million grant awarded last year, following the Foundation’s expansion of the number of winners from three to five as well as an increase in the value of each award.
All the 20 finalists also received several consolation prizes, including modern laptops to aid with their homework and research work. Their UBA accounts were also funded with N20,000 each as a token of appreciation from the bank’s Group Managing Director, Oliver Alawuba.
Speaking at the event, UBA’s Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Alawuba, told the 20 finalists that they were all winners and urged them to see their selection as proof of what hard work and curiosity can achieve.
“You were selected from more than 15,000 students, and you earned this place through your hard work, your curiosity and your determination. We do this because we believe in the future of this continent, and the best investment we can make in that future is in our youth,” Alawuba said. “This is corporate social responsibility, but it goes beyond that. UBA is more than a bank; it is an institution that plays a great role in the future of Africa. How can we say the future is Africa if our young people are not the ones driving it?”
Alawuba explained that the higher grants were a response to rising costs. “As inflation increases and it becomes more difficult to see a child through school, we have raised the amounts to make sure these students get to school. For us, that is important,” he said.
Alawuba also noted that the Foundation would consider writing workshops for participating schools as the competition grows, to build competence, confidence and critical thinking among students.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, who thanked parents, teachers and the judges for their support, described education as the surest investment in Africa’s future.
“Over 16 editions, we have watched our finalists go on to excel in universities and careers across the world, and that is the impact we set out to achieve,” Atta said. “So far we have spent over N3bn on this competition in the past 16 years and increasing the number of winners and the value of the grants means more young people can now pursue a university education without the burden of cost. We will keep strengthening the competition so that it continues to reward original thinking.”
The UBA Foundation is the corporate social responsibility arm of UBA. The National Essay Competition, which began in Nigeria in 2011, now runs in other African countries where the Bank operates, alongside the Foundation’s work in education, healthcare, economic empowerment and environmental sustainability.
