Connect with us

Metro

Skal International Lagos Celebrates Diamond Jubilee, Honours Deserving Practitioners

Published

7 years ago

on

By Eric Elezuo

The Lagos arm of Skal International, a professional organization of tourism leaders around the world, saddled with the responsibility of promoting global tourism and friendship, has celebrated its 60th year anniversary with pomp and pageantry.

The all important event which took place at the Red Carpet Hall, Oniru, Lekki, Lagos, brought together the who is who in tourism, travels and hospitality industry in a warm atmosphere of networking, exhibition and class.

Mr Ikechi Uko receiving his award

Kicking off the well-attended event, the President of Skal International Lagos, Mrs. Rita Obidike, gave a warm welcome to all members, who are better known and recognized as Skalleagues, as well as clients, friends and family members present, noting that without their support, little would have been achieved.

“Without the encouragement and support from members and friends of this great club, today wouldn’t have happened…In Skal, we are foremost friends before colleagues or skalleagues,” she said.

Isaac and Nneka Moses collecting their award

She applauded every member for the landmark achievement of hitting 60 without blemish while specially thanking past presidents, officials, members and even those on ‘sabbatical’ who have made the club’s continual existence a reality.

The never a dull moment programme was further enlivened with soulful performances by the Lady of Song, better known as the Elegant Stallion, Onyeka Onwenu. She literarily got everyone present on their feet as the sing and dance along with her in rapturous estacy.

Members of Skal

Giving their keynote addresses, the two special guests of honour; Director, Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS), Prof. Anthony Kila, and Founder, Akwaaba African Travel Market, Mr. Ikechi Uko, shed extreme light into the tourism and travel business as the next frontier in foreign earnings.

The body, in its usual of rewarding excellence, honoured distinguished members of the club and public who have contributed immensely to the development of travels and tourism as well as hospitality in general.

Among those honoured and presented by plaques and certificates were the President of NANTA, Mr. Bankole Bernard; Lagos State Commissioner for Arts and Tourism, Mr. Steve Ayorinde; CEO, Akwaaba African Travel Market, Mr. Ikechi Uko; Mr. Efetobe Awanga, Mr. Olufemi Adefogbe and the Goge Africa Creators, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac and Nneka Moses.

Julie Skol delivering the President’s Goodwill message

Rounding off a programme filled with glitz and fanfare, the President of Skal International, Mrs. Lavonne Wittmann, who was represented by Mrs. Julie Skol, presented a goodwill message. She regretted her inability to be present and urged all Skalleagues to keep up networking as that is the only way to remain relevant in the industry.

“The African continent with its 54 countries urgently needs to have a bigger footprint in Skal International and a concerted effort by each member in Africa must be implemented as soon as possible as tourism in most African countries is their most important economic activity,” she noted.

The event was graced by the presence of very important personalities including a handsome representation of the Lagos state government.

The Skal Club Lagos was formed on February 4, 1959 as the 182nd member of the International Skal Club.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

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

Metro

Lagos Police Raid Dark Spots, Arrest 150 Crime Suspects, Recover Firearms, Illicit Drugs

Published

19 hours ago

on

July 7, 2026

By

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested 150 suspected criminals and recovered 100 unregistered motorcycles, firearms, suspected stolen property and illicit drugs during a coordinated raid on criminal hideouts in the Igando area of the State.

The operation, conducted under the Command’s ongoing Operation KO S’AYE, took place at about 5:45am on Sunday at Boolar, Okofilling Bus Stop, Igando, and other identified black spots within the Area M, Idimu axis.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, the raid followed credible intelligence and involved a joint team of operatives drawn from different formations of the command.

He said the operation was aimed at flushing out hoodlums and other criminal elements allegedly terrorising the area.

Adebisi said a total of 150 suspects were arrested during the raid, while officers recovered 100 unregistered motorcycles, 54 mobile phones, one double-barrel gun, two single-barrel guns, one locally made double-barrel short gun, two military camouflage uniforms, assorted charms, six generators suspected to have been stolen, as well as substances suspected to be Indian hemp and other illicit drugs.

“All the suspects are currently in police custody, while investigations are ongoing to determine their individual culpability. Those found to have committed criminal offences will be charged to court accordingly,” he said.

The Commissioner of Police (CP), Lagos State Command, Tijani Fatai, commended the operatives for what he described as their professionalism and dedication during the operation.

He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to sustaining Operation KO S’AYE across the State to deny criminals safe havens and improve public safety.

“The operation will be sustained across the State to deny criminals any safe haven and ensure the safety and security of all residents,” the police commissioner said.

He also appealed to residents to continue providing timely and credible information to assist the police in identifying criminal hideouts, apprehending offenders and enhancing security across Lagos State.

The command urged members of the public to report emergencies and credible information through its designated emergency telephone lines.

Continue Reading

Metro

Okonjo-Iweala Rocks with Igbo Cultural Dances at WTO Open Day in Switzerland

Published

19 hours ago

on

July 7, 2026

By

The masquerade stamped its feet to the escalating tempo of the drums, bringing the raw spirit of Southeastern Nigeria straight into the heart of global governance.

The crowd erupted in cheers as Okonjo-Iweala immediately caught the rhythm.

She matched the masquerade’s energy, rolling her shoulders and executing graceful, rhythmic steps that perfectly mirrored the cadence of the Ogene.

Continue Reading

Metro

The Inherent Power of Gift-Nurturing

Published

2 days ago

on

July 5, 2026

By

By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Destiny Friends,
The saying, the joy of life is not how happy you are, but how happy others can be because of you, is no fluke. The statement emphasizes the importance of building human relationships. Relationships are skills that need to be nurtured.
Building and maintaining relationships is a skill that everyone needs to learn. But importantly, one must be intentional in the kind of relationship they intend to build because failure to cross the t’s and dot the i’s can have devastating effects on a person.
As human beings, sometimes, we don’t know what we have until we lose them. It’s instructive to note that one of the major challenges Third World countries have is maintaining culture. These third world countries find it difficult to maintain their roads, schools, provide good health hospitals, or build infrastructural facilities for their citizens. Even as human beings, sometimes, we lack this mindset of not maintaining or developing what we have. This is because we might know how to sing, swim, dance, play soccer, write or even teach, but we don’t develop it.
It’s instructive to note that the world is usually attracted to strength and not weakness. Isn’t it true that nobody celebrates poverty, rather they eulogize successful and wealthy people. So, if you desire to be celebrated, endeavor to develop what’s inside of you.
Let me tell you, nobody can celebrate or talk about you if you don’t talk or celebrate yourself, and nobody can save you without you making an attempt to save yourself. According to a former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, “you can’t wake a man who is pretending to be asleep”. That’s a powerful statement insinuating the power of self-determination. When you develop what you have, the world will resonate with you. This is what I mean by the power of maintenance.
The question we need to ask ourselves is how do we maintain what we have? Well, maintaining what we have is not as hard as it may appear. All that is necessary for one to be intentional in developing and adding value to their life.
Everyone has a gift or talent, but the challenge we have is that we don’t take time to groom it. Beloved, if you don’t groom your gift, nobody will do it for you. If you don’t speak about yourself, nobody will speak about you. Sometimes, we want glory, but we are not willing to pay the price.
Furthermore, in every sphere of life, maintenance culture is very important. Failure to do so can make one spend more. Imagine having a car with a minor break, if the car is not properly fixed, it will affect other parts of the car. The same principle is applicable if one has a house which needs repairs. The principle of the broken window tells us when a window is damaged, it will be better to pull it out or fix it so we can focus on other things otherwise, it will affect other components in the house.
This principle is also applicable to business, politicians, academics, spirituality, health and family. As a matter of fact, it is applicable in every area of our life. According to Myles Munroe “whatever we don’t manage we lose”. So, imagine what will happen if we don’t develop our skills and talent. The grave is considered the richest soil on earth because of the millions and billions of talents that have been buried inside the soil.
As a budding entrepreneur, we have been told about the power of consistency. When one is consistent, the universe has a way of showcasing us to the world. Let me share a practical example of how consistency works. In 2018, I was given an opportunity to publish weekly articles by Chief Dele Momodu on this online newspaper. I took up the challenge and have been consistently publishing inspirational and creative articles that will assist entrepreneurs and progressive minds to unleash their potential.
Here is the catch, I have received numerous opportunities and recognition globally from resourceful organizations, in addition to meeting great leaders of thought who have developed interest in my work. It’s important to note that I wasn’t a great writer at the initial stage, but over time, I have honed my writing skills by interacting and reading from resourceful minds
For business owners, if you have a business, consider learning all necessary information including taking certification classes, training and networking with the right people to acquaint yourself to the extent an opportunity presents itself. Also, sometimes we wait for people or big organizations to give you big opportunities to showcase your work to the world, but we fail to understand that we have what it takes to attract global attention which will bring the big names and organizations we desire to come to us. But we are not willing to pay the price.
I can remembered when I started my business, I had no clarity of what I was doing, but because I was intentional to learn, I attended many online trainings and today I can boldly say that by the special grace of God, my organization have partnered with global organizations and United Nations Development Programme to train youths in Rwanda on Leadership. The moral of this message is that I maintained my line, I maintained my skill, talent, I developed myself, but more importantly I didn’t give up on what I have inside me. I may not know your experiences or situations or expectations, but if you can stay focused and do the needful, I have no doubt the world will celebrate you in due time.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
Continue Reading