Gov Ambode commends information Minister
.Says Lagos will support FG to host world tourism meeting
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has commended the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, for his efforts to reposition culture and tourism in Nigeria.
The Governor made this commendation when the Minister paid him a courtesy visit in Lagos, yesterday, in connection with Nigeria’s hosting of the 61st Meeting of the United Nations World Tourism, Organization/Commission for Africa (UNWTO/CAF), slated for 4- 6 June 2018, in Abuja.
He said, ”I will like to welcome the Minister of Information and Culture back home to the Centre of Excellence. It is always a delight to welcome people like him. He has been very impactful in the last three years in the Ministry of Information and Culture”.
Governor Ambode assured, “Lagos State will support the Federal Government, in order to ensure a successful hosting of the global event. We are happy to associate with President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Information and culture in their efforts to reposition tourism to diversify the nation’s economy.”
Earlier, the Minister said he was in Lagos as part of his nation-wide promotional tour for the 61st edition of the UNWTO/CAF Meeting. ”We kickstarted the tour in Abuja with a visit to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, because he is the Minister of the Meeting’s Host City. This is the second stop on the promotional tour that will take us across the country. Lagos, the economic nerve centre of Nigeria, is also a foremost tourist city. It is therefore not a surprise that it is our next point of call after Abuja, which will host the UNWTO/CAF Meeting,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed explained, “The Meeting is a great opportunity to promote Nigeria’s tourism industry and to showcase the country to the world, especially in the area of its culture and tourism. Of course, we have a lot to showcase. Our tourist attractions, our rich culture, as well as our music and films, which have taken the world by storm are very important. Lagos State is crucial to the success of the Meeting, because the State will host the Technical Visit programme of the Meeting”
The Minister added, ”A major part of the programme is what is referred to as the Technical Visit. For this, we have chosen Eko Atlantic City as the destination. The choice is not an accident. It is designed to showcase to the world a city that promises to be a tourist haven, with the largest shopping mall in sub-Saharan Africa”.
He went on, “The UNWTO/CAF Meeting will be attended mostly by delegates drawn from the 51 member States of the Commission for Africa, the Executives of the UNWTO, international Organisations, local and international media, as well as experts and stakeholders from the public and private sector”.
