We Won’t Allow our Youths to Derail-Olukoyede

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Ambassador Seeks ftan’s collaboration to market Ethiopian Cultural tourism offerings in Nigeria* By Frank Meke Ethiopian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Nigeria, His Excellency Legesse Gerenew Haile says his country, Ethiopia is ready to open up and excite the cultural tourism trade link with Nigeria which will help boost the three trillion dollars intra Africa continental economy. The Ambassador, who is barely a month in office in Nigeria, disclosed that Nigeria is a huge cultural tourism source market in Africa and holds a top place in his heart, hence his focal intention to collaborate with the Nigerian private sector premier umbrella tourism trade organisation, Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria ( ftan) to market Ethiopian tourism in Nigeria. Addressing ftan delegation led by the president, Mr Nkereweum Onung at the Ethiopian Embassy in Abuja on Wednesday, the Ambassador, noted that he has followed with keen interest the various activities of the Nigerian private sector tourism federation since assumption of office, hence his invitation to the association leadership to find ways to drive the Ethiopian Nigeria tourism trade relations. ” I must express my gratitude to have you and your team here today in our embassy, which I believe would activate one of the biggest cultural tourism economic developments in Africa. Ethiopia is not strange to Nigerians, but we want to further escalate the various cultural tourism offerings in our country to Nigerians, which would cement and boost closer relationship with Nigerians in particular and other African nations in general ” the Ambassador explained further. He stressed his resolve to collaborate and engage the Nigerian tourism federation to change the cultural tourism trade narratives between both countries, adding that his mission in Nigeria is to accomplish the all-important goal while here in Nigeria without let. ” Ethiopia is ready and willing to welcome Nigerians to our country. We love Nigerians and will like them to know more about us apart from our airline and airport in addis Ababa. We have several historical and religious sites in our country, and our hospitality is top notch with vibrant trade groups and bodies such as your federation, which through our ministry of tourism, we can invite to sit down with you to find ways to work out specific opportunities to boost this relationship. Part of my mission here is to facilitate this opportunity, and I am happy to receive your group here today, ” the ambassador reiterated. In his remarks, ftan president, Mr Nkereweum Onung, commended the initiative of the Ambassador, describing it as the first pro African cultural tourism diplomatic agenda focal to practical mobilisation of cultural tourism diversity of the intra Africa continental trade economy which still begs for breaking down of various barriers to its operational survival. ” we at ftan commend your vision to partner with our organisation which has over 14 sub trade associations under its umbrella. We promise and assure you that we shall process this invitation and support it. We know the Ethiopian airline brand, which is quite huge and proudly African, and to which Nigerians patronise without let. Your tourism and hospitality infrastructure is also exciting, and we shall see how your visa regime works out and that includes other opportunities that would facilitate this collaboration. We shall not rule out intentional trade missions to both countries to further study how to perfect the initiative and in the areas of training and retraining offerings, ” ftan president further noted. Ftan president who took time to also introduce the newly elected president of the Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria ( Atpn) Prince Femi Fadina, who was part of his entourage, and praised the Ambassador for the call for collaboration which other African Ambassadors must emulate to practically oxygenate the three trillion dollars inter African continental trade economy. In another trade visit to the Director General, National Council for Arts and Culture ( NCAC) Obi Asika in Abuja, ftan president stated that any cultural tourism policy which did not have the input and support of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria, will only end as an excise in vain, assuring the NCAC boss of the collaboration and support of the Federation. ” we want to work with you and is happy that both culture and tourism are on the same boat now but we want to see a more practical robust relationship as was done by your predecessor and to which we believe you can take to a higher level of delivery responsibilities.” Ftan president noted. Earlier, the NCAC Director General explained that his focal agenda is to create an enabling environment to which the private sector can effectively own the cultural tourism business in Nigeria to help boost trade revenue and also create jobs for teeming unemployed Nigerians. ” I am a policy person and not really a politician, and I am open to effectual collaboration and relationship with the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria ( ftan). Before you came, I had hosted some trade associations, and I wonder how I will process all of them individually, so I am happy to have you around and look forward to where we all, possibly with the ministry would sit down in serious working session to evaluate our expectations and see to how the Federation can help us add value to various cultural tourism policies which should be driven by the organised private sector with government providing guidance and support where necessary ” Mr obi Asika reiterated . The NCAC boss used the opportunity to officially invite the ftan delegation to the command flag off of the National festival of Arts and Culture ( Nafest) on Saturday in Abuja, adding that the festival would run through the 24th to 30th of November in Abuja

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede has called on all well-meaning Nigerians to support the Commission in its effort to redeem the youth from the path of derailment.

He made the call in Abuja on Friday, July 5, 2024 when the executives of Committee of Youth Mobilization and Sensitization, CYMS, led by their head, Chief Obinna Nwaka paid him a courtesy visit at the Commission’s corporate headquarters.

According to Olukoyede, “We are going to maintain this tempo. Well-meaning and reform-minded Nigerians must support us. We must not allow our youths to derail. We have allowed it over a period of time and we have seen the destruction. Some of our youths are smart and skillful. It is just a matter of sensitizing them towards how to channel their talents to productive engagements. There is no future in cybercrime.

“Let everybody realize this, the fight is not for ourselves. It is for the youth, it is for the entire country. Just imagine what will happen if EFCC does not work for one month, so it is important for us to give this mandate serious collaboration and support.”

He stressed that Nigerians who desire a better future for the youth and the country, especially those who have suffered harm and humiliation from cybercrime must stand up and be counted for collaboration and partnership with the EFCC. “It is important for us to realise that if we continue to move in this trajectory the future would be bleak for the youth and the country. We must do something fast. Travel abroad and see the humiliating treatment they give Nigerians. Once they see your Green Passport, they take you aside from the queue and subject you to a thorough search because of the bad image that a few of our youths have created for the country. Nigerians need EFCC. If you are not working, who will even think of you? We are working, that is why you are seeing all these attacks everywhere.

He condemned public office holders who would not want to account for their stewardship, stating that such acts of impunity have nurtured corruption in the country. “What we are simply saying is that if you have occupied a position of trust, come and account. You can only run, you can’t hide. If we don’t bring people to account they will drive the country into a pariah state, where anything goes. There is nothing personal about the work we do in the EFCC. You can see the developments that are taking place in countries that do not have the kind of resources that Nigeria has. Nigeria will be great again but we must all come together to fight corruption”, he said.

He appreciated the group for its anti-corruption stance and interventions in the direction of re-orientation of the youth away from cybercrime. “I want to thank you for all the work you do, particularly in the area of sensitizing the youth on the need for them to create a good future for themselves. What is important is for us to be optimistic. We are not going to relent, we are not afraid of anything.”

Earlier in his speech, Nwaka stated that the work of the Commission endeared it to the group because they are geared towards securing the future of Nigerian youths. “We have something deeply running through our veins which is to support and work with the Commission to ensure that corruption is brought to its knees. We also want to thank you for fighting to secure the future of Nigerian youths. That was why we became annoyed a few days ago when we heard that there were some Nigerian youths who do not care about the future of their own generation and want to protest. You are not just trying to secure the future of Nigerian youths but those of unborn generations.

“We want to commend you for the good job that you have done so far. It is not easy because the challenge is enormous. We want to tell you that you have brought new and good initiatives and reforms in the anti-corruption fight. One of them being your policy not to shut down businesses and establishments on account of investigating them.”

He further applauded Olukoyede for the Commission’s crackdown on naira mutilation. “What you are doing to restore respect for the naira can only happen when we have somebody that is firm and dogged in a cause”, he sa

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