Sally Mbanefo a detribalised cultural tourism promoter
By Wale Ojo Lanre
I have been covering the tourism sector in Nigeria for a while and I can attest to the passionate fervour with which Dr Mrs Dally Mbanefo , Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation ,NTDC promotes Tourism and projects Nigeria .
Every occupier of NTDC office has their own vision , style and branding script.
The fact about Mrs Mbanefo is that her physical appearance contradicts her modus operandi
Being an half caste , a highflying banker and being blessed awesomely by God with beauty , good physche and prodigious intellect and having worked with international and multinational corporation like Coca cola, Lafarge Cement and Oil and Gas at Director level ,, one expected that her brand of tourism promotion will be a chase in visiting attending intercontinental tourism fairs and exhibitions and considering the. Local festivals , culture and tradition as anathema
Nay , this psychedelic Barrister -at - Law will not have that
She believes that though it is good to promote Nigeria by attending fairs in foreign lands but it will be useless if the fundamentals features of tourism are not grounded in Nigeria.
To her , it is like inviting foreign tourists to see nothing .
Thus she concentrates and focuses on Domestic Tourism which entails , the identification of domestic tourism assets , the branding of these assets for Nigerians to appreciate , patronise and embrace and also to be developed
It is in pursuance of these that she recorded the feat of being the first DG of tourism who despite the fact of the dearth of fund visited 30 states of Nigeria visiting their tourism sites and preaching the gospel of domestic tourism to the people
She is also the first DG tourism who has physically identified with cultural festivals in various parts of Nigeria
She sees everything about Nigeria culture and tradition from the tourism , entertainment and empowerment perspective .
She mingles with those who stimulate and promote domestic tourism and festival without any tribal connotation
She was there in Port Harcourt when ..Pa Amachree.....launched his book on Slave Trade route , She equally went to Aokpe where the Apparition of Mother Mary was sighted .She was in Oyo for Sango festival likewise she was in Osun Osogbo last year . She equally participated in iri Iji festival and also was in Enugu , Abia tourism site She had been to Idanre Hills and attended Made festival many times and also identified with Olokun Festival Foundation , the only cultural organisation in Nigeria which promotes 18 cultural Yoruba Festivals being propelled by Otunba Gani Adams .
Despite the fact that the funding of NTDC reduced to about 30 per cent when she was appointed she has been able to leverage on her relationship with the Corporate world in sponsoring some of her projects like the renovation of the NTDC office in Abuja and the acquisition of staff buses .
She was a guest speaker on tourism at the recently held NBA conference in Port Harcourt .
She got the passion ,Sally got the drive . She is focussed and down to earth
No wonder, why both the late Ooni of Ife and the new Ooni Ojaja II ,who were impressed by her cultural sense and pure of heart when it comes to promotion , projection , protection and enhancement of culture and tradition proclaimedb her the Moremi of our time
And indeed , Sally Mbanefo is it !
By Wale Ojo Lanre
I have been covering the tourism sector in Nigeria for a while and I can attest to the passionate fervour with which Dr Mrs Dally Mbanefo , Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation ,NTDC promotes Tourism and projects Nigeria .
Every occupier of NTDC office has their own vision , style and branding script.
The fact about Mrs Mbanefo is that her physical appearance contradicts her modus operandi
Being an half caste , a highflying banker and being blessed awesomely by God with beauty , good physche and prodigious intellect and having worked with international and multinational corporation like Coca cola, Lafarge Cement and Oil and Gas at Director level ,, one expected that her brand of tourism promotion will be a chase in visiting attending intercontinental tourism fairs and exhibitions and considering the. Local festivals , culture and tradition as anathema
Nay , this psychedelic Barrister -at - Law will not have that
She believes that though it is good to promote Nigeria by attending fairs in foreign lands but it will be useless if the fundamentals features of tourism are not grounded in Nigeria.
To her , it is like inviting foreign tourists to see nothing .
Thus she concentrates and focuses on Domestic Tourism which entails , the identification of domestic tourism assets , the branding of these assets for Nigerians to appreciate , patronise and embrace and also to be developed
It is in pursuance of these that she recorded the feat of being the first DG of tourism who despite the fact of the dearth of fund visited 30 states of Nigeria visiting their tourism sites and preaching the gospel of domestic tourism to the people
She is also the first DG tourism who has physically identified with cultural festivals in various parts of Nigeria
She sees everything about Nigeria culture and tradition from the tourism , entertainment and empowerment perspective .
She mingles with those who stimulate and promote domestic tourism and festival without any tribal connotation
She was there in Port Harcourt when ..Pa Amachree.....launched his book on Slave Trade route , She equally went to Aokpe where the Apparition of Mother Mary was sighted .She was in Oyo for Sango festival likewise she was in Osun Osogbo last year . She equally participated in iri Iji festival and also was in Enugu , Abia tourism site She had been to Idanre Hills and attended Made festival many times and also identified with Olokun Festival Foundation , the only cultural organisation in Nigeria which promotes 18 cultural Yoruba Festivals being propelled by Otunba Gani Adams .
Despite the fact that the funding of NTDC reduced to about 30 per cent when she was appointed she has been able to leverage on her relationship with the Corporate world in sponsoring some of her projects like the renovation of the NTDC office in Abuja and the acquisition of staff buses .
She was a guest speaker on tourism at the recently held NBA conference in Port Harcourt .
She got the passion ,Sally got the drive . She is focussed and down to earth
No wonder, why both the late Ooni of Ife and the new Ooni Ojaja II ,who were impressed by her cultural sense and pure of heart when it comes to promotion , projection , protection and enhancement of culture and tradition proclaimedb her the Moremi of our time
And indeed , Sally Mbanefo is it !
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