Dateline: Tuesday, July 27, 2021at Asaba. It was the launch of SSS Tourism Education Books.
The Governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, who was represented by his Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Dr (Mrs) Rose Esewu, former Governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan and the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed’s representative were stunned by the open and seemingly extreme demonstration of respect for the Dein of Agbor, His Royal Majesty, Dr Benjamin Ikenchuku, by an aide to the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, Ambassador Wale Ojo-Lanre.
Ambassador Ojo-Lanre, in a typical Yoruba fashion and tradition, prostrated to greet the Dein during the public presentation of Senior Secondary Tourism, 1,2, and 3 books published by Fidelia Salami, Chairman, Board of Directors, Delta State Tourism Board, at Orchid Hotels Main Hall, Asaba.
Dr Benjamin Ikenchuku, who is one of the most brilliant and outstanding monarchs occupying the Royal throne of one of the most ancient kingdoms in Nigeria was the Royal father of the day at the launch of the three new tourism books for SSS 1, 2, and 3.
The event attracted distinguished and eminent Nigerians from all walks of life, academic institutions, tourism private sector professionals, diplomats and secondary school students because it served as a perfect avenue to present the first-ever three tourism books written deliberately to address the dearth of textbooks on tourism for secondary school students in Nigeria.
Mrs Fidela M. Salami, the author of “Tourism in Nigeria: The incredible journey into the Heart of Nature,” worked diligently to publish the three different books with the aim of “seeing students successfully pass through the Senior Secondary education and acquire the trade skill in tourism, to open the vastness of our tourism attraction to the rest of the world and to establish the dynamics of how Nigeria can grow its tourism potentialities.”
Rahmat C. Ibrahim, President, Media Extraordinare, the MC of the event who ensured a sequential blending of the programmes of the day with the mood of the guests called for a minute silence for the repose of the soul of the late Prince Tony Momoh, a former Minister of information and Culture who wrote the foreword to the three tourism education books and whose son, Abdulrasheed Momoh, was present to do the reading of the books.
The publisher of the book, Fidelia M. Salami, in her welcome speech, encouraged and tasked students and guests on the import of art, culture and tourism.
The Chairman of the event, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, immediate past Governor of Delta state, in his keynote address, commended Fidelia Salami for her “agrarian” effort at planting tourism awareness in the consciousness of the students.
He lamented that the lack of copious creation of awareness about the import of tourism has hindered the growth and blossoming of tourism in Nigeria.
The Governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyi Okowo applauded Fidelia Salami, whom she described as a round peg in a round hole for bringing out tourism knowledge- expansion products from Delta state, while the Minister of information and Culture praised the author for supplying the necessary materials needed for the mobilization of the minds of the youths for tourism development.
However, the event took another turn when the books reviewer, an aide of the Governor of Ekiti State, Ambassador Wale Ojo – Lanre, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Ekiti State on Tourism Development and who was formerly the Director-General, Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture, a two-term former Chairman, Oyo State Union of Nigeria Journalists and Country Team Leader and Chief Coordinator, Federation of World Culture and Arts Society, FOWCAAS, Singapore, mounted the rostrum to review the book.
Ambassador Ojo-Lanre, 8n his sartorial elegance, walked up to the high table where the Dein was seated majestically, bowed, and to the amazement of all prostrated on all fours to the royal father before his delivery of the books review.
This act of his cultivated heavy rounds of applause and commendation from guests in the hall who marvelled at his sense of cultural obeisance and respect for values and traditional ethics.
The Dein of Agbor who was visibly impressed by the act of Ambassador Wale Ojo- Lanre, in his speech, commended him for the excellent review of the books and his robust sense of cultural values and ethics.
He urged Nigerians to rise, embrace tourism and save our culture from going into extinction.
The Dein warned that Nigerians should not risk the curse of generations unborn by neglecting our cultural values which give us a unique identity while embracing foreign values which make a mess of us.
He called on Nigerian women to be more involved in the tourism sector, adding that they, women “are best suited to manage the hospitality sector.”
Dein of Agbor prayed for Nigeria and called on the Federal Government to rise and combat the security and inflationary challenges facing the nation.
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