Foremost tourism practitioner and former President of Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN), Alabo Mike Amachree, has condoled with the family of Nigeria’s first tourism minister, Chief Ojo Maduekwe on his demise. Amachree described the late Maduekwe as a dedicated Nigerian who tried his best as the pioneer culture and tourism minister of the country to move the industry forward.
“The first time I met the late Chief Ojo Maduekwe was after his appointment as the tourism minister in his office. He was in his full indigenous Ohafia regalia. He told me that he was proud of his culture and intended using Nigeria’s culture to market tourism. He told me that what Nigeria has to offer to the world is her rich and diverse culture. He said just like Egypt has its pyramids and red sea to sell Egypt’s tourism, Nigeria’s tourism product is her rich culture.”
Amachree said one of the biggest assets of the late Maduekwe as the tourism minister was is his relationship with the practitioners. He said: “He visited all the states to dialogue with practitioners and travelled to tourism sites for firsthand information on the state of the sites and how to develop them. For him, this is what has made him not only the first but the best we have had in the industry.”
