Whether by genetic design or the handiwork of Providence, each passing day sees the Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Folorunsho Coker, exhibiting the admirable qualities his father possessed, Vanessa Obioha writes
Anyone who has had an encounter with the late Folarin Coker, on meeting his son, Folorunsho, would likely conclude that he is a chip off the old block. It is a compliment that is often paid to the younger Coker, and each time he hears those words, he feels fulfilled.
Coker’s life is like a page borrowed from his father’s book of life in more ways than one. Like his father, he is also in the public service for more than two decades. The late Coker was a public servant who retired as a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Tourism before his death last year. The younger Coker is working in the same industry. Presently, he oversees the affairs of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), an office he has occupied since 2017. Before he was appointed the Director-General of the agency, he was the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture for Lagos State.
Whether by genetic design or the handiwork of Providence, each passing day sees Coker exhibiting the admirable qualities his father possessed.
The Lagos Motor Boat Club, Awolowo Road in Ikoyi, is a favourite place of gratification to him. It is where many of his fantasies are brought together. Even if he cannot speed away in a boat to a picturesque beach resort, he has the satisfaction of watching the traffic on the water as they move back and forth. This particular Sunday morning, all the mixes that promote water sports were present; a bright and sunny day and happy groups of people-scantily dressed and chatting away as they got ready to sail away.
Since he resumed work at Abuja, he looks forward to these occasional visits to Lagos and the opportunity to come close to a natural body of water. His relocation to Abuja did not water down his love for water-based recreation, cultivated over 30 years ago when he owned his first beach house and became a Lagos Motor Boat Club member.
Not a few times, old buddies paused his conversation with this reporter to exchange pleasantries with him. One commented on his long absence from the club. Both men laughed heartily as they advanced the commonplace excuse of COVID-19 restrictions and protocols, which have redefined human interactions everywhere. They bumped each other’s elbow before excusing themselves-in the new manner of greeting- to return to their individual engagement. Of course, the interruptions-either by a phone call or brief stop-and-greet- to our conversation continued with unchoreographed frequency throughout my stay.
He shared his late father’s memory, who was sociable and wore many traditional garlands in his lifetime, notable among them the Baba Eto of Lagos and Yorubaland.
“I feel fulfilled when people say I’m a chip off the old block. It’s a thing of pride. I happen to also be professionally in public service and the same industry as him. I think I’m very fortunate to have had him for so long, to have had his counsel for so long. The prayer is that our children should do much more than we did. And that is the prayer I live with,” he said.
From his voice’s emotional tone, it was evident that Coker shared a special kind of bond with his father. He didn’t attempt to hide his grief over the loss of his father. It was punctuated in each word he spoke about him.
“I have very many fond memories of him. If you are the child of an old school colonial-era public servant, you will know what I’m talking about. My father had sterling values. He was a lawyer by profession. He was the principal secretary to the Sultan of Sokoto, so he speaks Hausa to an extent. My father was one of the most detribalised Nigerian I ever knew, and I have always tried to emulate that side of him. He was deeply religious. Some describe him as a socialite,” he paused for a moment.
“I miss him,” he continued. “I miss the words of wisdom, the advice, the historical content of a 97-year-old man going away in just one day, something that I, at 56… I have known him for 56 years. It’s something that I deal with every day. I remember him every day, and I think I will for the rest of my life.”
Coker will turn 56 in July and has an avuncular charm. He is the type of uncle you would want to hang out with all the time, not only because of his geniality but also for his wisdom.
At his age, he has done well past some of his contemporaries. Born and raised in Ikoyi, he is an alumnus of Corona School, Ikoyi, where he obtained his first school leaving certificate. He attended St. Gregory’s college for his secondary education. He proceeded to St Bees School, Cumbria, the UK, in 1982 and holds a bachelor’s degree in combined studies, Economics, and Geography from Manchester University. Coker also has a postgraduate degree in diplomacy, international trade, and finance from the University of Westminster, where he finished with distinctions.
Coker was among the first employees of the present democratic regime in Lagos State. In 1999, former governor of Lagos State and national leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed him as his personal assistant, and in 2003, he was appointed deputy chief of staff to the Lagos government. He would later become the managing director of the Number Plate Production Authority of the state for 10 years. In 2014, he was appointed Special Adviser on the Central Business District of Lagos to Raji Babatunde Fashola (SAN), then governor of Lagos State.
Despite the different capacities he has served in government, the industry that has always kept him in the public eye is Tourism. He lives and breathes tourism. He is so passionate about it that he did not miss a beat when discussing the problems bedevilling the industry. He reeled out ideas on how the industry can grow beyond its current state, emphasising investing in specific tourism infrastructure and promoting domestic tourism.
“It’s about the structure, the foundation. Without foundation, nothing is going to happen. For tourism, it’s the legislation that governs it. Without legislation, the oil industry, the telecom industry, and the banking industry would not have developed. The legal framework is the foundation that allows people to invest, to grow, modify the industry to now have a more commercial outlook that people can see. Tourism is a business and is a business worth investing in. It’s human capital development. It is mental capital development,” he explained.
“We’ve got to reimagine our events, so much in terms of natural assets that we’ve got to invest even in little things like a toilet in a place where people have a festival to avoid them defecating in the field. If there’s no power, you can give them solar power. There’s no water; give them that. At least, give people some semblance of comfort that will make them come in there.
“We don’t know how long this pandemic is going to last, but life changes. It doesn’t stop. We have to reimagine how we want to do the normal things that we do in life, focusing on staying alive. We need to reimagine how we do our events. Our festivals, such as the Ofala Festival, Ojude Oba Festival, Calabar Festival, need to be reimagined with social distancing in mind. Every penny spent on water waves, rails is an investment in tourism. Certain tourism-specific things need to be done.
“For example, from our embassies, the foreign traveller’s approach has to be good experience, to the visa policy, to the airport experience, to the commonality of purpose between customs, immigration, police, etc. That has to be welcoming, whether it is local or international. Then you’ve got to look at our hotels. We must standardise our hotels. We must grade our hotels. A hotel in Lagos and a hotel in Zamfara cannot charge the same price and occupy the same rate. I’m not disparaging the community. I’m just saying we have to have grading standardisation so that people can get a sense of value for money. Funding is also fundamental. You must invest in certain tourism specific infrastructure.”
It is no news that the tourism industry was adversely affected by the pandemic. In Coker’s view, the most marketable tourism product to emerge from the pandemic will be domestic tourism. More people will be sceptical about spending more money on travels and quarantine hassles before they can move about their businesses.
One aspect of tourism that the public servant is passionate about is food. Calling himself a foodie, he spoke with relish about Nigerian food and flavours. Having organised food festivals in Lagos and Abuja, his gusto is understandable. Coker has been intrigued by the influences on Nigerian food over the years by flavours from other countries such as China, India, European and other West African countries. He has seen how professional chefs render home services and fine dining restaurants beyond just a place in a hotel to eat. He’s been amazed by the marriage of these flavours to create an incredible culinary experience. And like our film, art and music, he believes food can promote tourism.
However, his understanding of Nigerian flavour was instructive. He added: “The Nigerian flavour is not just food. It’s how you dress. It’s how you worship, how you drink, what you’re wearing, all of those things. When I look at food, I see it as a form of transportation to convey more of the flavours of Nigeria to people.”
Though he has experience managing restaurants, he hinted at the possibility of retiring as a consultant for a seafood restaurant in Lagos.
