… to rally Nigerians, Africans as chief host
Ahead of the November commencement date of Ipada Carnival 2024, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has confirmed his attendance at the event as the chief host. This is coming on the back of the president’s earlier endorsement and support of the carnival and the ongoing Ipada Initiative being promoted by Wanle Akinboboye, founder and president of La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Tourism.
The development was conveyed in a formal letter by Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to the president. In the August 9th dated letter, Gbajabiamila stated; ‘‘His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has confirmed his attendance for the Ipada Carnival event as the Chief Host.’’
Besides the president’s attendance as chief host, the letter further stated that the president has also agreed to take on a much bigger role at the event, which he has earlier noted is very dear to him because it is a veritable platform to promote Nigeria and Africa on the global stage due to the benefits to the country and the entire African continent.
To this end, Gbajabiamila disclosed that Tinubu; ‘‘has graciously accepted the roles of being the Grand Patron and Chief Global Ambassador of the Carnival and Ipada Initiative.’’ With the grand roles, the president has put his official stamp on the project as having the full backing of the Nigerian government.
This is expected to serve as a big boost to the development and promotion of Nigerian tourism, which in recent years has witnessed its lowest moment following lack of attention to its development by the previous governments.
However, President Tinubu has on assumption of office over a year ago turned attention to the sector by creating separate ministries for Tourism and Culture respectively. Tourism and Culture were hitherto lumped together under the Ministry of Information and Culture by the previous administration.
This move, which is seen as part of achieving the Renewed Hope Agenda of the president that is aimed at improving Nigeria’s economy by focusing on tourism, is a historic one, as it would be the first time in the annals of Nigeria’s cultural tourism ecosystem that a sitting president would not only throw his weight and that of the federal government behind a private initiative, geared at promoting the sector, the country and the continent, but also personally serving as a rallying point as both the chief host and global ambassador.
The Ipada Initiative is a Motherland Beckons’ activation by Akinboboye that is designed to ignite mass movement of Africans in the Diaspora all over the world to Africa – Motherland – using Lagos as a gateway to other parts of Africa.
It should be noted that the Ipada Initiative is already ongoing, with countless tourists touching down weekly at the African-themed La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort in Ikegun Village, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos and overflowing to several other hotels in the country.
The Ipada Carnival 2024 is going to be the biggest ever cultural, arts, fashion, musical concerts and potpourri of entertainment at La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort. It is scheduled to be held between November 28 and December 8, 2024, with both events expected to attract over five to 10 million tourists to Nigeria and other African countries on an annual basis.
The 10-day event will offer a memorable platform for tourists, both business and leisure travellers, to explore the abundant and colourful cultural experience that would be uniquely curated for them and business opportunities in Africa through the Business Unusual programme, which entails a number of activations.
It should be recalled that besides the president’s call on government at all levels to support the programme and giving directive to Lola Ade-John, Minister of Tourism, to mobilise all government’s apparatuses including Ministries, Departments and Agencies, a number of state governments have on their own endorsed and declared full support for the Ipada Initiative and the carnival.
They include; the host state government, Lagos, Ekiti, and Ondo, while others are expected to line up behind Akinboboye and the Ministry of Tourism in the realisation of the historic project in the coming days, following the president’s involvement in ensuring the success of the project for the good of the nation and the continent.
