By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili has appointed a former Nigerian Minister as his Special Advisor.
Lai Mohammed served as Minister for Information and Tourism in the administration of the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mohammed whose appointment was announced at the opening session of the 66th UNWTO Commission for Africa (CAF) taking place in Mauritius, is expected to assist Pololikashvili pursue his objective of making Africa a key region for the global tourism economy through his “Agenda for Africa programme”.
Mohammed expressed gratitude to be honoured with the appointment, as he is the first Nigerian to take up the role.
He said, “I stand before you, deeply touched and inspired by your generous words of confidence and trust.
“With so much gratitude for the confidence placed in me by the Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Mr. Zurab Pololikashivili and with an unswerving resolve to honour that trust, I humbly accept the appointment as the Special Advisor on Tourism to the Secretary General of this great Organization.
“I am deeply honoured to become the first Nigerian to serve in this capacity. Nigeria is dynamic and diverse in terms of natural and human resources in the areas of tourism, culture, creative industries, technology and other aspects of our national economy.”
He stated Nigeria and Africa region in general is living and shaping the full range of achievements and challenges of our current times.
He noted that it is inspiring to take on more responsibilities that will guide the development of tourism in a more sustainable manner.
The former minister while in office was criticised for allegedly suppressing the truth about Nigeria’s security situation as he repeatedly maintained that insurgency was “technically” defeated.
He also stood his ground that the 2020 killing of EndSARS protesters in Lagos was falsehood promoted by the opposition and the social media especially twitter now rebranding X.
