Ambassador Huxley Unumadu, who is the organizer of the annual Miss Tourism Delta State Beauty Pageant, speaks on the benefits of the event that is scheduled to hold later in the year and issues related to cultural tourism development and promotions in Delta State.
Background
Ambassador Huxley Unumadu, who was the former Senior Special Assistant to former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State on Culture and Tourism Development, is the Izomo of Umuebu Kingdom, Delta State, a tourism consultant and organizer of the annual Miss Tourism Delta State Beauty Pageant.
A passionate and committed cultural tourism promoter, he is also a noted show business impresario, cultural ambassador, community leader, and publisher. Unumadu is also the Ambassador of International Community of Africans in Diaspora (ICAD).
What is the level of preparation for the 20th edition of your signature project, Miss Tourism Delta Beauty Pageant, slated to hold later in the year?
Preparations are in top gear. We’re still looking up to sponsors and we’re hopeful that publicity for the event will kick-off next week. It’s going to be a fantastic innovative world class event. The structure is already in place. All our past queens, who are still socially disposed and are within the state, are in touch with us. The hallmark of the 20th anniversary event of our Miss Tourism Delta Beauty Pageant is the awards to distinguished Nigerians, especially Deltans, who have made invaluable contributions to the positive re-engineering of Delta State and Nigeria at large.
They are agents and torch- bearers of our modern society, who are pointing out the right direction to follow. They are political, traditional, community, corporate and professional leaders, who are working tirelessly, in their different worlds to bring a remarkable change to the society. They are the nation builders and pathfinders of the society, who are thinking more of making the world better, more than thinking of what they can get out of the world for themselves.
As a former Senior Special Assistant on Culture and Tourism Development to former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, what is your assessment of the culture and tourism potential of the state?
In Delta State, we have a vast and diverse cultural tourism assets, which over the years have been developed into a viable sector, with a number of programmes and activities initiated. For instance, we have a small cultural tourism festival that is coming up gradually. I’m referring to the annual cultural festival put together by the Organization for the Advancement of Anioma Culture (OFAAC).
The annual OFAAC Feast of Anioma people has become a significant tourism programme that with lots of potential to attract global interest. We have a couple of community festivals within the state which could be reformed and packaged to attract international attention too. There is the Erishi Ugbo Feast in Aboh, the Okere Juju Festival, Warri, Ukwata Festival of Abbi and Nmanwu of Ashaka, Izomo Cultural Festival, Umuebu kingdom, Ikenge – the rich cultural festival of Obiaruku people.
But how can all of these be harnessed and marketed across the country to attract tourists?
The entire idea is about getting strong support from government or corporate organisations to raise their standards and make them marketable. As for historical monuments, what is needed is preservation of the artefacts, beautification of the environment where the monuments are located and of course, strong advertising to create public awareness and attract attention and patronage.
The new administration led by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has retained the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and also appointed a new commissioner to man it, what do you make of this development?
It is a welcomed development and hopefully, the new commissioner and his team, will build on the success of the last administration. However, until somebody is tested, he cannot be properly assessed. I know the governor is a man full of wisdom. He has a reason for every step he takes because he is a very careful planner, and the brain the appointment of Darlington Ijieh, as the new Commissioner for Culture and Tourism.
There is a reason for it, known only to the governor but, judging from the available information on the personality of the commissioner as an intellectual, with a track record of achievements in his past endeavours. He is also a level-headed and creative minded gentleman, who is very receptive. So, we are expecting a pro-active performance.
Given your experience and passion, what cultural tourism programme that is in the mode of the Carnival Calabar that the state can create to market its destination?
We need an annual all Delta Cultural Festival. A sustainable annual cultural event where all the ethnic groups in the state would showcase their unique cultural heritage, with cultural costumes, dances, songs and artistry that are designed to entertain the audience. Not only to entertain the audience, but to equally inform and educate them about the cultural values and tradition, which is unique to the different ethnic groups in the state.
Now, this cultural event has numerous advantages aside being a tourist attraction. The all Delta annual cultural Festival would be made to promote unity and peaceful co-existence of the various ethnic groups in the state. There is need to celebrate the sustained peace and unity of the people over the years, especially in recent times when the different ethnic groups have learned to dialogue rather than fight whenever a misunderstanding arose.
There is also the need to celebrate and enhance the unity and strength in diversity of the ethnic nations that make up Delta State, because that is where the state finds its strength in the midst of other states that make up the Nigeria federation, just as the multi-ethnicity of Nigeria defines the greatness of the country.
Which aspect of tourism do you think Delta State has comparative advantage?
Due to the multi-ethnic nature of the state, we have comparative advantage in cultural tourism. Our different cultures brought together make a beautiful whole. Equally, Delta State happens to be where the Lander Brothers anchored and the site at Ariya where a Bible fell from heaven, gives the state both historical and religious tourism advantage. Historically too, Aboh Kingdom in Ndokwa East Local Government Area happened to be a major anchor point during the slave trade era.
The then king(s) of Aboh was among the earliest traditional rulers that had major contacts with white men during the slave trade and spread of Christianity era. One of the first brick storey buildings in Nigeria was built by the white men for King Obi Oputa of Aboh kingdom in the late 18th century. The historical monument is still standing in the ancient kingdom till date. All the vintage cars, speed boats and others which the King used during his time are still available till date and well persevered by the family.
Additionally, an Africa-American slave abolitionist, Olaudah Equiano. Equiano hails from Ashaka, an Aboh migrant community, also in Ndokwa East. All these are tourism potentials in Delta State, which need to be exploited. We also know that when you build a world class hospital, which is of very high quality service delivery, people from all over the country and neighbouring countries where the standard of the hospital is not available, will come to benefit, thereby making the hospital and its location to have a medical tourism value. The same can be done in agriculture and other areas.
What are some of the basic challenges to tourism development in Nigeria today?
The first most telling challenge to tourism development in the country today is insecurity. Nobody travels to a country or an area for business or pleasure, where safety of lives is not guaranteed. Nobody does that. In fact, I’m worried, every right thinking Nigerian is worried about the spate of insecurity in the country today. Nobody is safe. Before now, during the height of the Boko Haram insurgency, it was restricted to the North East. But now, the entire Northern Nigeria is not safe.
Then comes the problem of Fulani herdsmen. They are terrorising the entire country especially the South. Killing unarmed people without any form of provocation, unchallenged by the security forc- es and we have a democratically elected government in power. The second challenge to tourism development in Nigeria is ethnic distrust among the diverse ethnic groups in the country.
There is no love among the people. While the nation is heavily polarised along Islamic and Christian lines, there is disharmony arising from political and cultural differences among the people of different ethnic groups. These ethnic distrust breeds insecurity and lack of peaceful co-existence, making it practically impossible for tourists to come in. Finally, I would say a third factor mitigating tourism development in Nigeria is lack of government initiative on the area of knowing what to do, to promote tourism in the country.
On the one hand, government appears not to know that tourism alone can sustain the nation’s economy and if it is serious about diversifying the economic base of the country, from sole dependence on oil revenue, then tourism is the next step to take. Look at Dubai for instance. The entire world is going to Dubai to do two things; buy goods and or, see the beauty of the country. Equally, a country like Gambia does not have natural resources like we have oil in Nigeria. But they are surviving mainly on tourism. The little African country has been able to identify their tourism potential especially the sheer beauty of their ocean front.
