By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
The Former Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Nigeria, Lai Mohammed has been appointed as Special Advisor to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Secretary General, Zurab Pololikashvili.
The announcement of the appointment was made during the opening session of the 66th UNWTO Commission for Africa (CAF) currently underway in Mauritius.
Mohammed brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his new task having consistently played instrumental roles in the affairs of the world tourism body for the past seven years.
He led the organisation of the 61st UNWTO CAF Meetings in Nigeria in 2018 and the maiden UNWTO Global Conference on Linking Tourism, Culture and Creative Industries in Lagos last year. He is expected to help Pololikashvili pursue his objective of making Africa a key region for the global tourism economy through his Agenda for Africa programme.
Accepting the new role, Lai Mohammed expressed his gratitude, saying that he was inspired by the confidence reposed in him by the Secretary General.
“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.
“This would mark the first time that I would be attending a function of the UNWTO as a private individual having for the past seven (7) years, served as the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I wish to extend my deepest respect and appreciation to all the leaders of the member states, particularly those from the Africa region; for their support and friendship,” he maintained.
