By Ikechi Uko
Today is the birthday of the man who envisioned “Detty December “
I credit 4 people with the success of Detty December as a tourism product.
I would not discount the annual mass return of the Igbos and other people from the South who go home every December for Christmas. But for the purpose of this tribute, I count 4 persons.
The 4 persons will be:
1) Ambassador Frank Ogbuewu Nigerian Minister of Tourism from.2004 to 2007
2) Dr. Donald Duke, the Governor of Cross River State from 1999 to 2007
3 )Mr Eazi the Ghana Based Nigerian Musician
4.) Governor Ambode and his Commissioner of Tourism Folly Coker
Today is Ambassador Frank Ogbuewu”s birthday. This is a tribute to him.
When he was made the Minister of Tourism and Culture by President Obasanjo, he outlined a plan to start what he called the “Harmattan Season” of Tourism.
He wanted to build a cluster of tourism events to bring people to Nigeria in November and December, the Harmattan season(Harmattan is the North East winds that bring Cold and dry winds from the Sahel to Nigeria). He launched the development of the Tourism Masterplan.
He started the Abuja Carnival with Prof. Ahmed Yerima and Otunba Segun Runsewe. He started the Presidential Council of Tourism with the grace of the president. That year, Dr. Duke and his team in Calabar initiated the onset of the now world Famous Carnival Calabar.
Fast forward to the very divisive and Tribal elections in lagos in 2015. The Governor Ambode Government launched the one Lagos fiesta to show that Lagos is one. That music and entertainment unify everyone. His Commissioner of Tourism in Lagos, Folly Coker, pushed it and executed a wonderful crossover event and countdown that turned Lagos officially into a party city.
Different international travel media listed Lagos as the coolest city in the world and among the top 10 places to party in the world.
The man who gave us the word Detty December would be Mr..Eazi and his Ghanaian partner, who had Parties in Lagos and Accra with that title. Musicians like Davido, Bracket, and Olamide had events that drew Crowds. Ali Baba was already drawing people with his January 1st event.
The tourism impact of these events was captured in a report done by Steve Ayorinde when he became the Commissioner of Tourism. The report showed that Lagos grossed over N50B in December.
Today, all pictures used by International media Outlets to depict Detty December in Lagos is that of Carnival Calabar because the Carnival, though in Cross River state, captures the essence of the Nigerian party Spirit in vivid Colours.
It is the biggest street party in Africa and draws the largest entertainment crowd in Nigeria.
So I doff my hat to the man who had a vision of Nigeria using its holiday season to grow tourism.
By the way, the Tourism Masterplan he initiated never took off. Abuja Carnival eventually went to sleep. The Presidential Council on Tourism stopped after President Obasanjo .
In Lagos, the One Lagos Fiesta had many changes of names but not as great. But I am expecting this year to be grand after the great effort last year.
Detty December not only Stuck but has changed the Dynamics of Lagos and Tourism. Hotels in Ikeja that used to thrive in December with transit Passengers now watch as stay over Passengers troop to Hotels on the Island
