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Tourism Icon, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye’s Tourism product No 28 is ‘Transforming Attractions to Destinations

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In delivering this week’s tourism product, Otunba Olawanle Akinboboye, apologized over the delay, which he attributed to his rather very tight schedule, and work on a project related to this week’s tourism product as well.

 

He recalled that, in the last 40 years development of the tourism industry in Nigeria, he has always stressed the importance of creating tourism destinations.

 

Otunba Akinboboye said that, Nigeria has numerous geographical and other attractions that includes beaches, hills, waterfalls, historical landmarks and so on. However, it has failed to transform many of these tourist attractions into tourism destinations, which is essential in creating a viable tourism industry in Nigeria and providing employment and economic empowerment to numerous communities across Nigeria.

 

The tourism icon, Otunba Olawanle Akinboboye explained that, when tourists visit an attraction, they will only expend money at that location if it contains infrastructure that encourages such expenditure. The required infrastructure includes decent accommodation, places to eat and drink, apparatus for sporting and leisure activities, tourist knick knacks and so on.

 

When such infrastructure is present. it enhances the tourism experience and encourage the tourist (whether local or international) to spend the money he has put aside for his visit. It also encourages repeat visits.

 

By providing things the tourist wants to use or purchase at a tourism attraction, you encourage him/her to spend, and this ultimately benefits the economies of the communities in the immediate vicinity of the attraction.

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Otunba Akinboboye emphasized that tourist attractions, by themselves, do not bring sustained and significant economic upliftment to the communities in which they are located. It is only when such attractions have been transformed into tourism destinations that their adjacent communities can truly take advantage of the economic advantages they give rise to.

 

Otunba Akinboboye mentioned that in Nigeria there are 774 Local Government Areas. He also noted that each local government area contains at least one potential tourism attraction which, if properly presented and managed, could become a tourism destination.

 

While there may be a fear that transforming so many attractions into destinations would be extremely expensive, Otunba Akinboboye is of the view that the current world focus on Eco – tourism means that countries like Nigeria could build tourism destinations that are targeted at eco tourists, and which can leverage off traditional architecture and used equipment for sports and activities that has a traditional bent.

This would give our tourism destinations an African ambiance and promote our culture in a manner that would appeal to international tourists that are focused on obtaining new and unique experiences through tourism.

 

In support of his thinking, Otunba Akinboboye pointed to the rise of luxury camping trips or glamping in Europe and in Kenya. This involved the use of tent as accommodation. He also spoke about the thousands of European tourists that backpacked through Asia and stayed in fairly basic accommodation so they could experience something new.

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Otunba Akinboboye then spoke about his experience developing a tourism attraction into a tourism destination. He noted that when he first came across attraction, it consisted of a site bordered by the ocean and which contained both a lagoon and mangrove forest. Although those three natural features were interesting, they would not have attracted the tourism traffic required to make them economically beneficial.

 

He therefore weaved a Resort – La Campagne Tropicana – around these natural attractions. In particular he built unique accommodation, installed sporting facilities and made provision for African centrex entertainment. By doing this, he transformed these natural attractions into a tourism destination which local and international tourists could visit for recreation.

 

Otunba Akinboboye noted that the transformation of these attractions to a tourism destination provided economic benefits for the surrounding communities. The Resort employs workers from the surrounding villages and therefore generate employment for young people who otherwise would have migrated to the city. The closest village; Ikegun, which, when the Resort was first founded, could d only boast of 4 concrete structures now counts its concrete houses in hundreds and even has its own petrol station.

 

Otunba Akinboboye mentioned that he was currently transforming a tourism attraction in Ondo town, Ondo, which consists of rocky hills, caves and forest, into a tourism destination, which will take the form of Resort.

He mention that the Resort, which was nearing completion, made use of the the caves to create a unique ‘restaurant’ and‘ night club’, which unlike other so called cave restaurants was completely natural not man made.

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The Resort also provide accommodation that is aligned to the Afrocentric architecture used by the La Campagne brand.

It was anticipated that visitors to the Ondo Resort would be able to hike in the forest, while swimming in the pools that form part of the Resort and playing tennis on its tennis court.

 

Otunba Akinboboye noted that in line with the operating procedures he adopted, while transforming tourism attractions to tourism destination, which he refers to as SCC – Structure – Culture and Clientele – he would now be focusing on generating clientele for the new Resort.

 

He mentioned that the Ondo Resort would be hosting an Asun Carnival on 27 April 2024. This carnival leverages off and celebrates ‘Asun’ a popular culinary item synonymous with the people of Ondo.

 

The carnival will feature colourful costumes, street dancing and plenty of opportunities to eat Asun.

 

The tourism icon said, he will be happy to host any of our readers who would like to visit the Resort and participate in the Asun carnival on 27 April 2024, which is coincidentally the day on which the Resort will be officially declared open.

 

We hope you have enjoyed hearing about the creation of tourism destination from a tourism guru and we look forward to further opportunities to benefit from his wealth of experience on growing tourism in Nigeria.

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My husband diverted medical fund, nursing mother stranded in hospital cries out

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Susan Ubangha, who was recently delivered of a baby girl, has cried for help over her deteriorating health condition after giving birth at the Alimosho General Hospital in the Igando area of Lagos State.

 

The new mother alleged that her husband used the money meant for her medical bill to buy a phone and a dog.

 

Ubangha, in a lengthy post on her X handle, stated that her ordeal started in the weeks leading to the delivery of her baby as she started to experience sudden and severe shortness of breath.

 

The nursing mother who claimed to have been rushed to the hospital alleged that her husband failed to pay for her hospital bills.

 

She claimed that her husband was opposed to a caesarean section due to the financial constraints while he suggested that would deliver the baby naturally

 

She wrote, “I got traditionally married recently and took in. I thought that was the best thing that happened to me, everything was going well until I entered the 35th week. I suddenly developed shortness of breath, I could barely walk two seconds without being out of breath. Thinking it was one of those symptoms of late pregnancy, I didn’t take it seriously until the 14th of April when I could barely breathe, and couldn’t lift my head up.

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“I was rushed to a nearby clinic, they couldn’t handle me, so I was taken to my hospital where I was admitted and placed on oxygen. The doctors told my husband we should opt for CS, as I and my unborn child were at risk. My husband said no, that I’d definitely deliver naturally. He insisted he had no money for CS and that they should work on stabilising my breathing. So for three days, I was on oxygen and feeling better. Seeing that I was responding to treatment, my husband went around and insisted I should be discharged against the doctor’s advice.”

 

Ubangha said she became weak to argue with her husband whose insistence led her to be discharged from the hospital.

 

She however noted that she developed breathing problems again after she arrived home, adding that her husband thereafter bought a herbal drink which he asked her to drink to make her baby’s head turn for natural delivery.

 

She further narrated she was in so much pain that she drank only for the pain to intensify while she struggled so much till about 1 am in the morning when she couldn’t take it anymore.

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She said, “I cried out, my neighbours came running and I was again rushed to the hospital, admitted and placed on oxygen. While my doctors determined what to do, my husband insisted he had no money for a cesarean section. All these while, I was spending my life’s savings on medications, this and that tests.”

 

“This dragged on until the morning of 29th April, I was broken, my baby wasn’t moving, my breathing wasn’t good, I couldn’t push and my baby’s position was beached. I cried out on Facebook where a kind Samaritan sent me 500k to pay for CS and whatever else I might need afterwards.”

 

Speaking on how her husband allegedly squandered the money, Ubangha said, “I immediately sent the sum of 180k and an additional 60k so he could pay for the surgery and whatever we might need. He took the money and spent it instead on a phone and bought a dog while I was battling with life, thinking he was paying.

 

She said, “We waited from 10 am when I gave him the money to about 2 pm, Doctors were shouting, time was running out, I had to call his sister, counted another N180,000 and gave her, she’s the one who paid. He came at 6 pm when I was being wheeled into the theatre. I could hear both of them fighting, the sister threatening to arrest him.”

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Ubangha who eventually gave birth through a cesarean section alleged that her husband had abandoned her, as she was left with her newborn baby girl and her aged mother at the hospital.

 

Ubangha explained that she was stranded having spent all she had on the medical bills and food, and appealed to the public for help to save her.

 

In a picture attached to the post, the nursing mother could be seen with a swollen leg

“First diagnosis was that I had peripartum cardiomyopathy. I’ve done ECKG, chest X-ray and a series of other blood tests that I’m waiting for a report on. Whatever the outcome, I will need every help I can get. I need about 500k to help with whatever treatment plan and to help facilitate my discharge process,” she added.

 

Ubangha explained that she was stranded having spent all she had on the medical bills and food, and appealed to the public for help to save her.

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Police arrest Portable over ‘G-Wagon debt’

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Controversial singer, Portable, has been arrested by the Lagos state police command for allegedly failing to pay the debt he incurred after purchasing his G-Wagon from a car dealer.

 

 

The singer, born Habeeb Okikiola, was apprehended on Tuesday, Benjamin Hundeyin, the state police spokesperson, told TheCable Lifestyle.

 

“Yes, Portable has been arrested,” Hundeyin said.

 

The ‘Zazoo Zeh’ hitmaker was said to have bought the vehicle worth N27 million but paid only N13 million.

 

 

Portable allegedly refused to pay the remaining N14 million and whenever the car dealer requested for his money, he always claimed the vehicle was having issues.

 

The singer purchased the car last year and was once seen using the vehicle to distribute food items to children on the streets.

 

This is not the first time Portable will be arrested by the police. In April last year, the Ogun police arrested the singer over an alleged assault.

The arrest came after the expiration of the 72-hour ultimatum given to him to turn himself in.

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The singer previously resisted attempts by the police to arrest him and also referred to himself as “a federal government liability”.

 

Portable gained fame in December 2021 with the release of ‘Zazoo Zeh’, his hit single featuring Olamide and Poco Lee.

 

He has also produced hit tracks including ‘All Eyes On Me’, ‘Clear Azaman’, ‘Neighbour’, and ‘Ogo Forever’.

The singer is known for making headlines over controversial reasons.

 

He recently collaborated with Skepta, the British rapper, on ‘Tony Montana’.

 

Portable also recently said fashion was his ‘profession” before venturing into music. He revealed that he is still a fashion designer and “combines” the profession with his music career.

 

 

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BREAKING: Niger Speaker halts wedding plans for 100 orphans

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The Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Abdulamlik Sarkindaji, has stopped the planned hosting of the wedding of 100 orphan girls in his constituency, saying he would not grace the occasion.

 

Sarkindaji took the decision following the action of the Women Affairs Minister, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, who dragged the Speaker to court to halt the wedding.

 

The Speaker made this known on Tuesday during a media briefing in which he said the minister had overstepped her bounds.

 

He said the minister should take over the sponsorship of the wedding ceremony.

 

The Speaker disclosed that he had already made funds available to the girls’ parents through the traditional leaders and clerics of his constituency, noting that he would not withdraw the funds.

 

Abdulmalik also pointed out that his motive for wanting to sponsor the wedding was the state of poverty of the girls’ parents and not the constituency project, as reported in the media.

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