The Director General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Segun Runsewe played the Bishop at an expanded meeting of multi sectoral baptism of Eko NAFEST organising committee in Alausa, Ikeja on Friday.
Runsewe told the committee members to bring new ideas to the table and work as a team to add value to the iconic festival, which is in its 35th edition and which Lagos will proudly host in November.
Sharing his experience and knowledge of marketing national events from Chogom, Abuja carnival and others too numerous to mention, Runsewe told cultural tourism enthusiasts which includes the Lagos Commissioner for Tourism, Mrs Akinbile and the Permanent secretary, Mrs Nathan Mash, that serving the nation should be considered a greater honour than material possession.
Reinforcing the capacity of the committee members to deliver on putting together the best Nafest outing ever, Runsewe who also doubles as chairman of the festival Committee and President, Africa Region of World Craft Council (WCC), disclosed that the federal government and the lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, are on the same page to deliver a festival that will attract attention of the world to massive socioeconomic development of lagos nay Nigeria.
He assured that all committee members will be captured in a hall fame, certificated and featured in a documentary detailing the history of NAFEST.
Presenting NAFEST medals to all committee members present, Runsewe noted that the involvement of the private sector tourism leadership cannot be over emphasized as they must be seen to market and mobilize stakeholders to the overall benefit of the festival.
To action the process, Runsewe specifically inaugurated Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria President, Mr Nkereweum Onung, NANTA President, Mrs Susan Akporiaye and Mrs Ime Udo of NATOP as committee members .
The travel media was not also left out and as stated by the NCAC boss, the media is the engine room of the festival as they hold the ace to telling the nation and the world, the cultural tourism narratives of NAFEST.
“The media will do something new and be deployed strategically to give Eko NAFEST a refreshing milage,” he explained further.
