Unwto Honours Atigbi in Ghana

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation [UNWTO] has finally kept its 2006 promise to honour late Ignatius Amaduwa Atigbi, former head of Nigeria’s tourism agency and chairman of Africa Travel Commission who proposed the idea of marking September 27 as World Tourism Day. After many years of agitation to honour Atigbi, it is instructive that his memory is being institutionalised at a time when an African Mr. Taleb Rifai heads the UNWTO secretariat and incidentally the world celebration of the WTD was held in Accra, Ghana. Nigeria’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation took up the UNWTO on the matter of honouring Atigbi. The ministry’s letter dated August 11, 2009, read in part, "I write to remind the authority of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation [UNWTO], under the leadership of its earlier promise to honour the late Nigerian tourism czar".

The ministry noted that UNWTO in its letter of September 29th, 2006, by the former secretary general, Mr. Francesco Frangialli, stated, "I would like to commemorate the late Ignatius Amaduwa Atigbi, former director general, Nigeria Tourist Association [NTA], now Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation [NTDC] and chairman African Travel Commission".

The plague honouring Atigbi was handed over by Rifai to Alhaji Sheidu Ozigin, Permanent Secretary in the ministry who represented the minister, Senator Bello Gada. The ceremony at the Accra International Conference Centre was witnessed by a large Nigerian delegation.

UNWTO explained that in 1971, in Ankara, Turkey, Mr. Atigbi proposed the creation of the World Tourism Day at the XXII General Assembly of the International Union of Official Travel Organisation [IUOTO], now United Nations World Tourism Organisation [UNWTO] and therefore September 27 has become an internationally recognised annual event with the aim to celebrate worldwide the phenomenon that is tourism.

The ministry also pointed out in its letter that the plan to honour Atigbi at the commemoration exhibition focused on the theme: 1946-2006-IUOTO-UNWTO-sixty years of institutionalisation for World Tourism and Thirty Years Headquartered in Madrid on Wednesday 13th of December 2006 was never fulfilled.

Picture Caption: Alhaji Sheidu Ozigin, OON MNI, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Receiving Late Ignatius Amaduwa Atigbi Recognition Award From [UNWTO] Sec. Gen, Dr. Taleb Rifai In Accra, Ghana.