Abuja was last weekend agog with fun and fan-fare as tourism events took turns to entertain guests at the Atqnews Magazine flagship program, Jabamah beginning with the Award ceremony at the NICCON Luxury Hotel which saw Nura Sani Kangiwa, Director General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), honoured at the occasion as he carted home the Best Tourism CEO of Year 2021 Award.
Kangiwa was described as a quintessential tourism administrator who has within the short time of his assumption of office as CEO of NIHOTOUR, brought an uncommon transformation to bear on the Institute in terms of improved quality training and enhanced human capacity development via skill acquisition training for youths and women across the country, collaborative efforts with critical stakeholders and clear visibility of the Institute within the committee of the nation’s travel tourism and hospitality industry and beyond.
Managing Director of Atqnews Magazine and organizer of the event, Amb Ikechi Uko while reading Kangiwa’s citation, said the Director General has impacted positively on the quality of service delivery of the Institute most diligently and with passion that the enormous training activities by the Institute to equip teeming Nigerian youths and women could not go unnoticed, noting that with such vibrant input on the part of NIHOTOUR in the industry, the nation’s tourism sector should look forward to a great boost in no too distant future.
In his response, Nura Kangiwa, who was visibly elated, said winning of the Award wouldn’t have been possible without the cooperation and support of the hard working team of staff of the Institute, collaborative efforts and understanding of stakeholders of the industry as well as the vision of the Management of Atqnews Magazine that singled him out of the many Tourism CEOs in the country for the Award.
He said he felt highly honoured and humbled for the Award, noting that this will spur him more to further put in his best and persevere to see to the growth and development of the Nigerian travel tourism and hospitality industry in the area of quality manpower training that will ensure quality and standard service delivery in the sector in line with global best practices.
Saturday, second Day of the Two-Day event saw NIHOTOUR give guests the treat of Nigerian cuisines tagged NAIJA FOODS from the Six-geopolitical zones of the country as they were further entertained with music and other sundry sporting events as well as the exhibition of quality culture and art products, with the guests expressing their delight with the sumptuous dishes courtesy of NIHOTOUR.