10 Things You Should Know About Nigeria’s No1 Tourism Boss

The four largest industries in Nigeria are petroleum, tourism, agriculture, and mining.

The checks by societynow.ng confirmed Tourism has one of the major drivers of inter-cultural relations and the key influencer of influx to Nigeria, pre-covid-19.

The industry which has year on year increased contributions to Nigeria’s annual internally generated revenue has a direct impact on employment, income, infrastructure, and standard of living.

At the helms of affairs of the agency handling, this sector which has a strong bearing on social and economic development is Folorunsho Folarin Coker.

Foli or Folly Coker as he is better known is the Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC).

Here are ten things you should know about him.

1, He is a former Commissioner for Tourism, Arts & Culture in Lagos State and created the irreplaceable One Lagos (Fiesta ) Concept among other landmark initiatives.

2, In a brief tenure (October 19, 2015 – October 19, 2016) that overshadows his predecessors and none of his successors are yet to come near, in terms of achievements, Coker pruned the budget of the first edition of One Lagos Fiesta from N2Billion to N500m and staged a glam 5day event that remains a cornerstone.

3, He holds a bachelor’s degree in combined studies, economics, and geography from Manchester University and possesses a post-graduate degree in diplomacy, international trade, and finance from the University of Westminster where he finished with distinctions.

4, He is on the last step of putting in place a legal framework for the NTDC that can be likened to the required foundation (the financial framework inclusive) laid in the communication, banking, oil, and gas sectors, which resulted in their huge revenue returns.

5, He is currently engaged in a self-initiative project about re-imagining Tourism to properly cater for possible risks while harnessing the potentials in the post Covid- 19 society.

6, He was reappointed as the Director-General of NTDC by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, April 30, 2021, based on the achievements recorded in his first term in office – despite the institutional and related challenges he battled, including the total shutdown of his sector by Covid-19.

7, He is married with children and has been a part of government administration at the state level since 1999.

8, He is described as a “strategic Thinker” by those who are close to him. His philosophy is action speaks better than words and shied away from public glare until he was appointed Commissioner for Tourism Arts and Culture in Lagos state on October 19, 2016.

9, He is 56years old and his last birthday was on Tuesday, July 27.

10, He is the son of the personification of goodness known as the “true definition of the spirit of Lagos” –Elderman Nathaniel Folarin-Coker. “Elderman” Folarin-Coker passed on to glory on August 12, 2020, at the age of 97.