Category 2 – Industry Icons
These are individuals who have made significant contributions to the industry’s development, especially in the area of changing the face of tourism in Nigeria
1. Abiola Ogunbiyi – Managing Director, SJ Tours Limited
Abiola Kudirat Ogunbiyi, (LL.M) MITP is a woman on a change mission, a legal practitioner, founder and Managing Director of SJ Tours & Allied Services.
In addition to overseeing the day to day activities of SJ Tours & Allied Services, Mrs. Ogunbiyi also participates in conferences and workshops, focused on tourism and has influenced policy makers on the importance of tourism and integration in the ECOWAS sub-region. She also championed awareness in Traditional Sports and the Ayo board game was grafted into the annual Head of Service games during her tenure as the Chairman of the Lagos State Traditional Sports Association.
Mrs Abiola K. Ogunbiyi, is the architect of Alpha Oasis Ventures, which is an off shoot of SJ Tours and Allied Services. Alpha Oasis Ventures has a concept known as TREES, an acronym which serves as a checklist for nation building and also promotes environmental consciousness.
2. Adefunke Adeyemi – Secretary General, African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC)
Adefunke Adeyemi is a lawyer, advocate and global aviation expert. She is the Secretary General, African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) and Regional Director, Advocacy & Strategic Relations for Africa at the International Air Transportation Association (IATA). She advocates for the sustainability and growth of the aviation industry across the region, highlighting its value to economies and societies as an enabler and catalyst for development and growth, and a force for social good.
Adefunke was recently recognized as one of the 200 globally Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) in affiliation with the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent. Adefunke is a member of the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD), the African Leadership Network, an Associate of the worldwide Institute of Directors, member of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group and avid supporter of the African Philanthropy Foundation.
3. Ademola Sanya – Managing Partner, RHG Consulting Ltd & President, Skal International Lagos
Ademola Sanya is the Managing Partner at Richardson Heritage Consulting (RHC), a tourism and logistics consulting firm. He started a career in British Airways as an Aircraft Technician and then migrated to commercial aviation after 18 years where he spent a further 15 fulfilling years.
He is the current President of SKAL International Lagos, a club that connects travel and tourism professionals around the world consisting of 343 clubs in 99 countries with about 13,000 members globally. Sanya is also the Managing Director at Wiz international services – a resourcery, corporate merchandising and tour packaging Training company.
4. Prince Adetunji Femi Fadina – CEO, Awori Tourism Consulting
Prince Femi a seasoned Tourism Consultant, who has been actively involved in Tourism Operating initiatives locally and abroad, marketing products for various institution, with the European Economic Chamber of Trade, Commerce and Industry Belgium as a Consultant and with Concorde Airline as a marketing and public relation manager, former consultant to The Gambia Embassy Abuja and presently the Executive member with the Nigeria/Israel Business forum Abuja.
As the Lead Consultant and Chief Executive of Awori Tourism Consulting (https://aworitourism.org/), Prince Femi leverages his vast expertise and experience to offer strategic guidance and innovative solutions to clients in the tourism industry. He is the Chairman of the Tourism Consultative Committee in Ado-Odo/Ota, Ogun State. He has served as an Executive Member of the Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN) and as the Deputy President of the National Association of Tour Operators of Nigeria (NATOP).
5. Alhaji Aminu Agoha – Founder, Visa Travels & Tours Limited
Alhaji Aminu Agoha is the Founder of Visa Travels & Tours Limited is a foremost Nigerian Travel Agency incorporated on 5th December, 2000. Their wealth of experience enables them to cater to the unique needs and requirements of their diverse clientele.
Alhaji Agoha, is currently a member of the Board of Trustees for the Federal Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN).
6. Dayo Adedayo – DayoAdedayo Photography Ltd & Publisher, Tour Nigeria
Dayo Adedayo is a British-trained Nigerian documentary photographer, cultural anthropologist, and author. Dayo is the author of Nigeria 2.0, the book documents the story behind many important places in Nigeria. Within a space of 17 years, ‘Dayo has travelled and documented 36 states in Nigeria.
Through his works, Nigeria has been placed on the global map. Having traversed, captured and documented over 10 out of 36 Nigerian states in over 30 years, he knows that Nigeria is the best-kept secret to the world.
7. Faridah Bambo Sagaya – CEO, Angel Style World Travels & Tours
Faridah Olabambo Sagaya is a seasoned Travel and Tour Consultant with a wealth of experience spanning over two (2) decades, promoting Local and International Tourism. She is the CEO of Angel Style World Travels and Tours Ltd, a leading Travel & Tour company in Nigeria providing top-notch services to premium clients. She is a Zoology graduate, a member of SKAL International Lagos and an alumnus of the Lagos Business School (OMP11).
Mrs. Faridah Sagaya an Ambassador of the African Tourism Board for Nigeria is also a member of the NESG (Nigeria Economic Summit Group) Sub-group on Industry Self-Regulation, Tourism and Hospitality Industries Thematic Group.
Her accolades include being inducted into the Tourism 100 Club in 2020 as she received an award as one of the Top 100 Tourism Personalities in Nigeria and in 2021 she was also honored as Winner of the Tourism Supporter of The Year in Nigeria. Angel Style World Travels and Tours Ltd won the Best Domestic Tour Operator, Nigeria Tourism Awards by Balearica Awards in 2020.
8. Femi Adefope – Chairman, GHI Group
Femi Adedfope is the Chairman of GHI Group. GHI Assets, HRG, Tour Brokers, RwandAir, Delta Airlines, Kenya Airways, Air Cote D’Ivoire and many more brands owe their success and visibility in Nigeria to this great man. He has opened more ways in the travel business than most will ever connect to him.
Mr. Adefope was the former President of National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA).
9. Hon. Fidelia Salami – Managing Consultant, Adventure Holiday Concepts
Hon. Fidelia Salami is the Managing Consultant at Adventure Holiday Concepts, where they consult for Blue Chip organizations and organize Summer Vacation for students. Hon. Salami is the author of ‘Tourism in Nigeria: The Incredible Journey into the Heart of Nature’. The book was endorsed by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation for University students. It was also a pre-publication praise written by Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Commonwealth Secretary General.
Hon. Salami is a tourism researcher and the Chairman, the Board of Directors, Delta State Tourism Board. Over the years, she has shown an unrelenting passion for returning Delta into the mainstream of tourism. In 2021, she unveiled a platform called ‘Indulge Tourism,’ which aims to prosecute tourism discourse and development. On the platform, she hosted the legendary soldier and two-time head of state, Olusegun Obasanjo, as her first guest. She is a member of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN)
10. Chief Folorunsho Coker – Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC)
Folorunsho Folarin-Coker (known as Folly Coker) is a businessman, Lagos socialite and Director General who oversees the affairs of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), an office he has occupied since 2017. Before he was appointed the Director-General of the agency, he was the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture for Lagos State.
11. Ikechi Uko – Founder, Akwaaba Africa Travel Market & Africa Travel Quarterly Magazine
Amb. Ikechi Uko is a Nigerian travel business consultant, travel promoter, tourism development expert, media consultant, journalist and author. As the founder of the Akwaaba African Travel Market, the first international trade fair in West Africa, where they showcase the immense potential of the African tourism industry.
He is also the organizer of Abuja Bantaba, Accra Weizo and Port Harcourt Bantaba. He is the CEO of Jedidah Promotions, an international media and tourism marketing firm for airlines, hotels and destinations across Africa. Amb. Ikechi is the Director of Seven Wonders of Nigeria (Naija7Wonders), and publisher of Africa Travel Quarterly Magazine and atqnews.com.
12. Ime Udo – National President, Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP)
Ime Udo is the Managing Director of Leadway Tours, one of the foremost indigenous tour companies offering international local and inbound tours into Nigeria as a destination, and as one of its professionally packaged tourism services to selective destinations.
She was the General Secretary (2016-2018) of the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP). She became the Vice President (2018 – 2022) and is currently the National President. She is also the Financial Secretary of the Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN), the umbrella body for all tourism associations in Nigeria, and its coordinator for the Lagos State Zone.
Ime has worked closely as a tourism consultant to various corporate and renowned companies, including the Federal Ministry of Tourism in Nigeria. She was nominated into the Governing Board of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) and is also the chairman, technical committee of the Board during its tenure. She has been awarded an Honorary Citizens award by the Mayor of the City of Dallas, Texas, USA, in 2016. She has received several Certifications and Awards including the Top 100 Tourism Personalities 2019.
13. Amb. Metche & Amb. Nneka Issac-Moses – Co-Founders, Goge Africa World Wide Ltd
Amb. Metche & Amb. Nneka Isaac-Moses co-founded Goge Africa in 1999, three years after their marriage. The program was first aired on October 1, to coincide with Nigeria’s independence day. It is viewed by over 40 million people syndicated in 15 channels. The Goge Africa team has been to over 32 countries in Africa.
Goge Africa TV show spotlights the rich heritage and business opportunities in Africa to the rest of the world. The programme is a journey of travels, culture, festivals, carnivals, arts, fashion, food, music, dance and real time experiences. It is presented from different touristic locations in Africa and the diaspora, thereby highlighting the diverse pulchritude of Africa. It is a family-oriented program and a tourist’s catalogue.
14. Nanna Yakubu – Zonal Coordinator North Central Zone Jos, Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC)
Nanna D. Yakubu is the zonal coordinator, Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation, NTDC, North Central, Jos. Nanna has served in and chaired several committees on tourism, culture and travel at Federal, State and Community levels. She is one of the tourism resource persons for Nigeria Education Research and Development Council for the planning workshop for development of 18 trade entrepreneur subjects for Senior Secondary Schools.
The graduate of tourism, is the author of the book “Introduction to tourism studies for schools and colleges” by Nanna Yakubu 2020. Her desire is to see tourism at Secondary School level spread across schools in Nigeria to prepare students to gain professional and practical skills that will lead to decent work for socio-economic development. She is listed as one of the top 100 tourism personalities in Nigeria.
Nanna is a passionate Hiker. She has been able to bring together over twenty hike groups in Plateau State under one umbrella, registered with CAC as an association named Plateau Hikers and Tour Association; ‘Tour’ being an acronym for Outdoor Recreation. The aim is to regulate and improve hiking activities for sustainable growth.
15. Ngozi Ngoka – Managing Consultant/CEO, Zigona Advisory
Ngozi Ngoka, Managing Consultant/CEO of Zigona Advisory, is one of the influential Nigerian women in tourism. She is a former Director General of the Imo State Tourism Board in Nigeria and advocates a niche for Rural/Urban Tourism economic models, public/private sector tourism policies and sustainable frameworks for tourism development.
After working at Choice Holidays and Thomas Cook in the United Kingdom, she returned to Nigeria in 2001 to establish Zigona Travel and Tours Ltd, a travel management company with a niche for bespoke travel experiences and destination events for the upscale market.
Lolo Ngoka previous roles include Director General of the Imo State Tourism Board and Trustee Board Chairperson of the Touristry Consultants Forum. She is also the recipient of The Pyne Awards for Tourism and a judge for the World Travel Market Awards which is held every year in Cape Town. She is currently the thematic lead for the Tourism and Hospitality Industries Thematic Group (THITG) of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG).
16. Nkereuwen Onung – President, Federal Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN)
Nkereuwem Onung is the President of Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN), the umbrella association for hotels, travel agencies, boat operators, tour companies and other tourism-reliant organizations in the country.
Nkereuwem is the Chairman (Remlords Tours & Car Hire Services), one stop travels, tour packages and car hire services for a broad spectrum of clients and purposes in Nigeria and abroad. He is the Chairman, Board of Trustees of Nigerian Association of Tour Operators (NATOP). He is currently the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State on Culture and Tourism.
17. Ola Wright – Chief Executive Officer, West Africa Tourism Association
Ola Wright is the Chief Executive, West Africa Tourism Association. She is an experienced business/company ownership and management, consulting and administration stretches longer than twenty five years of liaising with governments of Africa and the Caribbean.
She is educationally trained as a Scientist, has practiced as an Image Consultant and emerged a tourism guru with several other awards to her name for contributing to tourism development in Africa.
18. Sophia Khan – President, Women in Business and Tourism (WIBAT) Nigeria
Sophia Khan Sophia Khan is the CEO El-Khan Travel and Tours Ltd and the President of Women In Business and Tourism Nigeria (WIBAT), a conglomerate of business women from all sectors and industries of the economy which deals with tourism practices in Nigeria. She is a tourism professional with a decade of successful experience of promoting tourism in Nigeria and Africa.
19. Susan Akporiaye – President, National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA)
Susan Akon Akporiaye an entrepreneur par excellence. She is the Managing Director/Chief Executive of Topaz Travel and Tours Limited, Abuja. In the space of two years of operation, her company (Topaz Travel and Tours) became fully accredited, locally by Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and internationally by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Susan has been awarded the Top 100 Africa Women in the Travel and Tourism industry in 2017 by ATQ. Topaz Travel and Tours has gotten the British Airways Gold Agent Award and British Airways Award of Best Selling Agent – Abuja and Northern Nigeria. She has also gotten outstanding performance awards from other Airline companies like Lufthansa; Ethiopia Airlines/Asky Award for the Highest overall Sales; South African Airways; AirFrance/KLM Award; and other numerous Awards.
20. Temi-Tope Ogbeni-Awe – Founder, Tourism Promotion and Communication (TOPCOMM)
The name Temi-Tope Ogbeni-Awe certainly rings a bell in the circle of journalism in Nigeria, particularly in the niche of travel writing and reporting. In the more recent 25 years of his life, the man popularly called “Ogbeni,” a Yoruba word which translates to “Mister” devoted his time to creating a niche in the public relations world in the area of destination marketing after over three decade career in journalism spanning Vanguard, The Punch, BusinessDay newspapers and more.
Many Nigerian journalists owe their very first and other international all-expense paid travels to the actions of Ogbeni who through his establishment of TOPCOMM PR Concept and Events, represents global travel brands in Nigeria including South African Tourism, South African Airways, Delta Air Lines and many more hospitality and tourism brands.
Today, travel and tourism reporting and publications are blossoming in Nigeria through the solid foundation laid and continuously supported by Ogbeni, who is credited as a pioneering leader of the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET).
21. Uloma Egbuna – Managing Director, Tour Brokers International
Uloma Egbuna is the CEO/Managing Director of Tour Brokers Group of Companies (TBI) – a group exclusively dedicated to the promotion of tourism services in Nigeria and internationally. With nearly three decades experience in the travel and tourism industry, she has attended several international courses on Tourism.
She is a travel professional who is knowledgeable, capable and passionate about the services TBI promotes and offers. She is a past publicity secretary of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agents (1993- 1996) and also held the position of the Vice President (West) of the Nigerian Association of Tour Operators (NATOP).
Uloma has been awarded recognition as the West Africa Tourism Personality of the year (2018), one of the Top 100 Tourism Personalities in West Africa, amongst other awards. With extensive travel experience, Uloma Egbuna has first-hand knowledge of many locations and has organized several tour packages to different parts of the world.
22. Professor Wasiu Babalola – Regional Chairman, Institute of Hospitality UK-Nigeria
Wasiu Babalola is a Professor of Hotel Management & Tourism, Atiba University, Oyo, Nigeria; an Adjunct Professor of Tourism & Hospitality, Faculty of Environmental Designs and Management, Lead City University, Ibadan, Nigeria and a Visiting Professor to the Capital City University, Kano, Nigeria. His teaching interests center on studies in Hospitality, Tourism, Accounting & Management programmes.
Professor Babalola’s main research areas are in hospitality operations, innovations & marketing, hospitality regulations, hospitality and tourism accounting and forensics and sustainable development and planning. He is a Rotarian and Past President of the Rotary Club of Isolo, District 9110 Nigeria.
23. Hon. Kehinde Quadri-adu – President, Afro-Caribbean Chamber of Culture and Tourism (ACCCAT)
Wasiu Babalola is a Professor of Hotel Management & Tourism, Atiba University, Oyo, Nigeria; an Adjunct Professor of Tourism & Hospitality, Faculty of Environmental Designs and Management, Lead City University, Ibadan, Nigeria and a Visiting Professor to the Capital City University, Kano, Nigeria. His teaching interests center on studies in Hospitality, Tourism, Accounting & Management programmes.
Professor Babalola’s main research areas are in hospitality operations, innovations & marketing, hospitality regulations, hospitality and tourism accounting and forensics and sustainable development and planning. He is a Rotarian and Past President of the Rotary Club of Isolo, District 9110 Nigeria.