Chief Executive Officer of the South Africa’s most popular Radio Station, Kaya FM 95.6, Mr. Greg Maloka, has commended the professional approach adopted by the Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mr. Folorunsho Coker, for promoting Nigeria and placing her tourism potentialities in the international market.
From left, Buky Enuha; Brenda Modubene, Business Development Manager, Kaya FM; Greg Maloka, CEO, Kaya FM; Folorunsho Coker, Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), and David O’Sullivan, Manager Programs, Kaya FM at Lunch at Commodores Boat Club, Ikoyi, Lagos, recently.
Maloka, who also lauded the concept of Tour Nigeria, a brand initiated by the NTDC boss, Mr Folorunso Coker to boost patronage of the Nigeria’s domestic tourism by Nigerians and foreigners, disclosed that his team was in Nigeria for a profitable and worthwhile collaboration with NTDC.
Kaya FM is a radio station, which reflects the lives of the predominantly black, urban listener between the ages of 25 to 49 living in Gauteng province and in Johannesburg.
In a chat with tourism health and political reporters at the Boat Club, Lagos, Mr Maloka said: “We are here in Nigeria to see things through our own eyes, I mean African eyes. We do not want to report from the colonial eyes which have been the order of the day and only subjective, but only sees and magnifies the amenable negative occurrences in Nigeria.”
“We are committed to ensure a phenomenal rise, leap and increase in tourists’ traffic from South Africa to Nigeria. We want to reverse Nigerians visiting South Africa without a corresponding positive story of South – Africans visiting Nigeria. This is an unbalanced cultural-economic scenario which cannot foster sustainable and lasting economic relationship and brotherhood between the two countries.”
Mr Maloka said that Kaya FM, South Africa is creating an intra-continental business tourism synergy which will be a win – win for the two countries. He lamented the neo-colonial politicisation of the elements and articles of harmonious cohabitation and commutation in Africa especially through the platform of mega media of intercontinental influence.
Mr Maloka pointed out; “And because of the confidence and trust which the South Africans have in Kaya FM, we deliberately set forth to visit Nigeria, feel Nigeria, see Nigeria and report Nigeria back to South Africa the way it is, so as to facilitate them not only to visit Nigeria, but to also invest in the rural areas.”
He revealed that: “South Africans need to visit Nigeria to learn how Nigerians acquired the self confidence and stoic features which is a unique characteristic of a typical Nigeria, grossly lacking in a typical South African.”
“We are going to sell Nigeria to South Africans through the prism of African native wisdom and employment of African sociological approach rather than the Western format which has brought more confusion and disunity. We are visiting tourism sites, engaging stakeholders who have something to sell in Nigeria to South Africans, organising seminars, workshops and interactive sessions on what and where the South-Africans can access when in Nigeria,” Maloka added.
David O’Sullivian, a member of the delegation said: “We are here on a voyage of discovery. Voyage of obtaining first hand information for a better perspective. A Voyage that will lead to perception, modification and correction.”
Brenda Modibane, Business Development and Marketing Manager, Kaya FM pointed out: “From my short stay in Nigeria, it is evidently clear that South Africans have a lot to see, to gain and to learn from Nigeria. Our incursion into this wonderful country is an eye opener to the vast opportunity open for South Africans which we shall properly market to them.”
Coker said: “It takes a great mind to understand the socio-cultural international conspiracy against Africa which is being perpetrated and festered through some intercontinental octopus mega media. It is also a matter of great valour for another media giant to rise swiftly and embark on positive intra-continental perception re-engineering that is of sustainable mutual benefit, on this, I give a warm African kudos and salute to Kaya FM 95.6 for rising stoutly in a rare Pan African information balancing stride between two most distinguished African countries.”
He revealed that the Tour Nigeria was as a result of a painstaking deliberation and deep thinking of how best to enhance and add value to domestic tourism and thankful that Tour Nigeria has not only been embraced by Nigerians, but has been acknowledged internationally.
The NTDC boss added: “I assure you of our impregnable and profitable support by opening and oiling the corridor of tourism business network, collation of meetings, facilitation of constructive interaction with sectoral leaders of thought and means, movers of the creative industry, leaders of night factories and those whose business and concerns will be of interest to South Africans.”
Editor, Sunday Business Day Newspaper, Mr Zebulon Agomuo, commended the D-G, NTDC for expanding the coast of tourism reporting by interacting with reporters on other desks other than tourism.