Celebrating 2015 World Tourism Day

UPLIFTING THE NIGERIA’S TOURISM INDUSTRY AS THE WORLD CELEBRATES THE 2015 WORLD TOURISM DAY,  SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27

 

No doubt, observing a beautifully looking environment remains one of the prime desires of every man. This is the reason every able-bodied man works assiduously to ensure that his/her immediate surroundings appear enticingly.

Tourism as an area of life or human endeavour is a sector that has over the decades pays an optimum attention to how attractive our surroundings look thereby making the sector to be globally recognized as an avenue for revenue generation.

Concisely, tourism is the business activity connected with provision of accommodation, entertainment, and other hospitable services for people who are visiting a place for pleasure. In other words, a tourist can be described as a person who is travelling or visiting a certain locality for the sake of pleasure.

In the past, our various heritages were being used by our ancestors as a means of entertaining themselves as well as their visitors or guests. Presently, the tourist industry has shown that these heritages can also be utilized as a business venture having formally upgraded most of them to international standard.

Noting the positive impact of the tourist industry the world over, it is of no need reiterating the fact that it has contributed massively to the ongoing socio-economic development of most nations. Analysts are of the view that the industry represents about nine percent (9%) of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and that it is a key revenue sector for developing and emerging economies.

Indeed, tourism plays a very vital role in building blocks of a more sustainable future for all, which is community development. Above all, it is widely acknowledged for its capacity to respond to global challenges. In view of this, there is an urgent need for Nigeria, which is a nation globally recognized as the “Giant of Africa”, to follow suit towards ensuring that the World Tourist Industry which helps to foster global unity is granted a preferential treatment at all cost.

Nigeria can contribute her quota by ensuring that her socio-cultural heritage is optimally uplifted. This proposed measure would not only help to encourage the world tourist industry, but would also go a long way to elevate the country’s Gross National Product (GNP), thus strengthening her economic prowess.

Nigeria as an independent state is made up of over two hundred and fifty ethnic groups; and each of these groups is tremendously blessed with various socio-cultural heritages. These cultural heritages including dancing, masquerading, dressing, hunting, fishing, wrestling, molding of sculptures, just to mention but a few, if well harnessed, would no doubt help to uplift the nation’s Tourist Industry thereby boasting her socio-economic and political ego.

Sunday September 27, the world over celebrated the 2015 World Tourism Day. At its third session held in Torremolinos – Spain in the year 1979, the United Nations Assembly mandated its Member States to observe September 27 each year as the World Tourism Day having reached a unanimous resolution.

The day of the commemoration was chosen to coincide with an important historic milestone in the world’s tourism sector, which is the anniversary of the adoption of the UN Tourism Statutes on 27^th of September 1970. The first commemoration of the World Tourism Day took place in 1980.

The timing of the World Tourism Day is particularly appropriate, because it comes at the end of the high season in the Northern hemisphere, and at the beginning of the season in the Southern hemisphere when tourism is of topical interest to hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held in 2012 emphasized that well-designed and appropriately managed tourism can make a significant contribution to the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. The Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon further highlighted that, tourism which remains one of the world’s largest economic sectors, is specially well-placed to promote environmental sustainability, green-growth coupled with human struggle against climate change through its relationship with energy.

As Nigeria joins the international community to celebrate the World Tourism Day, we are all expected to contribute our quota toward ensuring that our respective environments or surroundings become globally recognized as ‘attractive and human friendly localities’, so that, generations yet unborn would  live to remember that an attractive environment is equally a revenue source.

In addition, the Nigerian government ought to note that it is high time the country’s Tourist Industry is uplifted through the realization of the fact that the Oil and Gas Industry may not last for eternity. To this end; embracing diversification as regards the nation’s revenue generation/source is long overdue.  Think about it!

 

COMR FRED DOC NWAOZOR

(TheMediaAmbassador)
Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research
& Career Development - Owerri

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056 
http://frednwaozor.blogspot.com

Twitter: @fdnnwaozor          

Celebrating 2015 Int'l Day of Peace

STILL ON INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE

 

Hostility is unfriendly or aggressive behaviour/feelings towards people from other backgrounds. It can also be described as a strong opposition against an idea, a plan or a situation. In the same vein, conflict is a situation in which people, groups or countries are involved in a serious disagreement or argument which often results to violence; it can simply be defined as a state of complete confusion and disorder.

On the other hand, peace is a situation or a period of time in which there is no enmity, violence or war in a certain locality or country. More so, it is the state of being calm or quiet, or living in mutual friendship with others.

Hostility and conflict, or lack of peace, which has subjected mankind to a state of mockery, has indeed arrested the developmental thrives of most nations in the world thereby constituting a severe and uncontrollable poverty among the populace.

On its part, conflict which is as old as the world has succeeded in rendering the socio-economic growth of many countries incapacitated due to its cruel and dastardly nature. Conflict or crisis through the emergence of terrorist activities such as assassination, kidnapping, massacre, genocide and what have you, has not only brought endless anxiety to the people, but has contributed immensely to the degradation of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the affected countries. Above all, the dangers of war or the level of the post-traumatic stress disorder attributed to it cannot be overemphasized.

Statistics show that the root cause of several conflicts are directly related to valuable natural resources such as gold, diamond, oil and gas, diesel, coal, kerosene, timber, water and so on. Needless to say; addressing the ownership, control and management of natural resources or endowments is crucial to maintaining peace and security thereby sustaining an ideal development.

Surely, peace and security are essential foundations for social progress and sustainable development. Thus, we must quench the fire of extremism among us in order to tackle the root causes of conflict, because peace is definitely a long journey that we are bound to collectively embark on. Suffice to say that, we are expected to hold peace in our hearts and minds, and tenderly nurture it so it would grow and blossom.

Regarding the effect of peace to humanity, in 1981, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly through a resolution established the International Day of Peace. The Assembly mandated the UN Member States to observe September 21 of every year as Int’l Day of Peace. The first International Peace Day was celebrated on Tuesday September 21, 1982; the first commemoration was meant to coincide with the anniversary of the United Nations’ opening session, which was held annually on the third Tuesday of September.

In addition to the commemoration, in 2001, the UN General Assembly by unanimous votes adopted resolution which established 21^st September of every year as an annual day of non-violence and ceasefire. By this resolution, the United Nations invites all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities, and to otherwise commemorate the Day through education and raising of public awareness on issues related to peace.

It is no longer news that, armed conflict causes untold grief and hardship to families, communities and the entire countries involved. Indeed, too many are suffering today at the brutal hands of war-mongers and terrorists. This is why, from the onset, we must learn to teach our children and wards the essence of tolerance and mutual respect. Let’s invest in the schools and teachers that will build a fair and inclusive world that embraces diversity; fight for peace at all cost, and defend it with all our might.

Therefore, from time to time, we are meant to sensitize our children, relatives, friends, colleagues, associates, and what have you, towards emulating the habit of the UN Messengers of Peace, or the likes of Princess Haya, Daniel Barenboim, Paulo Coelho, Michael Douglas, Jane Goodall, Edward Norton, Steve Wonder, Charlie Theron, Elie Wiesel, just to mention but a few, whom remain distinguished individuals carefully selected from the fields of art, literature, science, entertainment, sports and other fields of public life, who have agreed to help focus worldwide attention on the work of the United Nations as regards promotion of peace. These prominent personalities or icons volunteer their times, resources, energies, talents and passions to raise awareness of United Nations’ tireless efforts to improve the lives of billions of people worldwide.

The International Day of Peace offers people globally a shared date to think about how they can contribute towards ensuring that natural resources are managed in a mature and sustainable manner, thus reducing potential for disputes as well as paving ways for a sustainable future, which is no doubt the future we want.

Monday September 21, the world over commemorated the 2015 International Day of Peace. As Nigeria alongside the global community is still passing through the euphoria of the celebration, I’m using this avenue to call for a holistic condemnation of any form of hostility or conflict taking place around us especially the ongoing Boko Haram terrorism in order to sustain a formidable peace needed for both individual and national developments. Think about it!

 

COMR FRED DOC NWAOZOR

(TheMediaAmbassador)
Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research
& Career Development - Owerri

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056 
http://frednwaozor.blogspot.com 
Twitter: @fdnnwaozor          

Toward A Hazard-Free Atmosphere

TOWARD ACTUALIZING A HAZARD-FREE ATMOSPHERE

Both in the past and present, mankind have been bewildered by so many environmental hazards and challenges. Presently the worst of these challenges is mainly attributable to depletion of the Ozone Layer.

The Ozone Layer is a fragile shield of gases that protects the earth from the harmful ultraviolet radiation or rays of the sun thereby helping to preserve lives on the said planet.

A number of commonly used chemicals like halocarbons and/or organic compounds have been found to be extremely damaging to the Ozone layer. Halocarbons are chemicals in which one or more carbon atoms are linked to one or more halogen atoms such as fluorine, chlorine and bromine. The halocarbons containing bromine usually have much higher Ozone-Depleting Potential (ODP) than those that consist of chlorine.

The manmade chemicals that have provided most of the chlorine and bromine for Ozone depletion are methyl-bromide, methyl-chloroform, carbon-tetrachloride, and families of chemicals known as halons, chlorofluorocarbons and hydro-chlorofluorocarbons. In the same vein; the damaging impacts of organic compounds like carbon monoxide on the Ozone layer cannot be overemphasized.

The scientific confirmation of the depletion of the Ozone layer prompted the international community to establish a mechanism for cooperation to take drastic action to protect the Ozone layer. This was formalized in the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, which was adopted by twenty-eight (28) countries on 22^nd March 1985. In September 1987, this led to the drafting of the Treaty on The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which was duly signed by all the United Nations Member States.

The fundamental aim of the Montreal Protocol is to protect the Ozone layer by taking severe measures to control total global production and consumption of substances that deplete it, with the ultimate target towards their elimination from the basis of developments in scientific knowledge and technological information.

In view of the steady progress made under the Montreal Protocol, in 2003, the former United Nations Secretary-General Mr. Kofi Annan stated, “Perhaps the single most successful international agreement till date has been the Montreal Protocol.” His views were shared widely among the international community.

In respect to the sustenance of the widely observed Montreal Protocol, on 19^th of December 1994, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly proclaimed September 16 of every year as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. The UN annual International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer focuses on the importance of protecting human health and the environment in general.

The phase-out of controlled uses of Ozone depleting substances has not only helped to protect the Ozone layer, but has contributed immensely and significantly to global efforts of addressing climate change. This year’s commemoration of the Int’l Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is calling for greater awareness regarding the Ozone Layer’s preservation in order to fully actualize the aim of this remarkable globally recognized crusade.

During the 2013 commemoration of the Day, which was marked with the theme “A healthy Atmosphere: the Future we want,” in his message to the world, the current UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon commended all who had made the Montreal Protocol such an outstanding example of international cooperation. He went further to urge governments, industries, civil societies, and other partners to apply the same spirit to the other great environmental and developmental challenges of our time.

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to celebrate the 2015 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, we are expected to contribute our quota with a view to ensuring that we actualize an atmosphere or environment that is totally free from any harmful substance.

Nigeria as a country can encourage this annual event by implementing drastic and severe measures that would help to eradicate all the activities contrary to the preservation of the Ozone layer such as bush burning, inappropriate use of generators and other household mechanical devices, coupled with other industrial practices that exhibit Carbon-monoxide (smoke) as well as other substances that negatively affect the Ozone layer. A strict and formidable law, which ought to be enacted by the National Assembly, would help to rigorously address the aforementioned anomalies if duly implemented.

Most importantly, it is worth noting that all hands are equally expected to be on deck towards the actualization of a country/society completely free from any form of environmental hazard or degradation. Think about it!

 

 COMR FRED DOC NWAOZOR

(TheMediaAmbassador)
Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research
& Career Development - Owerri

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056 
http://frednwaozor.blogspot.com  
Twitter: @fdnnwaozor