Ejiro Efenudu
Barely a week after Nigeria’s Minister of Tourism, Ms. Hannatu Musa Musawa, hastily set up a Local Organising Committee for the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), she is once again at the center of a growing controversy. Critics say the Minister is overreaching and focusing on media optics rather than delivering results.
The AFRIMA event, which was recently secured by Lagos State, is now being presented by Musawa and her team as a Federal Government initiative. This repositioning, observers say, is another example of the Minister’s pattern of claiming credit for work she did not do—part of what many now describe as a performance defined by style over substance.
According to reports, if not for interventions by concerned parties, the AFRIMA hosting saga could have turned into a national embarrassment. Since her appointment almost two years ago, critics argue that Musawa has failed to produce measurable progress in either the culture or tourism sectors.
But her latest misstep appears to target Nigeria’s tourism media. A recent article by Nigerian journalist and Executive Secretary of the Africa Tourism Commission, Mr. George Lucky, questioned the silence of the newly elected UN Tourism Secretary-General, Sheikha Al Nowais of the United Arab Emirates, regarding her country’s discriminatory visa policies toward Nigerians.
In the article, Lucky pointed out the troubling silence from Sheikha Al Nowais, especially considering Nigeria’s support for her candidacy. The UAE’s long-standing visa restrictions on Nigerian travelers have drawn widespread criticism, particularly given the country’s reliance on Nigerian tourism and business travel.
Shortly after publication, Lucky reportedly received a call from an aide to Minister Musawa, Abiola Abdulkareem, who pressured him to remove the article. According to Lucky, the aide became aggressive and even threatened that the Minister would issue a public disclaimer. The journalist, however, stood his ground.
This incident has raised serious concerns about press freedom and the Minister’s priorities. Why is Hannatu Musawa, a Nigerian government official, so quick to defend the UAE—especially when the country has shown little regard for Nigerian travelers?
Nigerians have significantly contributed to the UAE’s tourism economy, particularly in Dubai. Yet, when a diplomatic issue arose over trapped airline funds, Emirates Airlines suspended operations in Nigeria. Flights resumed only after Nigeria agreed to sell tickets in U.S. dollars—an arrangement many saw as unfair.
By contrast, Turkey recently responded to similar concerns about visa restrictions. During a National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) visit to Istanbul, Turkish authorities took swift diplomatic steps. In response to advocacy by NANTA President, Mr. Yinka Folami, the Turkish Ambassador in Nigeria announced plans to ease visa policies for Nigerians.
Further engagement with Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Hon. Tunji Ojo, followed. A guided tour of Nigeria by Turkish tourism stakeholders is also in the works. This is the kind of responsiveness many believe is missing from the UAE-Nigeria relationship.
Yet, Minister Musawa remains notably absent from such productive diplomatic conversations. Instead, she frequently embarks on solo trips abroad, often without private sector players or members of the tourism press. These trips typically result in vague agreements and photo opportunities—without measurable results.
The attempt to intimidate a journalist for defending Nigeria’s dignity has drawn strong condemnation. Critics say this action is not just undemocratic—it is unpatriotic. Musawa’s tenure, they argue, has been defined by self-promotion rather than substance.
The broader concern remains: what has the UAE truly done for Nigeria in return for decades of patronage? Many are now asking the Federal Government to reassign Minister Musawa to a role more suited to her skills, warning that continued missteps could further harm Nigeria’s tourism credibility.
This latest incident, critics argue, is not only frustrating—it is deeply insulting.
