The Editorials

  Oredola Adeola The Nigerian Government and Lagos State Government have both agreed to finalise preparations to successfully host the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Global Conference on Tourism, Culture and the Creative Industries, scheduled to hold at the National Theatre, Lagos, between November 14 and 16, 2022. This was made known on Thursday, when the Conference’s Planning Committee and Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, paid a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The Committee used the occasion to congratulate the Lagos state government for being the host of the global conference. This according to the UNWTO team was because of the state’s premier role in tourism, culture and the creative. Surprise Africa gathered that the Thursday meeting was aimed at soliciting the support of the Lagos State Government towards the successful hosting of the conference, According to Alhaji Mohammed , while Nigeria is the host co

 Saudi Arabia on Friday announced a decision to open its air space to all air carriers. The country’s General Authority of Civil Aviation tweeted that the decision meets Saudi Arabia’s dedication to fulfilling its obligations under the Chicago Convention of 1944. The Convention stipulates non-discrimination between civil aircrafts used in international air navigation. The decision consolidates the Kingdom’s position as a global hub connecting three continents and enhancing international air connectivity. Earlier, Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid applauded the Saudi Arabian decision on its decision to open the airspace. “This is the first step. We will continue to work with due caution, for the Israeli economy, its security and for the citizens of Israel,” Lapid said in a statement released by his office. Israeli airlines previously could not travel over Saudi airspace due to a ban, making flights to regions like Asia costlier and longer. The announcement comes on the same da

 The Lagos State Government has concluded plan to host the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) scheduled in November, 2022.  This was confirmed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu  on Thursday when he received a delegation from the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) led by the Director-General, Chief Segun Runsewe, main organisers of the festival. The NAFEST is an annual cultural festival which brings together contingents from the 36 states of the federation and the FCT to a host state to showcase the nation’s diverse cultural heritage in arts, crafts and all. Sanwo-Olu said that a delegation from the state had visited NCAC for a  Pre-NAFEST maiden meeting to interact and obtain details of hosting the festival. He said based on the report, the state government had to improve on their facilities to meet all criteria set by the NCAC. He noted that this was done to enable the state not only to host the biggest and most colourful festival, but also emerge the overall winner