Africa (Commonwealth) _ Otunba Olusegun Runsewe (OON), the President of the World Craft Council (Africa Region) and Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, was named the coveted Vanguard Personality of the Year Arts, Culture & Tourism Icon.
Runsewe was introduced as “the only Nigerian living today who has the qualifications to receive the crown of Nigeria’s Arts, Culture and Tourism Icon” in an early Monday morning statement on the Vanguard main page.
One of the primary justifications provided by Vanguard Newspaper for selecting Runsewe for the award, as stated in the literature that accompanied the announcement on Monday, is the affection that Nigerians have for him because of the work he has done to bring the diverse people of Nigeria together through arts, culture, and tourism after years of social unrest, political unrest, and economic injustice.
Otunba Runsewe has dedicated his entire life and career to the cause of Nigerian unity because he has an unwavering confidence in it. Runsewe is the face of Nigeria’s rich cultural legacy both domestically and abroad, according to Vanguard.
Vanguard claims that in a process free of electoral fraud, editors engaged in intense discussions to hammer home their points of view and arguments for why one candidate was superior to another throughout the arduous process of choosing the eventual victors in each category.
According to Vanguard, the procedure started in late August 2023 and involved nominations, removal of existing nominees and addition of new ones, nominee defense, and a final step of unanimous elimination. At times, it was necessary to adjourn the sessions in order to give everyone time to cool off. There were times when the nominating editor would swiftly beat a retreat and remove the name due to the opprobrious effluvium of the nominee.
There were also humorous instances where editors would just insert names to defuse tense situations. However, there were times when editors would go out of their way to fully explain a contender, only for a perceived behavioral shortcoming to burst the bubble of optimism and result in the nominee’s failure during the selection process.
Governors Jide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, Peter Mbah of Enugu State, Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State are among the notable individuals that won the 2023 Vanguard Personality of the Year Award.
Chief Allen Onyema, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie, Chief Olusegun Osunkeye, Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George, Gen. IBM Haruna retd., Prof. Igwe Lazarus Ekwueme, Dr. Tinuade Toyin Sanda, Dr. Victoria Samson, Gbenga Komolafe, Pastor Ayodele Joseph Oritsegbubemi Oritsejafor, High Chief Habeeb Olalekan Okunola, Titilope Olubisi Ejimagwa, Austin Avuru, Lady Ada Chukwudozie, and Tantita Security Service Limited are among the other awardees.
Otunba Olusegun Runsewe (OON) is the only Nigerian living who is worthy of holding the title of Nigeria’s Icon for Arts, Culture, and Tourism. Given that he is familiar with the grave sites of those three intertwined industries, it would also be appropriate to bestow upon him the title of Chief Priest of Nigeria’s Arts, Culture, and Tourism.
The effort Otunba Runsewe has done to bring together Nigeria’s varied population—which has been split apart by a bloody civil war, religion, years of corruption, and social, political, and economic injustice—through the arts, culture, and tourism has, in fact, won over many Nigerians. Otunba Runsewe has dedicated his entire life and career to the cause of Nigerian unity because he has an unwavering confidence in it.
Runsewe is the embodiment of Nigeria’s rich cultural legacy both domestically and abroad.
Ogun State native Mr. Bankole Runsewe and his wife welcomed Otunba Olusegun Runsewe into the world in Kaduna. After attending Vohoeven Technical College Minna, which has since been closed, he continued his education at St. Michael Primary School in Kaduna.
Otunba Runsewe graduated from London School for Executives with a Higher National Diploma in Management Studies and an MBA in Marketing from Edo State University. He also holds a Professional Certificate in Estate and Property Management from Kaduna Polytechnic and a Diploma in Public Relations from the London School of Management Studies.
Otunba Runsewe has established herself as a leading figure in Nigeria’s tourism, arts, and cultural industries during the past 30 years. She also has a solid media reputation. He began his career at the New Nigerian Newspaper as a marketing manager and eventually worked his way up to general manager.
In addition, he held the positions of Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of National Network Newspapers, MD/CEO of Sports Weekly, Head of Public Relations (media) at the National Theatre, and Media Coordinator for the 2003 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
Otunba Runsewe began his career as an Executive Director at the National Orientation Agency in 2000. He then became Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) in 2006. Otunba Runsewe’s efforts as the D-G of NTDC and other related sectors have played a major role in Nigeria’s current domestic and international tourist footprint. His creative tourist marketing campaign motto, “Tourism is Life,” elevated Nigeria’s tourism sector to a national and international level and established the nation as one of Africa’s top travel destinations.
Tags: Otunba Olusegun Runsewe (OON), President of the World Craft Council, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Vanguard Newspaper, Vanguard Personality of the Year Arts, Culture & Tourism
