Some figures slip into retirement quietly. Not Otunba Olusegun Runsewe. He has chosen another path, one paved with plaques, handshakes, and the glow of recognition. His calendar these days seems filled with celebrations, as institutions line up to honour his decades-long imprint on Nigeria’s cultural and tourism landscape.
On October 23, 2025, the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism will present Runsewe with an award at its conference in Lagos. The setting is symbolic: Sheraton Lagos Hotel, marking its 40th anniversary, hosting travel writers who have chronicled Nigeria’s industry for decades. Their choice to honour Runsewe carries the weight of history.
His career has been a carousel of cultural interventions. Media coordinator for the 2003 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, pioneer chairman of the Abuja Carnival, Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation in 2006, and then head of the National Council for Arts and Culture until 2024. Each role placed him at the heart of Nigeria’s soft power.
Even after leaving office, the tributes have continued. Vanguard Newspapers named him “Arts, Culture & Tourism Icon” in 2024, a recognition that underscored his influence beyond any official post. Around the same time, he called for peace among warring factions in the tourism sector, offering his counsel as an elder statesman of culture.
Runsewe’s list of titles is sprawling, almost folkloric. President of the Nigeria Golf Federation. Head of the African Tourism Initiative. Fellow of the London Institute of Management Studies. Holder of chieftaincy honours from both Igboland and Kebbi. A cultural diplomat who navigated boardrooms, festivals, and palaces with the same ease.
For a man who once declared that “tourism is life,” the applause arriving in this season feels like confirmation. The curtain may have fallen on his tenure, but the encore is still echoing, carried by the voices of those who refuse to forget.
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