A visionary administrator, hospitality and tourism entrepreneur with years of experience, Mr. Folorunsho Folarin-Coker kicked off his public service career in 1999 working as the personal assistant to the Governor of Lagos State.
In 2003, he was elevated to the post of Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor and in 2004 he was appointed as the founding MD/CEO of the Lagos State Number Plate Production Agency as additional responsibility.
In 2014, Governor Raji Fashola of Lagos State retained his services as a Special Adviser for the Central Business District in Lagos and before his appointment as the Director General of the Nigerian Tourist Development Corporation (NTDC), he served as the Lagos State Commissioner of Tourism, Arts & Culture where he managed to establish a tourism roadmap for the state that aimed to re-tell the story of Lagos through the “ONE LAGOS” brand.
As DG, NTDC, Mr Coker has conceived the ‘Tour Nigeria’ brand to drive domestic consumption of tourism assets and products in Nigeria, create new channels of tourism markets and generate employment. The brand is hinged on the exploration, exposition, identification, promotion and enhancement of the creative industries across the country. He has further developed a strategic five-point action plan to grow the industry with the acronym CHIEF which is targeted at the improvement of Corporate Governance & Regulations in the industry, Human Capital Development, Infrastructural Development, Events Marketing and Finance & Investment.
The Action Plan is geared towards rebuilding our tourism industry and attaining our vision of making Nigeria an attractive tourism destination for domestic and international tourists.
For introducing fresh innovations in tourism governance aimed at harnessing the huge potentials in the tourism sector, Mr. Folorunsho Folarin-Coker is hereby honoured with Excellence Recognition Awards 2018 OUTSTANDING TOURISM PERSONALITY.
