The Federal Government has unveiled a new national tourism initiative, “Ember to Remember,” a 100-day programme designed to reposition Nigeria as a leading tourism destination while harnessing the economic potential of culture, hospitality, entertainment and the creative economy.
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, speaking at the unveiling, said the initiative would run from September to December and bring together festivals, concerts, cultural celebrations, conferences, destinations and other tourism experiences across the country under one coordinated national platform.
The minister said the initiative was conceived to move Nigeria’s tourism narrative beyond the traditional December “Detty December” period and deliberately create a broader economic ecosystem capable of generating jobs, attracting investment and increasing domestic and international tourism.
According to the minister, Nigeria’s tourism potential extends far beyond December, stressing that the country’s culture, festivals, cuisine, fashion, heritage, hospitality, natural attractions and creative energy are available throughout the year.
“For many years, December has become the month most associated with Nigeria’s tourism, entertainment and homecoming experience. It is a beautiful season, and one we should continue to celebrate. But Nigeria is much bigger than December alone,” the minister said.
The minister commended Nigeria’s creative sector for independently building the country’s December entertainment and tourism economy, noting that the time had come for government and the private sector to provide a coordinated structure capable of maximising the opportunities created by the sector.
The minister explained that Ember to Remember would provide a coordinated September-to-December tourism season linking culture, tourism, entertainment, hospitality, transportation, commerce and the creative economy.
The initiative, according to the minister, is intended to create economic value from tourism experiences by ensuring that increased visitor traffic benefits hotels, restaurants, transport operators, tour guides, retailers, event organisers, local communities and other businesses.
“When people travel, hotels benefit. When hotels fill up, restaurants, transport operators, tour guides, retailers and even businesses benefit. When festivals attract visitors, communities benefit,” the minister said.
The initiative will also leverage technology to create a single national tourism discovery platform through which Nigerians, members of the diaspora and international visitors can access information about events, festivals, destinations, hotels, restaurants and cultural experiences across the country.
The minister described the objective as “one country, one national calendar, one trusted place to discover Nigeria.”
Through the partnership with digital platform partner My City Act, the government plans to bring together tourism experiences from Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory and distribute them to audiences in Nigeria and abroad.
The minister said the ambition was bigger than creating another event calendar, describing the initiative as an attempt to establish a national tourism infrastructure.
The initiative is also being positioned as part of the Federal Government’s broader ambition to build a $1 trillion Nigerian economy.
The minister said the creative, cultural and tourism sectors could make a significant contribution to achieving the target if properly structured and supported through strong collaboration between government and the private sector.
The minister acknowledged that Nigeria had not yet achieved the level of economic contribution being targeted by the sector but expressed confidence that deliberate policy interventions and partnerships could unlock its potential.
Citing South Korea as an example, the minister said the country’s experience demonstrated the importance of government establishing a strong partnership with the creative and tourism industries and the private sector.
According to the minister, Nigeria must similarly move beyond fragmented efforts and establish a framework through which tourism, culture and creativity can contribute measurably to national economic development.
Tourism Agencies to Play Central Role
The minister also emphasised the importance of agencies under the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy in implementing the initiative.
The agencies include the National Council for Arts and Culture, National Theatre, Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation, National Gallery of Arts, Nigerian Tourism Development Authority and other cultural, archaeological and tourism institutions.
The minister said each agency had a specific role in protecting, promoting and presenting Nigeria’s diverse cultural heritage.
Rather than replacing existing programmes, the minister said, Ember to Remember would bring them together, amplify their impact and give them a broader national and international platform.
The initiative is also expected to complement the National Council for Arts and Culture’s broader “Nigeria Season” calendar, with the long-term objective of eventually extending the coordinated tourism approach from January to December.
The minister cited cultural festivals and community-based tourism experiences across the country as examples of the type of attractions that could be incorporated into the broader national tourism calendar.
As part of the rollout, the Federal Government announced that the Ember to Remember National Stakeholders Conference would hold on September 14, 2026, at Eko Hotel, Lagos.
The conference is expected to bring together federal and state governments, tourism authorities, private-sector operators, financial institutions, airlines, hospitality businesses, creative industry leaders, technology companies, media organisations and relevant government agencies.
The minister said the calendar would feature festivals, concerts, cultural celebrations, conferences, destinations and other tourism experiences across Nigeria, creating what was described as “four months, one continuous story, one beautiful Nigeria.”
The conference will also examine critical areas affecting the tourism economy, including aviation, hospitality, transportation, digital infrastructure, investment, culture, events and the overall visitor experience.
The minister called for greater involvement by financial institutions and other private-sector organisations in the development of Nigeria’s tourism ecosystem.
The minister specifically acknowledged the contributions of MTN Nigeria and other partners to the initiative, noting that telecommunications and digital infrastructure would be critical to connecting tourism destinations and experiences with potential visitors.
The minister also acknowledged the role of financial institutions, urging banks to recognise tourism, hospitality and the creative economy as viable sectors for investment and financing.
According to the minister, tourism has connections with virtually every major segment of the economy.
Airlines transport visitors; hotels accommodate them; restaurants feed them; banks facilitate transactions; telecommunications companies provide connectivity; technology platforms help tourists discover and navigate destinations; transport operators move visitors within cities and communities; event organisers create experiences; and the media projects Nigeria’s stories to domestic and international audiences.
The minister further disclosed that the ministry had been working on a revamped national tourism policy and a new tourism structure aimed at strengthening coordination across government institutions.
According to the minister, the revised structure has been taken to the Federal Executive Council and signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The minister said the new framework would bring relevant sectors, including aviation and interior-related institutions, into a coordinated tourism development structure.
The objective, the minister explained, is to ensure that tourism development is no longer treated as the responsibility of a single ministry or agency but as a national economic priority requiring coordinated action across government and industry.
The minister also appealed to Nigerians living abroad to return home and participate in the country’s tourism and creative economy.
Using the popular Nigerian expression “japa” for emigration, the minister humorously urged Nigerians in the diaspora to “japada” back to Nigeria and experience the country beyond a single city or the traditional December period.
The minister encouraged Nigerians to travel across the country, visit festivals, experience local cuisine, explore cultural heritage and support businesses operating within the tourism ecosystem.
The minister highlighted potential tourism routes connecting cities and regions such as Lagos and Calabar, Abuja and Jos, Enugu and Kano, as well as destinations and communities where unique Nigerian cultural experiences can be found.
The minister also placed significant emphasis on the role of the media in promoting the initiative and reshaping international perceptions of Nigeria.
The media, the minister said, would be required to help tell a broader story that connects entertainment with culture, tourism with investment, experiences with employment and national pride with economic opportunity.
The minister urged journalists and media organisations to deliberately showcase Nigeria’s cultural diversity, tourism destinations, festivals, food, heritage and creative industries over the 100-day period.
“It is time for us to tell our own story intentionally and deliberately. It is time to market Nigeria to the world with the confidence that our culture, our people and our experience deserve,” the minister said.
The minister stressed that the initiative was not merely about celebrating Nigeria but about repositioning the country, reclaiming its stories and transforming cultural and tourism assets into sustainable economic opportunities.
The minister also emphasised the need for continuity beyond political administrations, saying the success of the initiative must not depend solely on the tenure of the current government or minister.
The minister said efforts had been made to institutionalise Ember to Remember within the ministry so that it could survive changes in government and continue as a national tourism programme.
“Governments are transient, but Nigeria, in my mind, is eternal. Nigeria is going to be eternal,” the minister said, urging all stakeholders to see the initiative as a national project rather than a government programme.
The minister called on states, federal agencies, private-sector partners, tourism operators, theatres, media organisations and Nigerians at home and abroad to participate in the initiative.
While the immediate focus of Ember to Remember is the September-to-December period, the minister said the long-term ambition was to build a year-round national tourism calendar.
The initiative is expected to work alongside the National Council for Arts and Culture’s Nigeria Season, with the eventual objective of connecting major cultural festivals and tourism experiences throughout the year.
The minister said Nigeria had a vast range of festivals, cultural traditions, food experiences, heritage sites and natural attractions that could be incorporated into a national tourism story.
The 100-day programme is therefore being positioned as the beginning of a larger effort to transform Nigeria’s tourism ecosystem into a structured, commercially viable and internationally competitive industry.
The minister concluded by describing the initiative as a collective national movement aimed at turning culture into opportunity, tourism experiences into economic activity and Nigeria’s national story into a global attraction.
“One country, one calendar, one people, one unforgettable season,” the minister said in formally welcoming stakeholders to Ember to Remember.
