From three generations of banking to tourism leadership, public service and destination development, Onung has built a career around one conviction: Akwa Ibom’s tourism potential must translate into real economic value.
There are moments in a man’s journey when experience, opportunity and destiny converge. For Nkereuwem Onung, one such defining moment came in 2023 when a “prophet was recognised in his hometown” and a man who had spent decades building his expertise in banking,
transportation and tourism was called upon to contribute that wealth of experience to the development agenda of his home state.
In July 2023, Governor Umo Eno appointed Onung as Honorary Special Adviser on Culture and Tourism, bringing a seasoned private-sector tourism practitioner into the administration’s ARISE Agenda.
The appointment was more than a political recognition. It was an opportunity for the state to draw directly from a man who had spent years navigating the Nigerian tourism industry, leading professional associations, building destinations and engaging international tourism platforms.
And since taking up the responsibility, Onung has brought his expertise to bear. The impact of his interventions is increasingly felt across the sector, particularly in the areas of destination development, tourism advocacy, private-sector participation, investment, capacity building and
the positioning of Akwa Ibom as a destination with serious economic potential.
As he marks his birthday on September 8, the celebration therefore goes beyond the familiar birthday tributes. It is a moment to examine the journey of a man who has steadily transformed himself from a banker into a tourism entrepreneur, destination strategist, industry leader and
public servant.
Onung’s professional trajectory could easily have remained within the financial sector. Instead, his interests took him into transportation, travel and tourism, eventually leading to the establishment and growth of Remlords Tours & Car Hire Services, now part of Remlords Group.
Today, Remlords remains a leading Destination Management Company, providing travel and tourism services while developing and promoting destinations and creating experiences designed to connect visitors with the places they travel to.
For Onung, tourism has never been merely about moving tourists from one location to another. His approach has been about understanding the entire destination ecosystem — the attractions, accommodation, transportation, culture, communities, experiences, businesses and policies that determine whether a destination succeeds.
That philosophy has shaped his work in tourism destination master planning, sustainable tourism development, community-based tourism, destination marketing, tourism product development, capacity building, tour operations, travel management, car hire and hospitality
consultancy.
His rise within the industry eventually took him into the leadership of some of Nigeria’s most important tourism organisations.
He served as President of the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) and currently chairs its Board of Trustees. He also served as President of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), the umbrella body for private-sector tourism associations in the country, and is now its Immediate Past President.
During his FTAN presidency, Onung introduced the TRIAC Mandate, built around Tourism Marketing, Research and Development, Insurance, Advocacy and Capacity Building.
The idea was simple but ambitious: Nigeria’s tourism industry could not be transformed by attraction alone. It needed research, deliberate marketing, stronger advocacy, insurance, skilled professionals and a private sector capable of turning tourism opportunities into sustainable
businesses.
That philosophy continues to define his interventions today.
In 2026, another significant chapter was added to his career when he emerged as Chairman of the Governing Board of the Hospitality and Tourism Sector Skills Council of Nigeria (HTSSCN) under the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, NIHOTOUR.
The appointment places Onung at the centre of efforts to address one of the industry’s most persistent challenges-human-capital development.
As Nigeria seeks to compete more effectively in the global hospitality and tourism market, the need for properly trained, certified and professionally competent personnel has become increasingly important. His new responsibility therefore aligns closely with his long-standing
advocacy for capacity building and professional standards.
His influence has also extended to the continental tourism space. Onung served as Chairman of the Technical Committee for Tourism, TC 79, of the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), contributing to conversations around the harmonisation of standards and the
development of a more competitive African tourism industry.
His professional engagements have taken him to major international tourism platforms, including the World Travel Market in London, ITB Berlin, Arabian Travel Market, FITUR in Spain and INDABA in South Africa.
But perhaps his most personal tourism project is Experience Ibom, a destination-management and tourism promotion initiative designed to showcase Akwa Ibom to domestic and international travellers.
The idea captures much of what Onung has advocated over the years-that Akwa Ibom should not simply tell people that it has beautiful places; it must package those places into compelling experiences and build an ecosystem that encourages people to visit, stay longer, spend more
and return.
It is a philosophy that has also informed his interventions as Governor Umo Eno’s adviser on Culture and Tourism. Since joining the administration’s tourism conversation, Onung has consistently pushed for stronger collaboration between government and the private sector,
increased investment in tourism assets, destination marketing and the commercialisation of tourism opportunities.
His message has remained that government cannot do everything alone.
The private sector must be encouraged to invest, manage, innovate and create businesses around tourism assets, while government provides the enabling environment, infrastructure, policies and institutional support required for sustainable growth.
This perspective has become particularly relevant as Akwa Ibom seeks to convert its substantial tourism assets into productive economic ventures.
For Onung, the real measure of tourism development is not simply the number of attractions a destination possesses. It is the number of businesses created, jobs generated, communities empowered, visitors attracted, investments secured and revenue produced.
That is the difference between tourism as sightseeing and tourism as an industry.
Beyond the titles and appointments, Onung’s story is ultimately about evolution.
The banker became a transport entrepreneur. The transport entrepreneur became a tour operator. The tour operator became a destination developer. The destination developer became an industry leader. And the industry leader was eventually called upon by his home state to bring his experience to public service.
In that sense, his appointment in 2023 was a recognition of accumulated experience- a case of the state looking beyond politics to draw from professional competence.
Today, as Chairman of Remlords Group, Chairman of NATOP’s Board of Trustees, Immediate Past President of FTAN, Chairman of the Hospitality and Tourism Sector Skills Council of Nigeria,
Founder of Experience Ibom and Honorary Special Adviser to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State on Culture and Tourism, Onung occupies a unique position within Nigeria’s tourism landscape.
He sits at the intersection of government, private enterprise, destination development, tourism advocacy and skills development.
That positioning gives him an unusual opportunity to influence both policy and practice.
As he celebrates another birthday on September 8, the story of Nkereuwem Onung is therefore not simply the story of a man adding another year. It is the story of a tourism practitioner whose professional journey has become intertwined with the growing ambition to reposition tourism as an important pillar of Nigeria’s economy and, particularly, Akwa Ibom’s
development.
His work continues to reinforce one central message: the state does not lack tourism potential.
What is required is the vision, investment, professional expertise and strategic partnerships to convert that potential into wealth.
And perhaps that is the most fitting way to celebrate the man popularly regarded by many industry stakeholders as a progressive voice in tourism,not merely by recounting where he has been, but by acknowledging the possibilities of where his experience and influence may yet take the industry.
For a man who has spent decades creating routes to destinations, Nkereuwem Onung’s journey remains an unfinished itinerary. There are still new territories to explore, new experiences to package and new possibilities to unlock. As he celebrates his birthday, the next destination on
his map is perhaps his most ambitious yet-a tourism industry in Akwa Ibom and Nigeria that is fully developed, professionally managed and capable of turning the country’s attractions into enduring wealth.
By Nelson NseAbasi
He is a writer and talent manager
