THE Chief Executive Officer of Edyglad Group of companies, Mrs. Gladys Igbekele, has bagged masters degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management at the Leads University, Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
Igbekele who is the CEO of sprawling business estate, among which is the Edyglad Cakes and Events Planning Management based in Lagos, stood out as one of the best graduates.
The graduation ceremony which took place at the main campus of the institution, located along LagosI-badan Expressway recently, saw the gathering of the cream of the society from diverse endeavours for the award of both academic and honourary degrees.
Igbekele, after her award, told reporters that she was more concerned and passionate about tourism and would want all arms of governments in Nigeria to take hospitality and tourism as a serious business which could earn the country a deserving revenue, apart from oil and other mineral resources.
She said that Nigerians and the government are looking at tourism with levity without realizing the benefits which could be derived from it.
She wondered why Nigerian governments and even private individuals with good financial resources are not tapping into the potential and the opportunities in the tourism and hospitality business.
According to her, “this alone is what is sustaining many countries across the globe that value and recorgnise tourism as a big revenue driver.”
She said that if all the tourists attractions in Nigeria are developed greater opportunities abound, part of which is creating employment opportunities for youths in the Industry.
On why she decided to further her education, she told journalists that her intention to step up on the academic ladder was to boost the procedural mechanisms for providing “a classic and complete attention” to her numerous clients all over the country.
She said, “I’m particularly grateful today for this wonderful landmark in my career as a caterer and event planner. This academic attainment is consistent with my aim of bringing classic and complete attention to our clients. We cannot afford to disappoint them.”
The Kogi State born magnate said that her passion for tourism and hospitality knows no bounds and she could not have abandoned it for any other course of study, because she had from the beginning, realised the need and the exigency for “any business that provides catering services to the people to also develop the capacity to treat clients, especially, foreign ones to travelling and sightseeing, thereby making the business a complete concern. These are highpoints of clients’ deserved needs.”
Rolling out her company’s plan of action as demanded by reporters, for the new year, the geographer, said, ” It is in the purview of my preparation to provide greater cardinal satisfaction for our clients that I’ve taken this fresh academic step and I thank God for it’s successful completion today.
“One thing helps the other. It is this certification that will back up our aspiration to run tourism and hospitality facilities for maximum delectation of our patrons all over the country. We will be ready for them in cardinal expectations,” Igbekele said.
