Following the crisis emanating from the forceful attempt by the management of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) of its establishment Act of 2022, in respect of regulation and standardisation of the operations and personnel in tourism sector, the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) has written to the Federal Government through the Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, to immediately wade into the crisis and put a stop it enforcement forthwith.

It would be recalled that over the last couple of days, the tourism sector operators have been on the edged following the botched attempt by NIHOTOUR to forcefully implement the Act, which led to the arrest of some of the operators and disruption of businesses in some of the hotels visited by the compliance team of NIHOTOUR, which was accompanied by a truckload of policemen.

Seeking to put an end to this development, FTAN, which has before now expressed its reservation over the Act, on the ground that it contravenes the extant laws of the land and that it goes against the grains of professional practice, in the letter dated June 16, 2025, and signed by the Federation’s President, Mr Nkereuwem Onung, called on the Minister to intervene and bring clarity to the Nigerian tourism and hospitality industry, saying the NIHOTOUR Establishment Act of 2022 is currently creating confusion in the industry.

This is as it noted: “We are aware that the current Director General of NIHOTOUR Dr Abisoye Fagade is attempting to implement the spirit and the letters of the NIHOTOUR (Establishment) Act 2022. It has already generated conflicts and confusion in the industry and the Federation does not subscribe to such.

“We, therefore, call on the Honorable Minister, to act immediately to save the Hospitality and Tourism industry from chaos and imminent collapse due to the confusion of objectives, powers and roles of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) under its establishment Act 2022 (“NIHOTOUR Act” or “the Act”), as well as their conflicting interests and unconstitutionality.”

FTAN noted that there is currently confusion in the Nigerian tourism industry on the role, powers and objectives of the institute. It said: “When on the 14th of February 2022, the then President of the Federation, General Mohammadu Buhari, signed the Nigeria Tourism Development Authority (NTDA) and the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) Acts into law, there was no reason, despite the unsatisfactorily inadequate consultation with stakeholders before their enactments, to believe that the NIHOTOUR Act would generate such confusion and disorder in the industry.

“However, the reality of the inelegance of the Act is now unfolding and foreboding. Under the Act, it is not clear whether NIHOTOUR functions as a professional body, or a training/academic body, or a regulatory body, or a body covering all of the three functional areas”

FTAN, in the letter, drew the attention of the Minister to some of the inconsistencies in the act, stating, “Sections 4 and 5 of the Act specified functions and powers of NIHOTOUR respectively. Section 6 established the Board whose powers are also spelt out under section 9. Part VI (Sections 28 to 31) of the Act made elaborate provisions on to how to become a “member of the profession.

‘‘The provisions of these sections raise a lot of questions as to whether NIHOTOUR is a professional body in the hospitality and tourism in industry.’’ It lamented the unwinding nature of the provisions of the Act, which it said has lumped together over four major functions for which NIHOTOUR has a parastatal and training institute lacks the capacity to implement as it is neither set up or equipped for such functions.

The Federation concluded thus; ‘‘with so many inconsistencies in the Act it was impossible for NIHOTOUR to carry on with the functions and powers as presently provided in the NIHOTOUR Act 2022 not only because they are unwieldy, invalid, irrational and counterproductive, but also because it is inherently impossible to do so.’’

This is as it maintained that the way forward, ‘‘is a complete overhaul of the NIHOTUR Act 2022, so that NIHOTOUR can play the role only of a regulator, a professional body, or an operator in the industry; but not that of a behemoth combining the three clearly distinct roles. Such will strangle and spell doom for, as it is already doing to the industry.”