…NIHOTOUR, NTDA Acts on agenda

The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has concluded plans to host a sectoral meeting and has extended an invitation to the Federation of Tourism Associations for the development and promotion of domestic tourism.

Scheduled to hold on Friday, August 29, in Abuja, the meeting will have the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) and other relevant stakeholders, including the two tourism parastatals under the Ministry, in attendance.

A Letter of invitation sent to the FTAN President, which was signed by Mr. Sunday Bisong, Assistant Director, Overseeing Domestic Tourism Promotion for the Minister, noted that the meeting will focus on the need to harmonise the roles of government and the private sector in tourism development.

Sources close to the Ministry disclosed that the meeting is convened to urgently address the conflicts and overlap as well as gaps in the National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) Establishment Act of 2022, which attempt by the Director General of the Institute, Dr Abisoye Fagade, to enforce, has pitched him against the private sector operators, led by FTAN, who are opposed to the Act because of the overwhelming powers it has conferred on NIHOTOUR, contrary to the existing laws of the land.

It will be recalled that just recently, the FTAN President, Dr Aliyu Badaki, and his newly elected Executive Council paid a courtesy visit on the Minister and drew her attention to the lingering crisis and the continuous harassment of its members by the Institute inspite of the earlier directive by her for Fagade to stay action on the enforcement of the Act.

Following this, the Minister, again directed Fagade to desist from carrying out further action to allow room for dialogue to resolve the issues rising from the Act alongside that of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority, NTDA, which the operators pointed out is in conflict with that of NIHOTOUR.

Also, at the meeting, Badaki emphasised the importance of private sector inclusion in international expos and intervention programmes, noting that the Federation had sustained Nigeria’s presence in global tourism markets during the country’s absence.

The meeting ended with a renewed commitment from both the Ministry and FTAN to work hand in hand in advancing Nigeria’s tourism sector, promoting cultural heritage, and unlocking opportunities for economic empowerment.

Badaki used the opportunity to invite the Minister to the Nigeria Tourism Investment Forum and Exhibition, NTIFE, coming up in November in Abuja.