Minister encourages Nigerians to safeguard historical treasures – Voice of Nigeria

The Minister of Tourism, Mrs. Lola Ade-John, in her speech at the 10th edition of the Wonders of Nigeria Expo, held in Lagos on Friday, has emphasized the importance of safeguarding Nigeria’s historical and cultural treasures for future generations .

She stressed the need for Nigerians to show fervent commitment to the conservation of the country’s tourism resources and cultivate a sense of pride in it.

Organized by Ikechi Uko, a tourism promoter, the Wonders of Nigeria Expo is designed to intentionally showcase and promote Nigeria’s historical sites.

The event included a photo exhibition of more than 1,000 tourist sites across the country’s 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“As we celebrate the 10th edition of this expo, let us not only marvel at the wonders before us, but also reflect on the importance of preserving and protecting them for future generations.

“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that these treasures remain intact for years to come, so that others can experience the same sense of awe and wonder that we do today.

“To achieve this we must bring our people along. Community involvement is critical to preserving our assets and history.

“We need to engage our local communities and train them in basic tourism skills, entrepreneurship, hospitality, cleanliness and love and respect for cultural differences.

“This approach embodies what I call the ‘tourism doctrine’. It will empower and encourage our people to contribute to the nation’s revenue diversity plan, as the President emphasizes in his Renewed Hope Agenda.” she said.

The minister urged Nigerians to promote responsible tourism by paying more attention to telling positive stories about Nigeria to attract tourists.

She said, “Nigeria is a beautiful country, people pay a lot to see gorillas, to go on the water and we have them. The only thing we don’t have is our sense of pride, that has to change, we have to love this country.

“As a government, we will ensure that we set standards, revive the Presidential Tourism Council and encourage the doctrine of tourism.”

Earlier, Nneka Isaac-Moses, Managing Director of Goge Africa, urged the Federal Government to invest in training and capacity building for practitioners in the industry.

She said the government should also work towards providing accommodation facilities at certain tourist locations in the country for the comfort of tourists.

She appealed to government at all levels to provide support in financing and creating an enabling environment for tourism businesses to flourish.

Also speaking, Mrs. Ime Udom, National Chairman of the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP), spoke on the contributions of Nigerian tour operators in grooming the industry.

According to Udom, over the years these tour operators have managed to unearth new tourist sites, advertise and drive traffic to such sites.

However, she called on the federal government to work directly with tour operators and ensure they receive subsidies so they can do more.

She said that necessary infrastructure should also be provided at all tourism and heritage sites to make marketing of such sites easier.

Ibrahim Makanjuola, founder of Nigeria Tourism Lovers, said access to some of the country’s tourist sites was problematic due to the poor road network.

Makanjuola advised the federal government to work on building good roads.

“The security personnel should also be made aware of the tourism sector.

“The government must help us. We are often harassed by security guards while on tour. They see us as youths hanging around, and as fraudsters, these security personnel must learn the business of tourism.”

The highlight of the event was the presentation of the ‘Travellers Award’ to several individuals who contributed to the promotion of tourist attractions in the country.

Ekiti, Abia, Enugu, Edo and Cross River states won the Most Active Tourism State of the Year 2023, while Governor Eno Umo emerged as the Governor of the Year 2023.

Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, Director General of the National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), won the ‘2023 Tourism Chief Executive Officer’ award.

Ibom Air won the Best Airline in 2023, Mrs. Ime Udom won the Tourism Promoter of the Year Award, while Ekiti and Akwa Ibom States subsequently won the most awards.

Favor Udom was named Tourism Photographer of the Year and Funke Ogunkoya-Futi won the Travel Communicator of the Year award.

100 practitioners trained in tourism promotion were included in the “Tourism 100 Club”.

NAN/OO