Lai mohammed and love for tourism made in madrid

There is no doubt that our tourism minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has caught the love bug for tourism, at least the one made in Madrid, the headquarters of United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). Friday in Lagos, the man from Kwara who wears two caps, one on information and others, told tourism? Journalists a long captivating tourism tales from the “Oyinbos” in Spain whom he believes, have all the answers to Nigeria’s tourism woes and draw backs. 

Our Minister noted that UNWTO has assured Nigeria that it would help more than we could “Imagine”, describing the “Breakthrough” as “Most Useful” and “Beneficial” to the country. UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai, the Jordanian boss of the global tourism body, was also noted to have “sucked” and commended our tourism man in the following flowery words “(Your) great intelligence and big Vision “for tourism in Nigeria”, adding that the “Good Chemistry “between him (Rifai) and Minister Mohammed must be used for the “Good of Nigeria” emphasis mine.

GREEK TOURISM GIFTS FROM MADRID

According to Lai Mohammed, the UWNTO promised tourism gifts to Nigeria include, technical assistance, capacity building and “Revision” of Nigeria Tourism Master plan, access of its E-Liberty to Nigeria tourism officials, support for tourism institutions in Nigeria, training of tourism journalists in Nigeria and ye to be guaranteed bid to host the 60^th confab of UNWTO Africa Commission in 2018.

HEART LIFTED UP TO BOAST?

Having unveiled the Madrid baggage and a resort to celebrating the return of Nigeria to the “Centre stage” of UNWTO activities since 1975 when Nigeria became a member, the minister went into the most agonizing tourism lecture I have ever heard in my over two decades as tourism and natural resources development reporter. I told him politely that he brought nothing new from Madrid and should first initiate and present to Nigerians and the world, a tourism policy that will guarantee investors confidence and can be readily available on the shelf as the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

To those who care to know and we can be corrected, Nigeria had hosted African Tourism Ministers Conference under the auspices of UNTWO Africa Commission in Abuja in 2010. Jonathan was then Vice President and Prince Kayode Adetokunbo was Minister of Tourism. At a global conference on Nature held in Calabar a year before, UNWTO Taleb Rifai was in attendance to “give support” to attempt to promote Cross-River as “green” destination in Nigeria since the place is home to one of Nigeria’s protected areas, Cross-River National Park and also a rich goldmine of flora and fauna resources and un spoilt ecosystem.

I also recall that former tourism ministers Franklin Ogbuewu, Edem Duke were visitors to UNWTO headquarters in Madrid and maybe the global body visitors book did not capture their visits and their comments. In fact, Ogbu ewu, a former diplomat and Nigeria Ambassador to Greece and also Edem Duke did regularly attend the tourism Ministers Conference held as part of the side line programmes of World Travel Market in London. Two Nigerians, Messers Munzali Dantata, Immediate past DG of Institute for Tourism Studies and former Permanent Secretary Ministry of Tourism in Lagos state, Ashamu Fadipe were once “active” members of UNWTO / UNIDO study group on Coastal tourism.

Bianca Ojukwu used to be our representative in UNWTO, so how come the records were missing? And as we told the Minister, what then is new from UNWTO?

Nigeria tourism stakeholders and I in particular do not need any Sermon on Mount Tourism in Nigeria. What we need is a new practical approach to get our tourism engine started again. Indeed, when the minister resorted to lectures on tourism, it re-enforced my view that he needs help and if he cares not to see our support and observations as “Negative Criticism”, then he can match his “Political will” to our practical solutions and take all the glory. But until then, it is not yet Uhuru even with his purported UNWTO tourism “technical assistance”.

PCT NOT TOURISM UHURU

If Presidential Council under President Olusegun Obasanjo did not work, then I wonder how Minister Lai Mohammed thinks he has gotten to tourism Uhuru. PCT was Obasanjo’s “Unitary” platform to engage lazy Nigerian governors to embrace tourism and culture revival as future economic solution driver. Once every quarter, President Obasanjo like a prophet would gather “Owambe” and spend drift governors in Nigeria to the Villa and would preach and sermonize on tourism as a policy of economic development in the states.

Except former governor Donald Duke, others simply attended to “show respect” to Oga Obasanjo and went to their states to cool off. That was when things were still ok with Nigeria and not now that recession is official in Nigeria, with restive workers, herdsmen attacks, kidnappings, power failure and padding stories that abound in the land. How can a President Buhari who has shown single minded determination to deal with corruption, sit down again with troubled governors to talk tourism when most of them cannot pay workers and even cross-River carnival threatened with daily reports of upsurge in crime, prostitution, huge refuse on its streets and kidnappings in Calabar and elsewhere sit down to talk tourism.

PCT is good but yours truly believes that it can only come back when we are out of the woods. To lobby for its come back now will amount to a distraction and a lip service platform where the governors will come to “Impress” President Buhari. Therefore Uncle Lai Mohammed must not add a PCT headache to the president many leadership troubles.

GET NIGERIA A TOURISM POLICY

This is one practical way to get going. A tourism policy is like a barometer that gives direction to how, where and what to expect in any situation. It must be backed by the act of national assembly and must spell out the entry and exit regime, including tax holidays, land acquisition, forex issues and penalties for offenders. Today, apart from the tourism sector, aviation, transport, manufacturing and even security do not have any policy with global expectations.

It is only here that a hotel owner or investor meddles into the affairs of hospitality practitioners or a tourism minister dabbling into the day to day affairs of tourism agencies instead of monitoring and supervision of tourism policies. So, dear minister get a crack team of tourism of technocrats (I can help with names) to draw up tourism policy and get the political help of the National Assembly to enact a law to back its sustainability and workability. 

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WEAK NAIRA

Don’t mind the Americans with their travel Alerts against 28 states in Nigeria. CNN did same against Olympics in Rio but the truth is that people can visit anywhere once you can get your message out there. Yes, it is not Uhuru with our environment but we must tell our story and let the world in recession take advantage of our weak Naira and Visit Nigeria. Alhaji Lai Mohammed can let out an aspect of the tourism policy even if it is not on paper and practically and presently drive the change. I have told him that I can help and should not consider our offer as seeking for a job. The situation we found ourselves in Nigeria calls for all “angry” hands to be on deck.

GET OUR ROYAL FATHERS TOGETHER

In a piece I did not too long ago, I wrote that our traditional rulers have proved beyond measure that they are the culture gate keepers in Nigeria. From Oyo, Oshogbo, Jos, Anambra, New-Bussa and Kano, the traditional rulers have revived our dying cultural festivals and even turned it into bankable business without any government support or funding.

In Jos early this year, I sat behind the Minister at the Jos township stadium where the Gwong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Buba led his Berom nation to celebrate Nze Berom, the cultural festival of the Berom people. The Ota-Oja in council has taken Osun Oshogbo festival to the global market. In Anambra, lawyer turned traditional ruler of Igbo Ukwu, Igwe Martin Eze, has made a successful celebration of New – yam Festival.

The Late Mai Borgu, Senator Haliru Dantoro took the Gani Durbar festival of his Borgu nation beyond the frontiers of Nigeria. Kano State is famed for its Durbar, so Alhaji Lia Moahmmed should quit lamentation and get practical through strategic visits to the traditional rulers and bring everybody to the tourism table. He should deliberately sell and tell Nigerians to turn-up in their numbers to visit any of the festivals packaged by the Royal fathers and spend naira to consume made in Nigeria goods and Services. The festivals timetable can be fused together to avoid clash in dates of celebration and all the apparatus of information at the disposal of the federal government coordinated to drive marketing and promotion.

SACK AND SWEEP AWAY THE DARK ANGELS IN TOURISM

To avoid and distance the ministry from the various tourism and culture agencies heads, does not show enough hold on the direction of the sector. So Mr. Minister, get your broom and sweep away the excess loads in the tourism agencies – NTDC, CEBAAC, NGA, NCAC and others. It is a new day and those who drive the implementing agencies on tourism should not be from the “Political family” of the ruling party but tested professionals with proven records of achievement. To get new tourism drivers with tourism learners permit may crash us and take us back to years of darkness.

NETWORK AND NOT LAMENT

Nigerian Tourism under the military, started off as a preferred sector, with commerce driving the assumed preference. At democracy in 1999, Obasanjo saw the value chain of culture and gave nod to culture and tourism. Such is the complexities and Octopus reach of the global business as in other countries, nature (Conservation), aviation or transport, trade could drive tourism. In Britain, Service (Commerce) economy fuels tourism, so it is noted that tourism can be found in all human endeavors, a challenge to those who want to make difference. So when Minister Lai Mohammed confessed that Airport, Seaport, Immigration, works (Roads), Power and Security are not under his watch despite their silent contributions to tourism growth in Nigeria, it only show weakness in appreciating the need to network with brother ministers to do the needful about the tourism content in their areas of mandate. Instead of Lamentation, the minister should take the “Political Correct” step to visit and ask for help from Ameachi to fix the airports and railways, Fashola to fix the roads and power and even Inspector General of Police to fix and monitor security dark spots all over Nigeria.

This effort I believe can be done when the minister visit with a business plan that can spell out the gains and benefits of tourism to his fellow ministers. They all can join hands together to build or hand over infrastructure projects to the private sector and which can fast track tourism.

TOURISM MASTER PLAN (TMP), NIGERIA’S MOST CORRUPT PUBLIC DOCUMENT

This document was initiated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to help drive tourism but got messed up along the way. Twice the tourism loving former President asked those saddled with its birth to go back to maternity ward and come up a true Nigerian document. Honestly, if I tell the story of how this document was messed up, those who led us by the nose will end up in EFCC detention Camp. Therefore, If Lai Mohammed must get UNWTO to “Revise” the document, he must first let President Buhari and Nigerians know what went wrong with the Obasanjo document.

It is very sad when we point out errors of leadership and get threatened for serving our fatherland. The rackets behind Tourism Master Plan were so huge that I was hounded for exposing the underbelly of the document in the past. This is a document which other countries get right effortlessly and effectively without much hustle, so Lai Mohammed can get angry for all I care because I told him to tarry before getting UNWTO to come with their revision squad. He must first sweep away the rats that eat up Sure-P Tourism fund, including all intervention funds channeled through the ministry in the past before another adventure with UNWTO. I can smell the rats again!!!