NAN-ELS-6
Tourism
By Ebere Agozie
Abuja, March 3, 2017 (NAN) The development of tourism assets at the local government level will enable the country to recover from recession, says Alhaji Yahaya Ndu, the President, People’s Movement for a New Nigeria (PMNN), an NGO.
Ndu made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.
He noted that tourism development was most neglected at the local government level even though 70 per cent of the nation’s tourism assets were found there.
“Tourism development at local government level is one of the most neglected aspects of our planning, despite the fact that over 70 per cent of the nation’s tourism assets are found there.
“Every local government area in Nigeria has a lot of enviable potential whose proper development can be immensely beneficial and will no doubt help bring their people to prominence.
“Africa, which the world still has superficial and distorted image about, stands to benefit from the development of the local tourism industry.
Ndu called for the establishment of a Tourism Development Bank to encourage investment in the sector with a view to generating employment and enhancing economic diversification.
He further stressed the need for local government councils to establish effective tourism committees to identify, promote, develop and market their respective tourism endowments.
“Tourism, which is the greatest generator of employment in the world today that employs the skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labour, should be embraced at this period when unemployment is at all time high.
“It will inevitably open up the nation to tourists; not only will foreign exchange automatically flow, the multiplier impact would tremendously affect the economy and contribute profoundly in pushing back economic recession.’’
He said that the the development local tourism assets would lead to the exploration of the potential of other sectors such as mining, agriculture and technology. (NAN)
EPA/NKO
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Edited by Nkechi Okoronkwo
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