NAN-ELS-5
Zoo
By Collins Yakubu-hammer
Abuja, Sept. 16, 2016 (NAN) The Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) has said that the concession of Abuja Children’s Zoo and Jabi Lake will create employment and generate revenue for the government.
Chief Tomi Akingbogun, the Pesident of FTAN made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
NAN reports that the Abuja Children’s Zoo and the Jabi Lake Resort are tourist sites situated in Asokoro and Jabi districts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“We that constitute the private sector have submitted our proposal to the Minister of Information and Culture to be given concession to manage the Abuja Children’s Zoo and Jabi Lake.
“We are also aware that he has forwarded it to the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation; we believe that necessary action to facilitate the concession will soon start.
“If the private sector is given the Jabi Lake to manage; it will open up areas for recreational activities; shopping activities and others will open up, because they will attract other investments.
“This will culminate to the creation of employment for Nigerians as people will establish different forms of tourism related business at the Lake and Zoo; and employ other people to work.
“We can create water sport and other things like bicycle riding, jogging trail for recreational activities for people; and as operators pay taxes, government will generate more revenue,’’ Akingbogun said.
The FTAN president emphasised that the country had the population to boost its economy and tourism activities.
According to him, hotels in the FCT are not doing well because there are no activities to make people stay back in Abuja during festive periods and weekends.
“So we need to create activities; for example, if the water sports are open; it will attract people to come to Abuja and stay in hotels; hotels will have more activities to generate more revenue.
“When hotels generate more revenue, they would be able to pay taxes to the government.
“Same thing will be applicable to the Abuja Children’s Zoo; dynamic initiative and better ways of doing things will be introduced to enhance revenue generation,’’ he said.
Akingbogun also noted that Internally Generated Revenue could be better enhanced if activities like conferences; annual general meetings of corporate organisations and others were hosted within the country.
He stressed the importance of the private sector to manage the Zoo and Lake, due to the plummeted nature of crude oil price and dwindling revenue of the government.
“We will pay government for these facilities, stimulate business activities and make money; the government will in turn still generate more money inform of taxes.
“Therefore, it is going to be a win-win for the government and also a win-win for the private sector,’’ Akingbogun maintained. (NAN)
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Edited by Ese E. Ekama