NAN-ELS-3
Commendation
By Collins Yakubu-hammer
Abuja, Jan. 20, 2017 (NAN) The Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN) has commended the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed for involving the private sector in the decision-making system of the tourism sector.
The FTAN President, Chief Tomi Akingbogun, gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
Cue in audio (Akingbogun)
“The minister is very proactive in having meetings with us, asking us questions; he is very open.
“In fact, I would say that he is one of the most open ministers (in this administration).
“If you call him and he doesn’t pick your call, he will call you back.
“That has made the private sector to be closer to him especially in decision making.
“And he has also identified the place of the private sector and made sure that the private sector is fully represented in every committee that he has created since he became minister.
“He wanted the private sector to move in and invest on the low hanging fruits, that is the projects that require little effort to just turn around and make them profitable by pulling the crowd to develop the sector.’’
Cue out audio
According to Akingbogun, Mohammed has been very instrumental to the development of tourism considering that he facilitated the 2016 National Tourism Summit and the resuscitation of the Presidential Committee on Tourism.
“He has been a very strong voice in the little that we have achieved – even the master plan that we are thinking of implementing.
“The present administration has spent only two years with very little source of income, but it has a very positive attitude toward the development of tourism in the country.”
He pledged the association’s support for the ministry’s efforts to turn the sector around. (NAN)
CMY/LAB/YEE
Edited by Lydia Beshel/Emmanuel Yashim
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