Today, we are looking into the importance of tourism to economic development of Nigeria. Although, I cannot claim to be an expert in tourism, I can safely describe myself as a tourist who has visited many countries whether on holiday or business. By this colloquial term, I mean that I have visited so many sites and countries on tourism. I must confess that most of the countries or sites that I have visited were not intentional but coincidental to most of my transactional or commercial trips. In most of the journeys to the tourist sites, I discovered that they are largely familiar terrains to me as most of the locations have equivalents in one form or the other in Nigeria.
Unfortunately, as we visit these foreign sites, we expend the scarce foreign exchange in our vaults that could have been spent locally. Regrettably, most of the sites in the country that could have constituted the bulk of the tourists’ interests are not that developed as to attract any meaningful visit or are denied access to by insecurity. Let me also state that the country, Nigeria, is so endowed to the extent that most of the locations are natural; in that we either have no value to add, or that the intervention materially required is minimal. Regardless of this favour that God has deemed fit to bestow on the country, no serious advantage has been taken of them, thus amounting to colossal waste of these God-endowed resources.
As projected, the tourism potential of Nigeria for the year 2025 is estimated to be $3.77 billion with the growth rate of 10.60 percent annual growth, implying that in the next five years the realizable income will be $5.64 billion by 2029. This will be a significant contributor to the economy that is beleaguered already. By the above, I am not discounting the efforts of some state governments to harness some of these potentials but which have not been impressive, to the extent that they are gradually collapsing.
An excellent example is the Obudu mountain resort cattle ranch in Cross Rivers State of the south-eastern part of Nigeria. Some other sites that have not vanished are withering away already. I recall vividly my growing up looking forward to visiting Olumo Rock in Abeokuta, south-western part of Nigeria, just like other families. Ikogosi waterfalls in Ekiti State of the southwest was equally roaring and exceedingly inviting then. Thanks to the efforts of the successive governments of Fayemi, Fayose and the current Oyebanji who have given some facelifts to the ancient waterfall.
Although the Durbar in the North is still surviving but not in the magnitude in which it was then. Lekki Conservation Centre is gradually becoming a ghost of itself. Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove as well as the festival is losing its reckoning as it is currently threatened by declassification as a world heritage site by the United Nations due to human invasion and soulless deforestation of the grove by some visionless elements in the State without effective control by the State government.
Lying in perpetual slumber is Ayankunnugba Grove and Waterfalls in Oke-Ila, Osun State. The same fate befalls Erin-Ijesha Waterfalls in the same Osun State. Zuma Rock, Gurara waterfall in Abuja are not in top shape again.
Where is Yankari Games Reserve today? Idanre hill, Jos Wildlife Park in Plateau State. The Central Park in Abuja. Gashaka-Gumti National Park. Breathtaking landscapes across the country are nor positively exploited. Mount Ned Nwoko Resort in Delta State. Shere Hills in Plateau region. Matsirga Attat waterfalls in Kaduna State. Even the Abuja panoramic view which used to be a natural attraction is getting distorted. What about Wase and Riyom Rocks in Plateau State? I doubt very much if anyone is exhaustively capturing and developing these great sites in the country.
This intervention is not that ambitious as to execute this assignment which is the business of the Nigerian Tourism Corporation. In all of these, the preliminary point being made is that although these tourist sites exist, no serious attention is being paid to them, nor impactful exploitation made. Even within a State of the federation, there is no proper coordination, much less across the country as a whole.
No wonder therefore that all these great tourist sites wither off with time. It is unfortunate that by these, we are not only failing to project the name of our country to the world, we are losing the needed foreign exchange that could have been attracted to the country. Beyond that conservation loss, we continue to dissipate the limited available foreign exchange as Nigerians travel across the world on vacation and tourism while those other countries benefit from our failure, lack of vision and economic self-immolation.
At least, we know of many countries whose economies survive primarily on tourism. Examples abound like Singapore, Maldives, Bahamas, Seychelles, Vanuatu, Croatia, Fiji, Antigua and Barbuda, China, France and many more.
This is the sad commentary on the country. The further bad news is that while we are even still engaging on these trips, we are not only stressed in the process of securing the visas, we are badly or poorly treated in these countries.
The interesting thing is that in some of the States of the country, there are agencies or other extra-ministerial departments saddled with the responsibility of developing and enhancing our tourism potentials, and with annual budgetary votes. Still, nothing is coming out of the agencies by way of output, and if any, it is certainly not visible.
Even at the federal level, not only is there a ministry in charge of tourism, there is a whole Agency whose mandate is basically to promote tourism in the country. Honestly till date, I am yet to appreciate any impact of these institutional interventions. In recent times, there seems to be a reawakening in Lagos State with the appointment of Toke Benson as the Commissioner in charge of tourism in the State. It is now as if the Ministry had never existed in Lagos. As we saunter from Lagos carnival featuring Fanti Festival, to Boat Regatta, to the popular Crossover Night, so also is the State developing resorts and revitalizing the Badagry Heritage sites and slave routes. This is certainly a way to go but the reality is that we are still far from our destination.
There is yet to be a proper coordination and calendarization of the events. In fact, the promotion of the activities at the international level is yet to gain any traction. I believe that this might not be so much of the fault of the Commissioner in the State or any other State for that matter, but the question of prioritization in the budget of the state at times. Anyway, all the above are just still part of my destination in this discourse. The focus of this engagement is to encourage the creation of tourist cities in the country. We need places like Sharm El- Sheikh, Aswan, Luxor, Maldives etc. The good news is that the country is blessed with ocean, lagoons and rivers.
Where are our beach resorts despite the fact that the country is abundantly blessed with beaches? Why is it that the beaches are not developing? This is the crux of my intervention. Firstly, I am not aware of any serious tourism master plan in respect of the development of our beaches in respect of the country nor in any State specifically. This is the first port of call that ought to be. It is upon settling this that we start thinking of the provision of infrastructure in the chosen or designated areas. I am aware that in Lagos State, there is a ministry designated to the development and improvement of tourist infrastructure, collaboration with the tourism ministry and other stakeholders is inevitable if any meaningful gain is to be made. My hope is that the relevant agencies are not operating in silos.
For the other littoral States, same measures are required for the development of their water resort areas which is a major attraction in tourism. Besides, at the federal government level, I would imagine the impact that the ecological fund can do in the development of beach infrastructure. Most of the waterfront infrastructures can be funded from this as the neglect of them in most instances have debilitating consequences.
The third and crucial component of a successful effort in the promotion of the country’s tourism is security. In all the tourist cities and sites that I have visited globally, one area of non-compromise adequate security. No serious administration on tourism promotion and development jokes with security. In fact, most of the concerned authorities abroad create and effectively fund tourist police specially and efficiently.
This is one area that the country has been performing poorly and tourists do not visit insecure cities or countries. In this regard, the country needs to do better. These basic demands which are essential to the promotion of tourism are the responsibility of the government at all levels.
In as much as I believe that the federation has a major role to play in tourism, it is not accidental that the Constitution has assigned roles to other tiers of government in the country. To this extent, a serious local government administration, or a State government that is focused can operate to a large extent in this field without impairment.
In my modest way of reasoning, I am convinced that the local government administration, or the state government administration, can trigger the promotion and development of tourism in their respective areas with the consequential hope that the higher levels of government will offer further leverage to the unit.
Should we be waiting for the State government or the federal government to trigger, then we might as well wait till eternity. It is in this regard that I will urge the Lagos State government to lead by example since it is impacting already.
To this extent, I cannot wait to see the tourism master plan of the State being launched, particularly in terms of the water resort areas. I cannot equally wait to see the improvement of the infrastructure around the tourist areas, particularly the tourist city that must be consciously created from the Islands.
There is also urgent need for the creation of State police with zero tolerance for insecurity in the designated areas. This is where the issue of State police becomes important. In as much as I share the fears and sentiments of some people on the abuse of State police, I am not convinced that the potential of abuse is sufficient to throw out the baby with the bathwater.
We can develop the antidotes of abuse by way of checks and balances. Once these basic requirements are met, the environment becomes conducive for the private sector to plug in by way of developing the substructures and superstructures. Presently those that have had the privilege of visiting Koko Beach Hotel & Resorts in Lagos State will attest to the ambience. This is the way to go. It is on this note that I plead that the concerned people trigger the process.