The Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria, FTAN, has concluded plans to endow a N1 million chair at the Department of Catering and Hotel Management, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos in memory of Late Mrs. Fatimah Garbati, one of their active members who passed on in May. Mrs. Garbati who was the longest serving past president of the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators, NATOP, and later board member, died after a brief illness at the University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Osun state. She would be remembered for leading her team to meet then Cross River State Governor Donald Duke to discuss ways of generating tourist traffic from Lagos to Calabar, especially during the Christmas, thus laying the foundation for the current Carnival Calabar.
Chief Samuel Alabi, chairman board of trustees, FTAN, said while speaking at the association’s recent annual general meeting in Abuja that it was needful to immortalise Mrs. Garbati and keep her memories alive as an indefatigable tourism practitioner and one who gave her all for the growth of travel trade in Nigeria. He said the chair would encourage academic excellence among students in the Department of Catering and Hotel Management, adding that the ‘Best Graduating Student’ would be handsomely rewarded at the end of the year. On behalf of Eko Hotel, he donated N250,000 and also personally added another N100,000 while urging member associations to contribute towards the realisation of the project, which he hoped would start during the next academic year.