THE NIGERIA TOURISM LAW: FTAN TO COLLABORATE WITH NTDA

The Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria, FTAN, led by the President, Mr. Nkereuwem Onung, paid a visit to the Director General of the Nigeria Tourism Development Authority, NTDA, Chief Folorunsho Coker of the 16th of June, 2023. The purpose of the visit was to see ways of collaborations and partnership with NTDA in implementing new law.

While addressing the delegates, Mr. Nkereuwem Onung commended the Director General for the courage to come up with a law for the industry considering the fact that the previous law was outdated and needed overhauling. The President said that the private sector, through FTAN, has gone through the two laws and a committee was set up to review and come up with possible ways of collaborating and partnering with the agency in enforcing the components of the law. He re-iterated that FTAN is not out to fight or kick at any part of the law but to see how both the private sector and government can collaborate to ensure tourism thrives in Nigeria. 

Mr. Nkereuwem stated that with the new government, the industry hope that things will be better when compared with the previous administration. He emphasized that there is no need bickering about the laws but rather call that all hands should be on deck to make the industry move forward. The visit is an indication that the private sector is ready and willing to work with government to develop the tourism industry in Nigeria.

However, Mr. Nkereuwem noted that there are some areas of the laws that both the private sector and government need to thread with caution in order to create an enabling environment for the industry as obtained in other clime. He explained that the committee has identified and outlined some of these areas and suggested ways of making it operational and work for the private sector while the government play their key role.

According to the submission, the role of commissioners of tourism in the States is of critical importance because they are the custodians of the tourism destinations and sites that the private sector needs to work with, if not, the industry cannot move forward and compete with the international community.

Secondly, he stated that the conflicts of roles among the MDAs should be addressed in order not to create a warring atmosphere in the industry. He said that the law have some areas of conflicts with sister agencies in the sector that must be addressed and he advised that all agencies should stick to their mandate. There is always room for review, if need be, he said.

Talking about the setup of the Board of the tourism development fund, FTAN suggested that the members be made up of more practicing tourism professionals who can make contributions out of their wealth of experience. FTAN, he said, is not a labour union but men and women who have invested heavily in the industry and seek to protect their investments, hence the call for favourable policies for the industry.

The issue of classification was also highlighted in the submission. The private sector is asking that the exercise should not be done piecemeal. It is an exercise that must be approached holistically and adopt the international standard. 

Lending his voice, the 1st deputy President of FTAN, Alhaji Badaki Aliyu appreciated the Director General for his efforts in setting standard for the industry and hope that the new Minister for the Tourism industry will approach the problems in the industry with a public, private partnership mentality. That, he said is the way to go. He admitted that Nigeria is blessed with diverse tourism potentials that need a credible leader that can chart a course for all practitioners to follow. 

Responding to the remarks, the DG thanked FTAN for coming to ask for cooperation and collaboration. He commended the leadership of Mr. Nkereuwem Onung and promised to operate an open-door policy with the private sector. 

The DG explained that it was not an easy task for the management of NDTA to see the actualization of the law and he thanked his management for their contributions and tireless sacrifices. He appealed to the private sector to focus on the favourable components of the law and give it the opportunity to thrive. He agreed that though there are some areas that the private sector will see as competitive to their businesses but that NTDA is ready to entertain suggestions and ways of addressing them and moving forward. The bottom line, he said, is that the industry law needs overhauling and that has been achieved. According to the DG, the tourism industry cannot thrive in Nigeria where there are bickering and pull down syndrome. He re-iterated that the industry is one of the largest sector that contributes more to the national GDP and should be operated in a peaceful environment.

Commenting on the partnership with the State Government and Commissioners Tourism, he said his Authority is ready to collaborate with States that understands the importance of tourism and its contribution to the economy. He said he is already working with some States and is ready to bring in the private sector, through FTAN, to make it more elaborate, though there might be some obstacles but he hopes to surmount them. He therefore call on the State governments and the private sector to see NTDA as a potential partner. 

The DG emphasized that presently the revenues accruing to the country from tourism via taxes are not accessible to the industry practitioners which this new law is set to correct. 

On grading and classification, he agreed that it is a private sector driven project and that NTDA is ready to work with FTAN in actualizing a successful outing.

The DG promised that NTDA, will henceforth, champion FTAN issues and also help to foster a stronger federation for the private sector.

FTAN SECRETARIAT.