Saturday, August 17, 2024 In August 2023, when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu established a separate Ministry for Tourism and appointed Mrs. Lola Ade-John as the Minister, the development was widely welcomed by stakeholders and followers within the industry. Ade-John, upon assuming office, made a strong declaration of her commitment to putting Nigerian tourism on the global map.
Her focus was on generating revenue through tourism, contributing to the country’s foreign exchange earnings, and boosting its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This pledge brought a wave of excitement, as many saw it as a long-awaited opportunity to revitalize a sector that had been largely neglected during the previous administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. However, one year later, the industry continues to wait for concrete actions.
Despite the initial optimism, the first significant achievement from the Ministry is still anticipated. In an unexpected move, Minister Ade-John announced that Nigeria had secured the hosting rights for the UN Tourism 68th Commission for Africa (CAF) Meeting in 2025. This announcement, which followed her participation in the 67th UN Tourism CAF Meeting in Zambia, surprised many in the sector.
The reason for the surprise was clear—there had been no substantial progress at the domestic level to justify this achievement. The tourism sector in Nigeria remained stagnant, with no significant investment in its development or promotion over the past year. Unforced Error in .