THE Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has called on tourism private sector players to gird their loins in readiness for a productive partnership with the government at developing the tourism potentialities in Nigeria.
Alhaji Mohammed who said this while giving his remark during the World Tourism Day event at the Eko Atlantic City, revealed that “The private sector’s energy and focus is critical and indispensable in any developmental process or agenda aimed at developing or harnessing the tourism potentialities of any given country. And no government or any institution which set to achieve sustainable development in any subsector of the economy will relegate the private sector into the background.”
He likened the government to medical doctors whose main job is to ensure the safe delivery of a child while the nurturing of the child to adulthood is of the parents pointed out that the private sector is to nurture the baby while the government provide and ensure the availability of conducive environment
The Minister declared “The tourism vision of the present government is based first on the domestication of domestic tourism with the view of calling the attention of Nigerians to appreciate the beauty of the wonderful tourism assets within the country and in our values and secondly by creating the necessary enabling environment and platforms for the private sectoral players to be behind the wheel of tourism motion in Nigeria.
Alhaji Mohammed pointed out “we all agreed that Government has no business in being in business. We also concur with the maxim that tourism is private sector driven. We are of the opinion and conviction that the public sector has an onerous responsibility of providing and making available palliatives and concession which will serve as soft and rising platforms for members of the private sectors.”
Alhaji Mohammed revealed “President Muhammed Buhari has a bigger picture of the tourism as a potent and powerful economic sector which must be enhanced for its upper and low hanging fruits to blossom for employment generation , wealth creation and revenue generation.”
He assured tourism stakeholders “We should not lose hope or give up about Nigeria. The present situation being foist on us by the recession will soon be a thing of the past. President Buhari is striving hard at ensuring that the economy is back in shape and we are getting near day by day and very soon it will be over.”
