Culture and Tourism

Kangiwa Urges New FTAN Executives To Strengthen Unity Among members

Published

5 years ago

August 4, 2021

The Director General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Alhaji Nura Sani Kangiwa has called on the new leadership of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) to double its efforts at uniting members of the federation for the good of the industry and in the best interest of the country if tourism is to take its rightful position as the number one revenue earning sector for the for the Nigerian economy.

Kangiwa who made the call when newly elected officials of the federation led by its President, Chief Nkereuwem Onung paid him a courtesy visit at the Abuja headquarters of the Institute on Tuesday noted that the long existing internal bickering within the federation has caused the industry serious drawback which has hindered the achievement of any meaningful progress in the development of the Nigerian Travel Tourism and Hospitality industry as the preferred sector in the diversification the economy of the country.

While calling on members of FTAN to stand united as the voice of the Organized Private Sector of the Travel Tourism and Hospitality industry of the country, the Director General promised the resolve of NIHOTOUR to continue to collaborate with stakeholders in the industry to improve the human capacity content of the sector through vocational skill acquisition training and re-training of industry personnel for better quality service delivery in line with global best practices.

Kangiwa then called for collaborative efforts between the Institute as host of the Nigerian Hospitality and Tourism Sector Skill Council with FTAN as the umbrella body of the private sector stakeholders to continuously improve and encourage training of personnel and professional practitioners in the industry as well as work towards evolving a dependable, accessible and reliable data base for the industry labour market and other sectorial information necessary for planning and achieving effective and efficient operations in the industry.

Earlier in his address, Chief Onung said the visit on Kangiwa by himself and members of his Executives was informed by the critical position and role of NIHOTOUR in the training and provision of the needed manpower for a flourishing tourism industry in the country, noting that his tenure as FTAN president will explore all available means to ensure that private sector operators in the industry uphold the principle of continuous personnel training and re-training by patronizing the vocational skill acquisition services that the Institute provides for all cadres of professional and non-professional practitioners in the sector.

Chief Onung who noted with dismay the inability of the country to tap into the potentials and socio-economic benefits of the tourism industry, said his leadership of FTAN will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the resource potentials of the sector are properly and adequately harnessed for the socio-economic gains of the country.

He said if properly tapped, tourism can comfortably replace oil in terms of job creation, poverty alleviation and high-income generation for the nation’s economy, but regretted that this wasn’t possible because of the lip service played in the growth and development of the sector.

Chief Onung’s leadership of FTAN was elected into the office last July 2021 to run the affairs of the federation for the next two years. On the courtesy visit of the President is the First Deputy President, Alhaji Badaki Ibrahim, the Admin Secretary, Mr. Precious Okonji amongst others.

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Culture and Tourism

Awakan Marks First Anniversary as NTDA DG, Charts New Course for Tourism Sector

Published

1 week ago

September 24, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

As the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA) enters its second year under the leadership of the Director-General, Mr. Ola Awakan, the focus will remain on building partnerships and converting Nigeria’s tourism assets into greater opportunities for investment and accelerated economic growth.

That simple message framed the one year scorecard presented on Wednesday by Mr. Awakan during NTDA Tourism Week 2026 and activities leading to World Tourism Day held in Abuja.

“Nigeria does not lack tourism assets,” Awakan said. “What is required is a system that connects these assets to investments, jobs, technology, enterprise and sustainable economic value.” He added.

Reeling out his scorecard, Awakan observed that over the past year, the Authority concentrated on stakeholder engagement, innovation, investment facilitation, digital transformation, destination marketing, tourism intelligence and institution building.

He explained that efforts have been made towards deeper collaboration with government institutions, traditional institutions, private-sector operators, development partners, financial institutions, professional bodies, communities and international partners.

On the digital front, the NTDA boss said the Authority has advanced NITOUREY, a dedicated tourism streaming platform and content ecosystem meant to take Nigerian destinations, culture and experiences to wider audiences, in alignment with this year’s World Tourism Day theme, “Digital agenda and artificial intelligence to redesign Tourism”.

He also identified Naija Flavour as a flagship project to position Nigerian cuisine as both a tourism asset and a tool for cultural diplomacy, linking tourism to Nollywood, music, fashion, food, festivals and digital creativity.

Speaking further, Awakan reiterated that the NTDA is also digitising tourism enterprise accreditation and regulatory processes while developing a grassroots tourism framework to identify, document and promote assets across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.

Internationally, NTDA has expanded ties with tourism institutions, diplomatic missions, development partners and global organisations on technical cooperation, investment, destination marketing, capacity building, cultural diplomacy and market access.

The NTDA helmsman however recognised that challenges remain such as infrastructure gaps, weak tourism data, limited connectivity to some destinations, security concerns in certain locations, regulatory compliance shortfalls and the need for stronger private-sector participation.

Awakan remained positive looking ahead with his priorities including the mobilisation of more tourism investment, accelerating the development of viable assets, expanding domestic and international marketing through deeper digital transformation, strengthening regulation, increasing community participation, building capacity of tourism professionals and deepening partnerships with international tourism institutions.

The DG also announced plans for the expanded Naija Flavour International Tourism Expo to be unveiled in Abuja later this year making it the ultimate platform aimed at drawing international participation, investors and development partners into the sector.

While thanking President Bola Tinubu GCFR for giving him the opportunity to serve, he added that, “One year in office is not the destination. It is a checkpoint,” reiterating that the next phase would require stronger partnerships, greater investment and sustained institutional commitment.

Earlier, the Director of Marketing and Promotion of NTDA Mr. Olufemi Akinyele, said the milestone was being marked as part of NTDA Tourism Week, which began with a road walk and a guided tour of Abuja under the theme “Digital Vibes, Nigerian Pride: Celebrating Tourism, Culture and People.”

Government and industry representatives at the event congratulated the Director General and commended the Authority’s increased engagement with tourism stakeholders.

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