Culture and Tourism

NIHOTOUR Trains Its Academic Staff Across The Country

Published

3 years ago

July 18, 2022

Academic staff in all the nine campuses of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) across the country have undergone a Train the Trainer program to enhance the quality of teaching within the framework of academic exercises of the Institute with a call from Nura Sani Kangiwa, Director General of the Institute on the staff to see the exercise as a mission to provide innovative world-class manpower that has the enrichment of quality professionals in the industry and in line with global best practices.

Nura Kangiwa who flagged off the exercise in Abuja through representation by Dr. Taiwo Famogbiyele, Director of Research and Development, noted that the essence of the establishment of NIHOTOUR 34 years ago was to provide skills proficiency, technical upgrading programs, and professional knowledge-based education in the hospitality and tourism industry in both the public and private sectors of the country, adding that to remain true and committed to the mandate of the Institute, academic staff must be constantly exposed to the best practices in the industry which the Train the Trainer exercise is meant to achieve.

In his remarks to flag off the exercise, Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, President of the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN), reiterated the cardinal objectives of ITPN which, as an awarding body for certified professionals in the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria, is to ensure training by competent professionals that produce qualified personnel to be certified by the Institute.

Shedding more light on the ongoing Train the Trainer exercise, Odusanwo said it’s in the category of Certified Tourism Professional (CTP) designed as an accredited competency-based professional credential recognized by hospitality, tourism, and allied occupations employers which is the pinnacle performance-based recognition program in the Nigerian hospitality and tourism industry awarded when employees demonstrate that they have mastered the required skills and met the standards of their profession in a practical job setting.

The program, which is administered as a collaborative national certificated award is being coordinated and superintended by NIHOTOUR as Coordinator of the Sector Skills Council, while the certificates are being awarded by the ITPN as the awarding body.

The two batches of trainees which included staff of Abuja, Kano, Lagos, Benin, and Enugu Campuses for Batch One; and staff of Kaduna, Makurdi, Bauchi, and Oshogbo Campuses for Batch Two, all underwent the training of the ‘Train the Trainer Program’ which was rounded up in two weeks.

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Creative Industry

Musawa Highlights Art and Culture as Drivers of Public Sector Excellence at Legislative Mentorship Session

Published

3 days ago

November 28, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, Esq., has emphasized the importance of integrating art and culture into public-sector excellence in Nigeria.

In a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by the SA Media & Publicity, Office of the Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy Nneka Ikem Anibeze, Phd.

Musawa made this known while addressing trainees at the 4th Legislative Mentorship Initiative (LMI), held at the National Institute For Legislative and Democratic Studies, Abuja on Thursday.

Themed ‘Building the next generation of Public Sector Leaders’, Minister Musawa highlighted art and culture as essential tools for national cohesion and identity, economic development and job creation, innovation and civic engagement, sustainable development, and projecting Nigeria’s soft power and global identity.

She noted that Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage is a unifying force that binds different ethnicities and elaborated on how Art and Culture is key to public-sector excellence in Nigeria.

“First, embracing and promoting art and culture helps to forge national cohesion and shared identity among Nigeria’s diverse populations. Integrating culture into public policy and governance transforms the creative and cultural sectors into engines of economic development, job creation and diversification. Cultural industries including crafts, music, film, design, heritage tourism can generate livelihoods, attract investment, expand exports, and reduce overreliance on a narrow set of economic activities.

“A society that values creativity and cultural expression tends to produce more resourceful citizens, fosters cross-cultural dialogue, and encourages public servants to be more adaptive, empathetic, and culturally aware while prioritizing culture and creative economy in public policy through frameworks, institutions, and infrastructure, demonstrates long-term vision and commitment to sustainable development,” Musawa said.

The Minister called for supportive policies, enabling legislation, and sustained commitment to fulfill this vision, including laws that protect intellectual property, incentivize investment in creative infrastructure, and integrate arts and culture into education and community development.

“Embedding art and culture at the heart of governance and public-sector planning is not a luxury, it is a necessity. It builds unity, drives economic growth, fosters innovation, strengthens institutions, and ensures that development respects and reflects the soul of the nation,” she emphasized.

Musawa thanked the founder of the Legislative Mentorship Initiative (LMI), Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his inspiring vision and unwavering commitment to cultivating Nigeria’s future public-service leaders.

Other speakers at the Legislative Mentorship Initiative include the Director General, Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization Aisha Augie, Nigerian photo-journalist and documentary photographer Bayo Omoboriowo, Amb. Dapo Oyewole, Secretary-General Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures amongst others.

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