Hospitality industry: FG tasks FTAN excos on members unity

The Director-General National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Alhaji Nura Sani Kangiwa, has urged 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.

Kangiwa who gave the commendation on Friday in Abuja, said that this is enable tourism take its rightful position as the number one revenue earning sector for the for the Nigerian economy.

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He was speaking when the newly elected officials of the FTAN led by its President, Chief Nkereuwem Onung, paid him a courtesy visit at the Abuja headquarters of the institute.

Spokesman of NIHOTOUR, Ahmed Mohammed Sule, quoted Kangiwa in a statement 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 NIHOTOUR boss promised the resolve of his organisation 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.

Speaking earlier, Chief Onung said the visit on Kangiwa by the new 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.

He noted 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’s whose leadership of FTAN was elected into the office last July 2021 to run the affairs of the federation for the next two years, was also accompanied by the First Deputy President, Alhaji Badaki Ibrahim, and the Admin Secretary, Mr. Precious Okonji among others.