Oil and gas made Nigeria to neglect tourism – NBA-SBL Chair

Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL), Mrs. Ozofu ‘Latunde Ogiemudia, has lamented what she called Nigeria’s neglect of travel, tourism and other sectors due to ‘distraction’ from the oil and gas sector of Nigeria’s economy.

She spoke at the Tourism Retreat and Roundtable 2024 held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The retreat with the theme “Revitalizing the Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality Industry: Innovation and Strategies for Sustainable Growth,” was put together by the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Committee of the NBA-SBL chaired by Chinenye Oragwu.

The three-day event attracted lawyers, travel, tourism and hospitality practitioners and stakeholders who dissected the industry’s challenges and offered solutions.

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Speaking with newsmen, Ogiemudia expressed concern that travel and tourism as key economic drivers has not been fully harnessed by the Nigerian government.

“I definitely do not think travel and tourism contribute enough to the GDP of Nigeria. And I think as everyone knows, we have been so distracted by oil and gas. We put all our focus there and left other sectors like travel and tourism unattended to,” Ogiemudia said.

The NBA-SBL Chairman called for a national focus on the tourism sector as well as clearer regulations to encourage private sector participation for optimal investment.

Mrs Titilayo Akinlawon, SAN, who chaired the roundtable session, identified infrastructure deficit as a major challenge hampering Nigeria’s tourism industry.

“Truly, if we take this (tourism) seriously, we don’t need oil to sustain the economy in Nigeria.

“We first of all have to start with the infrastructure. We have to make sure our infrastructure is well laid. Good roads are the hallmark of tourism,” Akinlawon said.

The Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Obi Asika, called for the promotion of cultural expressions and tourism internally by government at all levels.

Asika who was represented by Omobolaji Oduwole, the Senior Technical Adviser, disclosed that the NCAC is developing a database for Nigeria’s cultural expressions which will serve as “wikipedia of Nigeria cultural expressions.”