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Creating Separate Arts, Culture and Tourism Ministry: Fayemi Set The Pace In Ekiti | By Olaoluwa Mimiola
The role of tourism in enhancing inclusive economic growth and development of both advanced and emerging economies cannot be overemphasized. Tourism stimulates economic growth by generating income, employment, investments, exports and it serves as a catalyst for socio-economic development.
In fact, tourism has been included as a target in goals 8, 12 and 14 of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs). Despite the increasing and unpredictable shocks from terrorist attacks and political instability, health pandemics and natural disasters, Travel and tourism continued to show it’s resilience in 2016 and accounted for about 30% of total global service exports.
Investment in tourism is particularly important for Nigeria due to dwindling government revenue and economic contraction as a result of the drastic fall in crude oil prices, and with the vision to be rated among the top 20 economies of the world today by 2020. Hence, tourism industry press t’s an alternative source of revenue for the government and job opportunities for the youthful population.
The landscape of Nigerian is, no doubt, dotted with innumerable enviable tourism potentials, both natural and man-made. But, the country could be said to be lagging behind in tourism promotion and development, in spite of the many tourism potentialities, both in material and human resources. This has continued to give stakeholders in the industry serious concerns.
Stakeholders in the industry including the press, have suggested a legal framework and creation of a separate Culture and Tourism Ministry, to improve accelerate development in the Nigerian Tourism industry. As at the time of publishing this piece, Tourism is buried in the Information and Culture Ministry, which Alhaji Lai Mohammed heads.
In the bid to ensure a favourable legal framework for the Nigerian Tourism industry, was the Bill for an Act on the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA) Act Cap N137 LFN, 2004 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2017 (AN.429) on Thursday, August 17, 2017, on Conference Hall 022, Senate Building (New Wing), National Assembly complex. The bill successfully passed through three hearings by the Senate, hence the approval of the 8th Legislative arm of government, headed by Senator Bukola Saraki, to sequester the Tourism Ministry.
However, President Muhammadu Buhari conveyed to the Senate his decision to withhold assent to the Nigeria Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), among other 30 bills he rejected in his first term.
In a letter read by the then Senate President, Bukola Saraki, at plenary the President gave reasons for withholding assent to the bill.
Buhari said section 14(d), section 30(2d) of the Nigeria Tourism Development Authority (Repeal and re-enactment) bill contradicts section 4 (1-3) and paragraph 60 (d) of the second schedule of Nigeria’s Constitution.
Section 30 of the bill proposing to levy a tourism fee on all inbound international travellers, a tourism levy on all outbound travellers and a tourism departure contribution fee of 1 per cent per hotel room rate.
“Such a flat fee has been fixed by the authority and a corporate tourism development levy of 1 per cent to be charged on the revenue of banks, telecommunications and other corporate entities. This will be inimical to the growth of the tourism and hospitality industry in Nigeria and constitute an additional burden on the tourism business,” the letter reads.
Director-General, Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture, Ambassador Wale Ojo-Lanre, prior his appointment, in the one-man campaign to some Media Houses in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital charged President Buhari to create a separate ministry for Culture and Tourism.
The efforts yielded no positive result at the federal level. In fact, no Governor in Nigeria has seen the need for a separate Ministry for Culture and Tourism.
But, Ekiti State Governor, Dr John Kayode Fayemi, on Wednesday, December 11, 2019, took the giant and unprecedented step of creating a separate ministry for Arts, Culture and Tourism.
He made the pronunciation at the opening ceremony of the 2019 edition of the Ekiti State Festival of Arts and Culture (EKIFEST), by upgrading the state’s Council for Arts and Culture to the Ministry of Arts, Culture andTourism.
Fayemi also disclosed the determination of his administration to increase its investment and exploits in the arts and culture sector for the economic prosperity of the state and its citizens.
This singular, bold and laudable act of Governor Fayemi would no doubt speed up the development of Tourism in Ekiti State, boosting the state’s economy, creating wealth for her people and jobs for the youths, and exposing the state to the world for better patronage.
The Nigerian Tourism industry would, no doubt, develope at a faster pace if President Muhammadu Buhari could reason with the rightly-thinking stakeholders in the Tourism industry and borrow a leaf from other countries that are doing well in the industry, and sequester the Tourism Ministry.
Let Governors of another state in the country emulate Governor Fayemi and sequester the Culture and Tourism Ministry for faster and better development of the industry, which will no doubt better than lots of the states and the people therein.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has dismissed media reports suggesting that the recently resuscitated old Port Harcourt refinery has been shut down, labeling such claims as baseless and misleading.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, clarified that the refinery, with a capacity of 60,000 barrels per day, is “fully operational.”
The facility resumed operations two months ago after years of inactivity.
“We wish to clarify that such reports are totally false, as the refinery is fully operational, as verified a few days ago by former Group Managing Directors of NNPC,” Soneye said.
He added that preparations for the day’s loading operation are currently underway, emphasizing that the public should disregard the claims.
“Members of the public are advised to discountenance such reports as they are the figments of the imagination of those who want to create artificial scarcity and rip off Nigerians,” Soneye stated.
The old Port Harcourt refinery is part of the country’s efforts to revive its local refining capacity. Three years ago, the Federal Government approved $1.5 billion to rehabilitate the plant, which was initially shut down in 2019 due to operational challenges.
Despite being one of the largest oil producers globally, Nigeria has long relied on fuel imports to meet its domestic needs, swapping crude oil for petrol and other refined products. This dependency, coupled with government subsidies, has strained the nation’s foreign exchange reserves.
The recent return of the Port Harcourt refinery to operation follows the commissioning of the Dangote refinery, which began petrol production in September 2024. These developments are expected to reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imports and address long-standing issues in the petroleum sector.
A devastating house fire in the Ori-Eru area of Idikan, Ibadan, Oyo State, has claimed the lives of a man, his wife, and their grandson. The incident occurred on Friday at approximately 3:46 PM, leaving the community in mourning.
According to a statement by CSP Olaniyan Jibola of the Mapo Police Division, the fire engulfed the upper floor of a six-room residential storey building.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims had used a naked flame to keep their room warm during the cold weather, which tragically led to the fire.
“On arrival, we met the upper floor of a residential building of six rooms on fire. We swiftly swung into action, and the fire was completely extinguished. Unfortunately, the three victims had slept off after putting on the fire and could not escape,” the statement read.
Despite the tragedy, the prompt intervention of the police and a team of Amotekun officials led by Gbenga Akinyemi from the North West Division helped rescue five individuals from the burning building. Fortunately, the fire did not spread to the ground floor or adjacent properties.
The remains of the victims have been recovered, while the rescued individuals are receiving medical attention.
A Magistrate Court sitting in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, has granted human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, bail to the tune of ₦30 million. The court also mandated Farotimi to provide three sureties with landed properties within its jurisdiction.
As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered Farotimi to refrain from granting media interviews and to submit his international passport to the authorities. The case has been adjourned to February 13, 2025, for further proceedings.
Farotimi, who had been remanded at a correctional center in Ado Ekiti, arrived at the court premises on Friday at approximately 9:45 a.m. He was conveyed in a prison van accompanied by a police escort. Upon arrival, the embattled lawyer raised his hands in appreciation of a cheering crowd that had gathered outside the court to show their solidarity.
The human rights advocate is facing prosecution for allegedly defaming a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Afe Babalola. His arrest has ignited widespread public outcry, with many Nigerians and civil society groups condemning the action and demanding his immediate release.
Farotimi’s detention and subsequent arraignment have fueled debates about the boundaries of free speech and defamation laws in Nigeria, with critics arguing that the case may stifle dissenting voices in the country.
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