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The Aare Ona Kakanfo and National Coordinator of Oodua Peoples Congress, Gani Adams, on Friday challenged both the Federal and state government to improve on their investment in promoting the country’s rich diverse cultural heritage to drive tourism and boost foreign earnings for the country.
This is just as the Yoruba leader also called on the government to tackle headlong the problem of insecurity, as he said, which is another major challenge to harnessing the abundant economic opportunities in the tourism sector.
The OPC leader also hailed the people of Egbaland for celebrating the annual Lisabi Festival, which this year has been projected to contribute about N10bn to the nation’s economy.
Adams spok3 on Friday during the Olumo festival held at Olumo Rock Tourist Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, as part of the ongoing Lisabi Festival.
The OPC leader described the tourism sector as a gold mine that can be mined forever and managed to bring huge foreign earnings to the country, unlike other finite mineral resources, while some of them are even limited in supply.
He said this is another reason why the government must tackle the problem of insecurity and create an enabling environment for businesses, particularly the tourism sector, to thrive in the country.
The Yoruba leader said, “Both the Federal and state government must increase their investment in tourism. They must create historical places for tourists around the country that people can visit for pleasure and recreation.
“One of the problems we are having about that is insecurity. If the government can provide an enabling environment, particularly security, and reorient our youth to do away with all these nefarious activities, Nigeria has great potential for tourism.
“Thailand generates 40m tourists every year, and Britain generates 45m visits and we are moving from mineral resources to tourism.
“Tourism sector remains a gold mine that can never be exhausted. You can finish mining other mineral resources but the economic potentials of tourism is inexhaustible, you can always package it to create more job opportunities and also boost foreign earnings for the country.”
He described Olumo festival as a unifying factor, and homecoming of sort for Egba sons and daughters all over the world adding that It has become an annual massive celebration of unity.
Adams said that he would always support every effort and initiative that is tailored towards promoting the country’s rich culture and tradition because it helps to promote progress, unity and cohesion of the country at large.
The Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, while rejoicing with the people of Egbaland on the celebration of this year’s Lisabi Festival, urged them to keep living in harmony while contributing their quota for further development of the state and the country at large.
Oba Gbadebo thanked Gov Dapo Abiodun who has recently promised to give the Olumo Rock Tourist Centre a facelift and ensure that the faulty three elevators roared back to life.
