SENATE SEEKS TO PROMOTE TOURISM TO FURTHER DIVERSIFY THE NIGERIAN ECONOMY.
The Senate during its plenary session on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, adopted a motion on the Need to promote tourism, to further diversify the Nigerian Economy. The motion sponsored by Sen. Tinubu, Oluremi Shade (Lagos Central) with 22 Co-sponsors noted that, the Senate is aware that Nigeria depends on crude oil exports and revenues for the bulk of its foreign exchange, to the detriment of other critical sectors.
The motion further noted that, there are several other sectors including but not limited to agriculture, mining, tourism that with adequate investment and reforms, are capable of being major contributors to Nigeria’s GDP. Highlighting that tourism is a global industry that contributes hugely to economies around the world, constituting almost 10 percent of the global GDP at $8 trillion in 2016, 8.8 percent of the world’s jobs, and 5.8 percent of the world’s total exports valued at $1.1 trillion.
In support of the motion, Senator Rochas Okorocha stated that “if we look at tourism as business other than leisure then our country will pay more attention to it” while Senator Ibikunle Amosun noted that for tourism to strive, proper infrastructure must be put in place; “if our security, power roads and rail are not working there will be no tourism”. In addition, Senator Barau Jibrin stated that,” tourism is a source of revenue for every nation that takes it seriously and we need to do that in this Nation. What we need to do is to create an enabling environment for tourism to thrive”.
Accordingly, Senate resolved to; Urged the Budget office to increase budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Information and culture, Urged the relevant ministries and Agencies to revamp the various tourist attractions across the Country, Urged the Ministry of environment at various levels of government to create incentives to promote eco-friendly waterfronts to make beaches more tourist friendly and mandate Committees on Foreign affairs and Culture and Tourism, in collaboration with the Ministers of Foreign affairs Information and culture and Tourism to organize a stakeholder meeting, to ensure dialogue and discussion of the issues and way forward.
Lawal O.K
Head press unit
SENIOR SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT ON NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MATTERS
November 20, 2019
