As conversations around Nigeria’s tourism future continue to gather momentum, one message echoed strongly during the ongoing Naija7Wonders Zoom Conference 3.0: the country may already possess one of the most powerful tourism tools in Africa — its festivals.
Speaking during the conference session themed “Festival and Tourism in Nigeria: A New Pathway,” Hajia Balkisu Abdulsalam Ogueyi, Chairman of the Kogi State Hotels and Tourism Board, delivered a passionate presentation calling for a more intentional approach to festival tourism in Nigeria.
Drawing from years of experience in the tourism sector, Hajia Balkisu described Nigerian festivals not merely as colourful cultural gatherings, but as “living expressions of identity” capable of transforming local economies, attracting international visitors, and reshaping the country’s tourism narrative.
“Over the years working in tourism, I have had the privilege of experiencing some of Nigeria’s festivals, not just as events but as living expressions of our identity,” she said during the session. “And one thing always stands out — the energy, the colours, the stories. Those are the things the world is looking for.”
Her comments came amid growing national conversations on how Nigeria can reposition tourism beyond occasional holiday travel and develop sustainable cultural tourism products capable of generating year-round economic value.
For many participants at the conference, Hajia Balkisu’s presentation struck a familiar chord. Nigeria, she argued, is not lacking in festivals or cultural experiences. The real problem lies in how those festivals are packaged, promoted, and connected to the wider tourism value chain.
“Many of our festivals are under-packaged and under-promoted,” she stated. “We have not fully converted them into strong tourism products.”
That single observation appeared to summarize one of the recurring themes of the conference — that Nigeria’s tourism challenge is not the absence of attractions, but the absence of coordination, structure, and visibility.
According to her, festivals across the country already possess the ingredients needed to compete globally: music, storytelling, fashion, food, spirituality, dance, and community participation. However, without proper planning and collaboration, many of those festivals remain hidden gems known only to locals.
She pointed to the Ovia Osese Festival in Ogori-Magongo, Kogi State, as an example of a culturally rich festival that has yet to receive the national and international attention it deserves.
“How many people have visited Ogori-Magongo?” she asked participants during the session. “Ovia Osese Festival is a very interesting festival, but it is not yet put on the world map.”
For Hajia Balkisu, the solution begins with collaboration — particularly between festival owners, local communities, governments, and tour operators.
“The tour operators have to get the opportunity of meeting the owners of the festival,” she explained. “Let them understand the story and the experience first. That is how they can properly package what tourists are coming to see in Nigeria.”
Her remarks reinforced a growing belief among stakeholders that tourism packaging in Nigeria remains one of the weakest links in the industry. While destinations and events exist, many lack the professional storytelling, itinerary planning, branding, and visitor experience needed to appeal to international and diaspora audiences.
“Having a product is different. Packaging is another thing,” she said pointedly.
That statement sparked further discussion among conference participants about the need for training and capacity development within the tour operations sector. Hajia Balkisu suggested that tourism stakeholders, including conference convener Amb. Ikechi Uko, could help facilitate workshops and coaching sessions that teach operators how to properly develop and market Nigerian tourism products.
Industry observers at the conference noted that this gap has often prevented many local festivals from scaling beyond community celebrations into commercially viable tourism experiences.
Yet despite the challenges, the mood of the conference remained optimistic.
Participants repeatedly returned to one central idea: festivals may offer Nigeria one of its clearest pathways toward tourism growth if managed intentionally.
Beyond entertainment, speakers highlighted how festivals create economic opportunities for transporters, hoteliers, food vendors, artisans, photographers, fashion designers, decorators, security providers, and small businesses operating around event locations.
According to Hajia Balkisu, when communities begin to experience the direct economic value of their cultural assets, they naturally become more committed to preserving them.
“As the community benefits, they will protect the cultural assets,” she noted.
That point resonated strongly within the broader conference discussions, especially as stakeholders explored ways to build tourism models that are both economically sustainable and culturally respectful.
Across Nigeria, festivals like Ojude Oba in Ogun State, Calabar Carnival in Cross River, Durbar festivals in Northern Nigeria, Felabration in Lagos, and several emerging cultural events continue to attract growing crowds yearly. However, experts at the conference believe the next phase must involve turning those events into fully integrated tourism ecosystems.
For many attendees, the conversation represented more than policy discussions. It reflected a wider urgency to reposition Nigeria globally through culture and experience-driven tourism.
And while challenges such as poor infrastructure, inconsistent funding, limited international marketing, and weak data collection remain major concerns, speakers maintained that the foundation for success already exists.
“Nigeria does not lack festivals,” Hajia Balkisu emphasized once more. “We only need to promote them better for the world to experience.”
As the Naija7Wonders Zoom Conference 3.0 continues, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: Nigeria’s tourism future may not depend solely on building new attractions, but on rediscovering, refining, and properly presenting the cultural treasures that already exist.
If stakeholders can successfully bridge the gap between culture and commerce, many believe the country’s festivals could evolve from seasonal celebrations into powerful engines of tourism, identity, and economic transformation.
And perhaps, as conversations at the conference continue to suggest, the next major chapter of Nigerian tourism may already be dancing in plain sight.
By Sam Opoku
