Mrs. Lola Ade-John, Nigeria’s Minister of Tourism, is championing the integration of tourism education into the Nigerian school system.
The Minister emphasized the importance of introducing tourism as a subject to enhance students’ understanding of the country’s rich cultural and natural assets, as well as to promote their preservation.
Speaking at the 10th edition of Wonders of Nigeria Expo, designed to deliberately highlight and promote Nigeria’s historical sites held at the National Museum in Lagos, Ade-John said Nigerians must be passionate about preserving the nation’s tourism assets and develop some sense of pride in them.
Lola Ade-John reflected on the importance of preserving and protecting the nation’s treasures for future generations, adding that tourism should be part of schools’ curriculum.
She said Nigeria is blessed with breathtaking scenery, rich cultures, heritage sites, fascinating and hospitable people capable of attracting domestic tourism, adding that there is hardly any part of the country that does not have something unique to showcase.
“We are working with the tourism industry, all the stakeholders, on how we are going to teach and inculcate tourism in not only the communities but in Nigeria at large.
“As we celebrate the 10th edition of this expo, let us not only marvel at the wonders before us but also reflect on the importance of preserving and protecting them for future generations.
“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that these treasures remain intact for years to come so that others may experience the same sense of awe and wonder that we feel today.
“In order to achieve this, we must carry along our people. Community engagement is vital to the preservation of our assets and history.
“We must engage our local communities and train them on basic tourism skills, entrepreneurship, hospitality, cleanliness as well as love and respect for cultural differences.
“This approach embodies what I call the ‘Doctrine According to Tourism.’ It will empower and encourage our people to contribute to the country’s revenue diversity plan as the President emphasises in his Renewed Hope Agenda”
“Nigeria is a beautiful country, people pay a lot to see gorillas, go on water and we have them, the only thing we do not have is our sense of pride, that has to change, we need to love this country.
“As a government, we will ensure we set up standards, resuscitate the presidential tourism council and encourage the doctrine of tourism” she said.
Organiser of the 10th edition of Wonders of Nigeria Expo, Amb. Ikechi Uko said the choice of the National Museum was deliberate and was meant to make people especially tourism enthusiast to be conversant of its location in the state.
He said “The journey of discovery is not in seeing new places, it’s in seeing Nigeria with new eyes.”
Chairman of Trustees of The Wayfarers of Jos, Hike and Tour Club, Isaac Sander who received an award for making hiking a mainstream tourism activity in Nigeria as well as promoting Plateau State as a hiking hub of the country, said “there is always a story around everything in our environment. So once we learn the stories, we can tell people and attract people to come and learn those stories. I’ve been hiking for like over six years now and I cannot count the number of trails we have hiked“.
The event featured a photo exhibition of over 1,000 beautiful and breath-taking tourist sites cutting across the 36 states of the nation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Also, Carnival Queens from the biggest Street Party in Africa, Carnival Calabar treated participants with delectable dance steps, and cultural performances from Akwa Ibom dance troupe.
