National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, NIHOTOUR, an agency under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, has inaugurated the Board members of the Hospitality and Tourism Sector Skills Council of Nigeria (HTSSCN).
Dr. Anyanwutaku implored the Board members to live above board in the discharge of their responsibilities as drivers of the country’s HTSSCN in line with government’s efforts at achieving improved service delivery in the hospitality and travel-tourism industry.
According to a release by NIHOTOUR’s Director of Media and Public Relations, Mr. Ahmed Sule, the Permanent Secretary said the Federal Government is highly committed to developing the tourism industry of the country as the preferred sector in revamping the revenue generating base of the economy with tourism as the lead sector.
Dr. Anyanwutaku who was full of praises of the leadership of NIHOTOUR being the host of the Council and under Alhaji Nura Sani Kangiwa as Director General and Chief Executive Officer, said she has no doubt that the Council is coming on board at the right time to salvage the Nigerian Hospitality and Tourism industry for better performance in line with global standards and best practices.
Earlier in his address, Kangiwa, NIHOTOUR’s DG and Secretary General of the Council traced the chequered history of the Council when the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) through the Federal Ministry of Education obtained Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval in February, 2013 to implement and regulate the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) which was achieved in 2014 through NBTE build capacity to accomplish the task.
He cited sectors like Construction, Power, Automobile and ICT Education that were first to pilot the establishment of their own Sector Skills Council, while NIHOTOUR was appointed to co-ordinate and facilitate the operations of the Hospitality and Tourism industry Skills Council by the regulatory body, the NBTE leading to the formation of the Boards of Directors and Trustees that have now been inaugurated.
While noting that it is gratifying to say that the Sector Skills Council since inception in 2014 has worked hard to fulfill its mandate, Kangiwa said the Council still has a lot to do as required by the Regulatory Body and thus required moral and financial support both from government and the Organized Private Sector to achieve the desired objectives for which the Council was established.
He said as host of the Council, NIHOTOUR is desirous to institutionalize the Council which was why deliberate efforts were made to ensure that its board is made up of and to be driven strictly by private sector comprising of stakeholders across the trade unions, professional bodies and major players in the leisure, recreation, travel, hospitality and tourism industries in the country.
In their respective speeches, Chairmen of Boards of Directors and Trustees of the Council, Chief Abiodun Odusanwo and Alhaji Tijjani Aliyu Danzabua, promised to assiduously work in line with the philosophy and vision for which the Council was established to achieve the desired objectives saying that they will not betray the confidence reposed in them as Chairmen of the Board of Directors and Trustees respectively.
Members of the board of directors are: Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, president of Institute of Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN); Alhaji Aminu Agoha, travel consultant; Alhaji Abdulhamide M. Sheriff, professional tourism trainer; Alhaji Saleh Rabo, travel consultant and president of FTAN; Ini Akpabio, chairman of NANET Group; Mrs. Susan Akporiaye, travel consultant and president of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Lubabatu Timothy, consultant and event organiser, Ikechi Uko, CEO, Akwaaba African Travel Market and Atqnews, and Ganiyu Tarzan Balogun, CEO, Tarzan Marine Transport.
