The Chairman of Air Peace, Dr. Allen Onyema has called for public-private sector partnership to promote tourism in Nigeria.
Speaking at the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) Annual General Meeting, AGM in Ikeja Lagos, Dr. Onyema tasked NATOP to be the drivers of public-private sector partnership.
He stated that tourism is one area that is yet untapped in the country.
Air Peace boss urged the Tour Operators to, ” get involved in national heritage agencies. Let us be involved in this one area that is yet untapped. Instead of am Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa and this, let’s use our diversity for good. We can explore and make something better out of it”.
Onyema expressed his support for the federal government on the opening of the Coastal Avenue from Lagos to Calabar.
Air Peace boss explained that: “This is the reason I support the opening of the Coastal Avenue from Lagos to Calabar. You may have to criticize that particular project for all you care. But God Almighty knows that I don’t patronize anybody. The truth is the truth. One of the best things this regime has done is the development of that coastal highway. And I call on every Nigerian to support it.
Because it’s going to create a lot of job opportunities for people. It’s going to improve tourism. All the Caribbean nations, they don’t have oil. All they have are waters.
He continued that: ” That’s what they have. And that’s what they sell, the beaches, and look at Nigeria, with a sprawling geography of Atlantic Ocean from Lagos to Akwa Ibom. Bigger than all the Caribbean nations put together.
And we cannot assess tourism using that. The opening of that highway is going to expand Nigeria’s tourism potential. Nigeria is a country of 378 ethnic nationalities.
Not 250, as some people made the mistake to say. That means 378 different diverse cultures.
That is tourism for you. How do we harness it for people to come and see?. When you get to the Northern part of this country, there is the Durbar. Do you know that you can sell the Durbar? As tour operators, all you need to do is to pay attention to the season of Durbar”.
Onyema stated that Nigeria should be intentional in promoting the Durbar in the North.
He pointed out that there are so many cultural events happening in all the ethnic nationalities that make up the country and people don’t know the dates and times of those events.
He maintained that the private sector, the federal government and the state government, even the local government, must be involved in promoting tourism in the country.
He decried the alarming rate at which Nigerians are trafficked abroad, including African countries .
Onyema narrated the story of about 67 Nigerian girls trafficked to Cote D’Ivoire, who were discovered by Verydarkman and brought back to Nigeria free of charge by Air Peace.
Onyema stressed the need to promote tourism in Nigeria, adding that It’s one area that Nigeria is lagging behind.
While tasking the tour operators to develop domestic tourism, Onyema said,” let us apart from going to Barbados and other places for tourism, promote our own destinations. We also have our seas”.
He said: ” People can traverse from Nigeria to The Gambia, go to Calabar to see the Calabar city. Go to Akwa Ibom. Go and see what it is like. Let us start promoting it.”
He enjoined Nigerians to become interested in their own country and forget the issues of insecurity, adding that though insecurity is there no doubt.
He pointed out that insecurity is business for some people.
Onyema said: “It is business for some people. Check the foreign airlines coming to this country, ordinary cabin crew for these foreign airlines are being escorted by security because they were told they will be kidnapped.
Air Peace boss charged the federal government to talk to Nigerians who own security companies that they are demarcating this country.
They are killing tourism by the things they do and say to these foreign establishments and foreign airlines, he said.
In his words: “Look at all the foreign airlines. When they land, as they are moving, they are being escorted by security agencies because you want to make money for yourself for a private entity. You sell the idea that Nigeria is so unsafe that even a cabin crew must be escorted.
So when we bring in pilots and certain technicians or engineers from abroad, they start asking us where is our security? Who will be taking them to work? Can you imagine that?”.
