Nigeria’s Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has urged private sector investors to put their resources in tourism development in the country.
He said such investment is in the interest of the investors because there is a potential for a huge return on investment and also the development of local communities.
Alhaji Mohammed disclosed this when he visited the Farin Ruwa waterfalls in Wamba Local Government Area of Nassarawa state Central Nigeria on Saturday.
“The major key to open up tourism is infrastructure development and the truth is that the government cannot do it all alone and that is why it is very important for the private sector to come in and invest in that area.
Such investment will surely pay off in the end. Let the private sector look into their Corporate Social Responsibility funds and invest such in tourism.
Since private sector players make their resources from communities posterity will be kind to them if they reinvest some part of those resources to the tourism development of communities as a payback.”
The Minister said the Farin Ruwa waterfall is a gold mine waiting to be tapped and as such whatever it takes to develop it must be deployed.
As a strategy, he also suggested that members of the National Assembly from Nassarawa state should find a way to adopt the construction of the road to the Farin Ruwa waterfalls as a constituency project as part of their contribution to the development of tourism in their state.
“On our part as Federal Government and Ministry, we will explore every available opportunity with international organisations like the United Nation World Tourism Organisation and others to see if there are any available resources under their rural tourism development to assist in developing the Farin Ruwa waterfalls,” he stated.
The Minister expressed optimism about security in the area. He said the locals have exhibited great enthusiasm which shows that they know the benefit of tourism development in their locality.
“They are even the ones to protect tourists as you can see from their enthusiasm. They know they will get jobs and their local economy will spin for good once the place is developed and people start trooping,” the Minister stated.
The Nassarawa State Deputy Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe said the potentials in Farin Ruwa waterfalls is unique and intriguing which calls for the deployment of every available human and financial resource to make the place a destination of choice.
“We believe the visit of the Minister will produce something magnificent in the development of the tourism site. We wish to have a holiday resort here, a film village, organize festivals and overall have tourists trooping to a have a feel of nature here in Farin Ruwa”.
Meanwhile the Director-General of Nigeria Tourism Development Board, Folarunsho Coker said the agency will help market the tourism potentials of the site. He also called on investors to start putting in proposals to develop the place right now because any delay might be too late. The best time is now when the place is still at this level, he said.
Director-General of National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, Nura Kangiwa said the Institute has agreed to train one person from each of the 13 local government areas of the state to get them ready for the job once the site commences full-blown tourism activities.
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