The Minister of
Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the present
administration's efforts at improving security and upgrading infrastructure is
a deliberate policy to promote tourism in Nigeria, reports ITREALMS.
The Minister, who
stated this when he received the Secretary-General of the D-8, Mr. Dato’ Ku
Jafafar Ku Shaari, on a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja on Tuesday, noted
that without the provision of security and critical infrastructure, tourism
development will remain a mirage.
“Without peace and
security, the best tourist attractions will be inaccessible to anybody. As a
matter of fact, without peace and security and stability, travel advisories
will actually discourage or even prohibit tourists from coming into those areas
and the people don’t invest really in the areas where there is instability or
insecurity. That is why the government has made it a cardinal principle to
address the issue of insecurity in the country,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed said
in spite of the recent setbacks in the fight against insurgency in the country,
the government has succeeded in banishing Boko Haram to the fringes of Lake
Chad, from where they carry out cowardly attacks.
He said before the
advent of the Buhari Administration, a large chunk of Nigeria’s territory,
including 20 out of the 27 Local Government Areas in Borno State, was under the
effective control of Boko Haram.
The Minister also said
before the Administration assumed office, Boko Haram could stroll into the
Federal Capital Territory to carry out deadly attacks, but that the reverse is
the case now.
“Today after three
years, we have had no single incident of any insurgency in Abuja or its
environs,'' he said.
Alhaji Mohammed said
President Buhari has succeeded in mobilizing regional support to ensure the
comprehensive defeat of Boko Haram in the Sahel Region.
On the provision of
infrastructure, he said the Administration has invested N2.7 trillion in
infrastructure within two years.
“Your Excellency, you
cannot have tourism without infrastructure. There must be roads, airports,
power. Without these things, you can’t even access the tourist attractions and
it’s on record that this government has in the last two years - 2016-2017 -
invested massively in infrastructure,” he said.
The Minister assured
that Nigeria is poised to take advantage of its membership of the D-8 to
advance its tourism sector.
In his remarks, the
Secretary-General of D-8 said he and his team were in the ministry to secure
the input of the government towards the development of a strategic vision on
how member countries can share experiences and knowledge on tourism.
“The purpose of our
visit today to the ministry is to learn from the government and the ministry in
all the activities in respect of culture and tourism and where we can connect
as an organisation,” he said.
He commended the
Nigerian government for its efforts towards the development of tourism,
especially the provision of security and critical infrastructure as well as the
introduction of Visa On Arrival for tourists.
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