The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to building a globally competitive hospitality, travel and tourism industry, as the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) conferred fellowships, senior memberships and memberships on hospitality and tourism administrators, operators and investors in Abuja.
The event, which also featured the inauguration of the Governing Boards of the Hospitality and Tourism Sector Skills Council of Nigeria (HTSSCN), was held at Merit House, Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday.
The ceremony brought together government officials, regulators, tourism operators, hospitality professionals, development partners, cultural institutions and other industry stakeholders, in what participants described as a major step toward strengthening professionalism and institutional standards within Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality sector.
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Speaking at the event, the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, described the initiative as a transformational intervention aimed at improving professionalism, accountability, regulation and global competitiveness in the sector.
According to the minister, Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality industry possesses enormous potential capable of contributing significantly to employment generation, foreign exchange earnings, cultural diplomacy and national development.
“The tourism and hospitality industry remains one of the fastest-growing sectors globally. Nigeria possesses extraordinary cultural diversity, heritage assets, creative talent and natural tourism destinations, but professionalism, accountability, standardisation and competence must remain central to our national strategy,” she said.
Musawa noted that the NIHOTOUR Establishment Act had expanded the institute’s responsibilities beyond training, positioning it as a regulatory and standards-setting authority for hospitality, tourism and travel practitioners in Nigeria.
She stressed the need for stronger collaboration among government institutions, operators, training institutions, development partners and the private sector to achieve sustainable growth within the industry.
In his keynote address, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIHOTOUR, Abisoye Fagade, described the event as a historic milestone in the formalisation and institutional strengthening of Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality industry.
According to him, the induction of registered practitioners, conferment of fellowships and inauguration of the governing boards of the Hospitality and Tourism Sector Skills Council of Nigeria marked a new era of competence, professional recognition and industry-wide coordination.
“Today, we are not merely gathering for ceremony. We are laying the foundation for a more structured, respected, innovative and globally competitive hospitality and tourism industry,” Fagade stated.
He added that NIHOTOUR was repositioning itself not only as a regulator, but also as a facilitator and strategic partner focused on workforce development, competency-based certification and sustainable sector growth under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
A major highlight of the event was the inauguration of the Governing Boards of the Hospitality and Tourism Sector Skills Council of Nigeria, an employer-led platform designed to bridge the gap between workforce competencies and industry expectations.
The council is expected to drive competency standards, accreditation systems, workforce development, labour market intelligence and globally aligned professional certification frameworks for the tourism and hospitality sector.
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe, also endorsed NIHOTOUR’s reform agenda, stressing that effective regulation remained critical to sustainable growth in the industry.
He said globally respected industries are built on enforceable standards, institutional discipline and accountability systems, adding that poor regulation weakens investor confidence and limits international competitiveness.
Other stakeholders who spoke at the event included the Executive Secretary of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Biodun Ajiboye; Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Olayiwola Awakan; and Director-General of the National Gallery of Art (NGA), Ahmed Bashir Sodangi.
The event also featured the conferment of fellowship honours on several distinguished Nigerians in recognition of their contributions to tourism development, cultural advancement, public service and institutional leadership.
Among the recipients were Hannatu Musawa, Dr. Abisoye Fagade, Ibrahim Abdulkarim Ozi, Olayiwola Awakan, Biodun Ajiboye, Chris Ona Najomo, Segun Runsewe, Onung Nkereuwem, Ishaq Bello, Folorunsho Coker, Lai Mohammed, Abba Bello, Roosevelt Ogbonna, Wanie Akinboboye, Ahmed Nasser Abubakar, Tajudeen Owoyemi, Mukhtar Muhammad, Kola Adewale, Nura Sani Kangiwa and Ado Sanusi, among others.
Stakeholders at the event commended NIHOTOUR for its reforms and renewed commitment to repositioning Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality industry as a major driver of economic diversification, job creation and sustainable national development.
