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Invest in Tourism, Culture — Ife Museum Curator urges FG

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By Jeleel Olawale

The Federal Government of Nigeria has been urged to invest in tourism and cultural industry to increase the internally generated revenue of the government and rejuvenate the cultural heritage of the country.

Mr Ogunmola Dada made the call in Ile-Ife while speaking with Nigerian NewsDirect, he said federal government needs to diversify and make the sector a core revenue generation sector, saying culture and tourism is an area where government should invest to attract foreign investors to boost the economy of the country. Government will get more fund if it funded our tourism and culture sectors.

According to him, government needs to fund the sector because funding is very important. Tourism budget in foreign countries is very high but reverse is the case in Nigeria. There is need to increase budget of culture and tourism to further boost the sector.

“Government can bring foreign investors to invest in tourism and cultural sector to boost the government internally generated revenue and end over reliance on oil. The security and infrastructure must be improved to boost tourism development in the country.

“Tourism is one of the sectors the East African countries depended on, as major source of revenue generation. It is also a source of revenue for Caribbean. The insecurity in Nigeria has reduced level of people visiting the tourism sites in the country. Road also affecting the sector which could make people access the heritage sites.

“Our people go to DUBAI because of the tourism attraction there but we have the tourism attraction that is better than the United Arab Emirate,” he said.

Ogunmola noted that the contribution of Museum to the development of culture is enormous, it cannot be quantified either financially or otherwise, adding that in the area of education, museum has been put in a lot of exhibition to educate public about social ills and the best way to correct them. It is also a way of impacting knowledge to school age. People need education on the usefulness of museum collections, the artifacts kept in museum.

Ogunmola who is the curator of Ife National Museum said, people do not understand importance of each object in the museum but a lot was embedded in it. He averred that museum gives more information on the usefulness of each object to the existence of man.

“Many do not understand functions perform by each object. Some of the objects revealed significant historical event that happened in the past for people to know. The museum is trying in the publication of our historical facts, cultural festivals, and event.

“The European wrote our history but all they wrote were not correct about us. They described most of our museum connections as idols, they were not idols but they were part and parcel of our history. It is like when you keep books in the library. They are aspects of our history that inform us what happened at a particular time.

“Our people have been brainwashed, the British missionary that painted museum connections as idols, they were still same persons that took away most of our museum connections. They kept them in their museums which served source of income for them.

“When it is on their soil, they were no longer idols because it brings them income. These objects remind people who they are. All these objects were not idols but ways of how things were in the past.”

He stated that the global economy is affecting the museum industry, adding that the finance is not adequate for museum. It may not be adequate because there are a lot of things that are done in the museum that gulp fund.

“Museum financing should not be left for government alone but private sector, local government, community, where the museum is located should be responsible.”

The curator believes that it is only in Nigeria that government finance museum. The limited fund has to be distributed into different sections of the museum which is affecting the sector. Exhibition involves huge amount of money, and maintaining all monument and heritage requires a lot of money. The NGOs, communities, and stakeholders need to come together to rescue the sector.

He noted that technology has immensely helped expanding the scope of museum operations in terms of collections and programme. So, internet is a plus to museum development in Nigeria.

“People are not visiting the museum as it obtained in the past as a result of insecurity which is one of the obstacles that is hindering museum patronage. Foreigners and local tourists are afraid of visiting the sector due to insecurity that has enveloped the country. This has reduced revenue generation because tourists do not visit the museum as against the past,” he declared.

He called on government to continue to support tourism and cultural heritage so that our past would not be easily forgetting.

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Mushin LG Chairman flags off construction of Yusuf Street road, promises solar lighting

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The Mushin Local Government Chairman, Hon. Emmanuel Bamigboye on Wednesday flagged off the construction of Yusuf Street road in Papa Ajao.

The project is expected to bring relief to residents and traders in the area and is set to be completed within six months.

According to Bamigboye, the project is a fulfillment of his campaign promise to the people of Mushin, and he expressed gratitude to God for the opportunity to execute the project.

He urged residents to cooperate with the contractor and the local government to ensure the successful completion of the project.

The councillor representing the ward, Ayomide Abioye, expressed his joy and appreciation for the project, stating that it is the longest street in Papa Ajao and will bring immense benefit to the community.

Also, the Baba Oloja of Ladipo International Market, Eze Monday, also commended the Executive Chairman for the project, stating that it will make a significant impact on the development of the area.

The project includes the construction of the road and the installation of solar lighting, which is expected to enhance security and facilitate economic activities in the area.

Residents and traders in the area have been warned not to disturb the contractor or disrupt the project in any way.

Meanwhile, the traders applauded Hon. Bamigboye for demonstrating its commitment to infrastructural development and the welfare of its citizens.

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Giving back to community — Prof Oyedokun speaks on motives

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Lead Facilitator Professor of Accounting & Financial Development Founder OGE, Prof. Godwin Emmanuel Oyedokun, has disclosed that giving back to society community is his motive for pursuing his career.

He made the disclosure in an article titled “My motive for running a free professional diploma course in Forensic Accounting and Fraud Investigation is of several folds.”

He said, “Running a free professional diploma course in forensic accounting and fraud investigation is also motivated by my desire to give back to the community.

“By sharing my expertise and knowledge without any financial barriers, I am helping individuals from diverse backgrounds and financial situations to acquire valuable skills and advance their careers.”

The academic reiterated that the motive for running a free professional diploma course in forensic accounting and fraud investigation is centred around education, skill development, community service, and professional growth.

It is a way to contribute to the accounting profession, address a skill gap, and empower individuals in their pursuit of knowledge and career advancement.

According to him, “Promoting Education and Professional Development to contribute to the growth and development of the accounting profession by providing individuals with an opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills in the specialised field of forensic accounting and fraud investigation.

“By offering this free course, i am enabling aspiring professionals to access valuable education that might otherwise be costly or inaccessible.”

The Don addressing the need for expertise in Forensic Accounting said, “In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for professionals skilled in forensic accounting and fraud investigation due to the rise in financial crimes and fraudulent activities. By offering this free course, I am helping to address this skill gap and aiding in the fight against financial fraud.”

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Airport tolls: Nigeria lost billions under old rules — Keyamo

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The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has revealed that the Federal Government lost 82 percent which is equivalent to N10 billion in revenue that ought to accrue from airport tollgates under old rules.

Keyamo revealed this to State House correspondents during the week at the end of a two-day meeting of the Federal Executive Council.

The minister lamented that the ministry accumulated 82 percent in the negative from the complimentary e-tags printed by the ministry, noting that 82 percent of the e-tags are given free of charge to VIPs.

He stated, “Let me give you the shocking statistics. The negative figure that we get at the end of the day from the complimentary e-tags is 82 percent, in the negative.

“In other words, where we are supposed to have a 100 per cent contract on the e-costs from these e-tags that we print, it is only 18 per cent that we now end up selling. That is how bad it is. 18 per cent and 82 per cent of these e-tags are given out free of charge to VIPs. So, imagine the loss in my sector, and I ask myself,Which other sector will I go to that they give me anything free?’

“Is it because I’m a VIP that you say that in FCT, I should not pay land charges that you waive it for me? I pay for that sector. I pay for power. Yes, I pay for everything. So, why would anybody now come to my own sector and want to get free passage? Not possible. That is how bad it is.”

He added that free e-tags to the VIPs had in the past led to the loss of billions of naira

“So this has led in the past to loss of billions of naira, not millions, annually. Yet, our airport infrastructure, you know, is decaying. I am helpless. I’m looking for concessionaires. I’m looking for help with decaying infrastructure.

“They will be the first to cry out, these same VIPs – ‘why are the toilets like this? Why are your toilets smelling? Why can’t you do this?’ They are the same people, but they don’t pay for the services. So, if we want improved infrastructure at the airport, we must pay for services,” he said.

The minister lamented that due to the policy of exemption, the ministry makes only about N100 million instead of making about N260 million from a particular airport gate every month.

“I’ll give you another example. In one of the access gates, based on the count of the barrier going up and down, we are supposed to be making N250m or 260 million from that gate every month. That gate, because of exemptions, the return to us is less than N100 million every month,” he added.

To end the loss, the FEC decided that the president, vice president, and other top government functionaries would start paying access fees or the e-tag at all 24 federal airports across the country.

Prior to this development, the president, vice president, and some government officials were exempted from paying access fees at the airports’ gates.

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