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Adediwura wants Govt to develop tourism industry

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By Jeleel Olawale

A tourist expert, Hon. Adediwura Adeshina has  called on government at all levels to develop tourism sector in the country, saying there is a need for strong political will to drive the industry.

He said government has not been given adequate priority to the section and that why the sector is not performing as expected. The sector is well funded.

Adediwura, who said this in a chat with Nigerian NewsDirect on the dwindling tourism sites in the country, said corruption has been affecting the sector drastically because the government neglected the sector for oil.

“Government has not been paying attention to tourism because of corruption. They share oil funds but forgetting that one day, oil will finish. Let’s shift attention to tourism. Government should think of how to engage the youths to ensure that there is no crisis in the town.

“The world is now in tourism. I am a tourist consultant. If you go to DUBAI, it is tourism. The world is no longer focused on petroleum. People go to Jerusalem and Mecca, these places are tourist destinations.

“If we create and develop our tourist centers here, it will create jobs and increase government internally generated revenue.

“If you visit Europe, any hotel bill paid, goes to their council, apart from the hotel bill you paid and thus let us replicate it here to serve as a source of revenue for Local Government. Tourism is now richer than petroleum in the world. I am interested in historical tourism.

“Culture is different from religion, if you preserve your culture, people will respect you. If governments and individuals pay attention to tourism, what will be generated annually will be enough to finance our budget,” he declared.

Adediwura, who a candidate of the Labour Party for Ife central state constituency for the Osun state House of Assembly, said if given elected, he would sponsor two bills, culture, tourism, and agriculture, stressing that this would boost the economy of the state, create jobs opportunities for people.

“Government does not even understand the contribution of the industry to the economy of the state. There are a lot of tourist sites in Osun state. We have everything to make the industry better most of the notable tourism sites are developing.”

According to him, “Osun state is the bedrock or home of tourism in the whole of SouthWestern Nigeria because we have a lot of historical, archaeological and natural places that could fare well in tourism, if we developed it. It is not being developed well that is why I said it is not faring well.

“These are the things that make tourism flourish and government does not pay desired attention to them. Government needs to do more. They are not doing enough to expand the industry to general fund.

“There is a lot of money in the industry to compete with oil if we are able to tap them. We need to discover more tourist sites because there are a lot of them in Osun State. We need to expose them to the ones that have been exposed, we need to develop them.”

On the lackluster attitude of government to the tourism sector, he noted that it is like one is sitting on gold, but can only retrieve ashes. He said, “I am not happy on the state of tourist centres in Osun State.

“We don’t understand the value of visiting tourist sites. Government needs to change the attitude towards tourism. They need to invest both financial and human capital in the industry.

“Our people are using our money to develop tourism of United Arab Emirates. Most of our tourist centres are facing problems. The government is biased, and should change their orientation towards this.

“People don’t understand that those things called idols, they are the ones that did well in their own time, they developed their environment and people, we are not worshipping them.  We are merely venerating and thanking them for what they have done.”

Adediwura stressed that Nigerian tourism can still compete with the United Arab Emirates if well developed.

“Let government fund it adequately instead of developing other people’s tourism.”

He noted that he foresees a brighter future for tourism industry, adding, “Nigerians are the ones who own most of the tourist sites in UAE.”

He urged government to fund the sector adequately and differentiate between culture and religion because people don’t understand the difference.

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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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