Spend excess crude oil revenue to develop tourism sector, Senator Ojudu tasks FG
- Written by Wale Ojo-Lanre
- Wednesday, 13 February 2013 00:00
- Nigerian Tribune
The Senator made this call on Saturday at the inauguration of Midas Hotel, in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State. Senator Ojudu called the attention of the Federal Government to the fact that “I am using this opportunity to appeal to the executive council which takes joy in squandering the excess crude oil revenue to divert such into mobilising and enhancing the tourism assets in Nigeria.
“The executive should not think that the slogan of ‘Oil exhaustible, tourism sustainable ‘is a joke. It is a slogan which is telling our nation that very soon the oil may dry up, but tourism is always there. Hence, we must urgently devote energy and logistics into harnessing the tourism assets hidden in our state, the Senator said.
Senator Ojudu also called on the executive to learn from Malaysia, an oil producing state which has successfully diversified its revenue generation sources dependence on oil to tourism and manufacturing.
“I want the executive Council to take a leaf from Malaysia, an oil producing country like Nigeria which suffered from the oil glut of the 80s, but wise enough not to experience such a period by diversifying its revenue base to tourism and manufacturing.”
Senator Ojudu further revealed: “I studied the transformation of Malaysia from oil dependent revenue country to a tourist’s haven and manufacturing giant and found out that the country deliberately pumped money realised from oil after the oil glut to develop its tourism sector. Now, you will be wondering why Malaysia, a country of 25 million people could play host to 27 million tourists in 2011!. That is power of vision, proper planning and determination to change the situation positively.”
He called on the Executive to stop paying lip service to tourism development “Let us get down to the basis. Let us explore and harness these potentialities buried within the confines of all states to mobilise wealth, empower the people and generate revenue.”
Senator Ojudu disclosed that “It is sad and lamentable that successive governments at the centre in our country have not deemed it fit to accord tourism its proper place in the sectoral economy of Nigeria. It is also sad that we have not been able to surmount the gut and political will at mobilising the tourism sector.”
“The Lord Almighty has so well blessed this country with all forms of tourism assets from the beach which kicks off from Badagry to Ondo State an almost 400 kilometres of sea view, nothing has been done to the thick forest of the South West, the Mangrove in the South East and the Dunes of the North with each state of the federation having unique and wonderful tourists’ site only waiting for enhancement and development,” Ojudu submitted.
The Senator who disagreed the view that absence of proper legislation is the obstacle to the enhancement of the tourism assets of Nigeria “These tourism assets have been neglected or not developed is not a problem of law. It is a problem of the executives who don’t understand the economic import of tourism.”
“It is disheartening that the executive cannot understand that we actually need more than oil to sustain the revenue of the nation. There is the need for whoever is the President and the core members of the executive to first of all have a deep insight on what tourism is and how it has helped in sustaining nations which are called and being referred to as developed today,” Ojudu added.
Citing Britain, Senator Ojudu said “Apart from the vestiges of the imperialistic years and memory which instituted a tax régime on citizens, tourism is the other sector which cultivates chunk of the revenue for Britain, ditto France, and many countries in Europe. The Dubai experiment is a pointer to the fact that tourism is the key to unlock the hidden wealth and the untapped e gold of the country.”
“Tourism cannot be developed with lip service. It is a serious sector which its enhancement must be frontally planned, processed and implemented in a sequential order without political infraction and consideration.”
He equally pointed out “See what is happening in Dubai, Gambia, Ghana, Senegal, Kenya and South Africa. The Bermuda has no oil, no gas and no natural resources of purpose, but it is utilising tourism to sustain its economy.”
“The Executive must urgently get serious about tourism by diverting the excess money being realised in crude oil to develop tourism which is sustainable and in exhaustible,” Ojudu advised.
