Gani Adams seeks joint platform for tourism bodies

…as Ifeadi describes immigration reforms as strategic tool for tourism

The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, has called on all tourism organisations in the country to form a common platform and joint committee to promote Nigeria’s tourism industry.

Adams made the call after receiving the Most Impactful Cultural Tourism Personality in Nigeria Asard at the 2026 annual conference of the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET) in Lagos, where he said one of the major challenges facing the sector is lack of collaboration.

He noted that both corporate and exclusive tourism trips are important and should be made to work together to drive growth.

“In my own opinion, we should learn for both the corporate and the exclusive to work together to promote our tourism industry. I will appeal that a programme like this should be held jointly with all tourism stakeholders. All the organisations should form a committee,” Adams said.

The Yoruba generalissimo appealed that conferences of this nature should be used to sensitise Nigerians to the economic value of tourism, describing it as an asset capable of generating more revenue than crude oil.

“On the basis of conference, it may put an advert to sensitise Nigerians that the gold you people have thrown away that can give you more money than crude oil is tourism,” he said.

According to him, without events like the ANJET conference, Nigeria will not be able to fully utilise its tourism potentials.

“Without events like this, Nigeria will not utilize the potentials of tourism. Without events like this, we would not have the platform to educate Nigerians about the potential of tourism. And a lot of people will not know the historic destinations we have,” he added.

Adams noted that while some panelists at the conference canvassed for encouraging foreign tourists, others stressed the importance of domestic tourism, adding that both segments are critical.

He however appealed to various organisations to have a common platform for advocacy and promotion, even while retaining their individual annual programmes.

“Have a common platform. That does not mean you will not have your individual organisation to have a programme like this once in a year,” the Aare Ona Kakanfo stated.

Also at the event, held on Thursday at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, the guest speaker, Dr Emmanuel Brasca Udo Ifeadi, said Nigeria’s ongoing immigration reforms must be seen as a tool for tourism development, not just national security.

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Ifeadi, a retired Deputy Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), made the submission while delivering his keynote paper titled “Nigerian Tourism Industry and The Current Government’s Immigration Reforms”.

He said immigration is the first formal point of contact between Nigeria and international visitors, and therefore shapes the country’s image.

Citing World Bank data, he noted that travel and tourism contributed 3.7 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP and 3.9 per cent of employment in 2024, yet Nigeria ranked 112th out of 119 economies on the 2024 Travel & Tourism Development Index.

He said this shows tourism is already relevant but hugely underperforming, despite assets ranging from Kano, Benin and Calabar heritage cities to Lagos beaches, Obudu Ranch, Yankari Game Reserve and the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove.

The guest speaker listed five pillars of reforms under Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo and CGIS Kemi Nanna Nandap, including centralised passport personalisation, the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology and Innovation Centre (BATTIC), Nigeria Visa Policy 2025 with e-Visa for 13 categories including Tourism Visa F5A, digital landing cards and e-Gates at Lagos and Abuja airports, and APIS/MIDAS integrated with INTERPOL.

He recalled how the e-Passenger Registration System (e-PaRS) deployed at MMIA Lagos helped Nigeria provide authentic data to US authorities after the December 2009 Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab incident.

According to him, the reforms can improve accessibility, reduce bureaucracy and waiting time, boost conferences and festivals, strengthen security through pre-arrival screening, and attract hotel and tourism investments.

He however warned of seven challenges, including technical reliability of visa portals, poor awareness abroad, weak inter-agency coordination, inconsistency between online policy and airport reality, poor customer service, weak data protection and poor destination infrastructure.

He charged journalists to audit implementation beyond announcements and recommended 11 actions, including an Immigration-Tourism Coordination Framework, stronger e-Visa transparency, customer service training at entry points and a 24/7 digital helpdesk for travellers.