Director General/Chief Executive Officer of NIHOTOUR, Dr. Abisoye Fagade
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to building a globally competitive hospitality, travel and tourism ecosystem, as key stakeholders across government, the private sector and industry institutions rallied strong support for the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) at the Sectoral Personnel, Practitioners, Operators and Institutions Registration, Induction, Fellowship Conferment and Inauguration of the Governing Boards of the Hospitality and Tourism Sector Skills Council of Nigeria (HTSSCN), held in Abuja.
The landmark event, held at Merit House, Maitama, Abuja on Thursday, May 14, 2026, brought together top government officials, regulators, tourism operators, development partners, hospitality professionals, cultural institutions and industry leaders in what many described as a defining moment in the institutional transformation and professionalization of Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality industry.
The ceremony featured the induction of registered hospitality and tourism professionals, conferment of Fellowship honours on distinguished Nigerians, and inauguration of the Governing Boards — Board of Trustees and Board of Directors — of the Hospitality and Tourism Sector Skills Council of Nigeria (HTSSCN).
Presiding over the event, the Honourable Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, described the initiative as a transformational intervention aimed at strengthening professionalism, regulation, accountability, standards and global competitiveness within the hospitality and tourism ecosystem.
According to the Minister, no sector can attain sustainable growth without structure, standards, institutional coordination and skilled professionals.
“The tourism and hospitality industry remains one of the fastest-growing sectors globally, contributing significantly to employment generation, foreign exchange earnings, cultural diplomacy and national development. Nigeria possesses extraordinary cultural diversity, heritage assets, creative talent and natural tourism destinations, but to unlock this immense potential, professionalism, accountability, standardisation and competence must remain central to our national strategy,” she stated.
The Minister further noted that the NIHOTOUR Establishment Act has significantly strengthened the Institute’s mandate beyond training, positioning NIHOTOUR as a critical regulatory, certification and standards authority for hospitality, tourism and travel practitioners in Nigeria.
She emphasized that sustainable sector growth can only be achieved through stronger collaboration between government institutions, the private sector, operators, training institutions and development partners.
In his keynote remarks, the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of NIHOTOUR, Dr. Abisoye Fagade, described the event as a historic turning point in the formalization and institutional strengthening of Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality sector.
According to him, the induction of registered practitioners, conferment of fellowship honours and inauguration of the Governing Boards of the Hospitality and Tourism Sector Skills Council of Nigeria collectively represent a new era of competence, professional recognition, institutional governance and sector-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. Regulation and standardization are no longer optional; they are economic necessities if Nigeria truly intends to compete globally,” he stated.
Dr. Fagade reiterated that NIHOTOUR is deliberately repositioning itself not merely as a regulator, but as a facilitator, enabler and strategic institutional partner focused on workforce development, competency-based certification, industry collaboration and sustainable sector growth under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
A major highlight of the event was the inauguration of the Governing Boards of the Hospitality and Tourism Sector Skills Council of Nigeria (HTSSCN), an employer-led institutional platform designed to bridge the gap between workforce competencies and industry expectations.
The Council is expected to drive competency standards, curriculum enhancement, accreditation systems, labour market intelligence, workforce development, industry partnerships and globally aligned professional certification frameworks for the sector.
In a strong institutional endorsement of NIHOTOUR’s reform agenda, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, stressed that effective regulation remains the only sustainable pathway for scaling the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria.
He emphasized that every globally respected industry is built on enforceable standards, institutional discipline, professional licensing and accountability systems, noting that the absence of regulation weakens investor confidence, reduces service quality and limits international competitiveness.
According to him, NIHOTOUR’s ongoing reforms and institutional frameworks represent a timely and necessary intervention capable of repositioning Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality industry for sustainable growth and global relevance.
The event also received strong endorsements from sister agencies and sector leaders.
The Executive Secretary/CEO of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Biodun Ajiboye, highlighted the economic value of culture as a strategic national asset capable of driving tourism growth, strengthening national identity and creating employment opportunities when professionally structured and effectively managed.
Similarly, the Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Olayiwola Awakan, commended NIHOTOUR’s leadership for advancing competence, ethics and continuous professional development across the tourism value chain, noting that stronger standards would significantly improve service delivery and investor confidence.
Also speaking, the Director General of the National Gallery of Art (NGA), Ahmed Bashir Sodangi, emphasized the importance of harnessing creativity, culture and innovation as strategic economic assets capable of boosting tourism traffic, expanding opportunities for young Nigerians and strengthening Nigeria’s global cultural influence.
A major highlight of the ceremony was the conferment of Fellowship honours on distinguished Nigerians in recognition of their exceptional contributions to public service, tourism development, cultural advancement, institutional leadership and national growth.
Among those honoured were the Honourable Minister, Hannatu Musa Musawa; Director General/CEO, NIHOTOUR, Dr. Abisoye Fagade; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Ibrahim Abdulkarim Ozi; Director General, NTDA, Olayiwola Awakan; Executive Secretary/CEO, NICO, Biodun Ajiboye; Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Chris Ona Najomo; former Director General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Segun Runsewe; tourism expert, Onung Nkereuwem; former Vice Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Ishaq Bello; former Director General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Folorunsho Coker.
The former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed; former Vice Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Abba Bello; media entrepreneur, Roosevelt Ogbonna; veteran tourism administrator, Wanie Akinboboye; industry stakeholder, Ahmed Nasser Abubakar; business leader, Tajudeen Owoyemi; Hon. Mukhtar Muhammad; hospitality entrepreneur, Kola Adewale; former Director General of NIHOTOUR, Nura Sani Kangiwa; and aviation and tourism stakeholder, Ado Sanusi, alongside other eminent Nigerians and institutional leaders.
The ceremony also witnessed the induction of registered hospitality and tourism professionals across fellowship, senior membership and membership categories, further reinforcing the Federal Government’s determination to institutionalize professionalism, ethical practice, competency-based certification and globally accepted operational standards within the industry.
Stakeholders unanimously commended NIHOTOUR for its bold reforms, strategic leadership and renewed commitment to repositioning Nigeria’s hospitality and tourism sector as a major contributor to economic diversification, job creation, cultural diplomacy and sustainable national development.
With this landmark initiative, the Federal Government has once again demonstrated its resolve to unlock the enormous economic potential of tourism, hospitality, culture and the creative economy as critical drivers of prosperity, national pride and inclusive growth under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
