Buhari Should Encourage Synergy Between Sport and Tourism -Salami

The Tours operators in Nigeria under the auspices of Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) have lamented how sports and tourism would have aided each other in boosting Nigeria Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) if the leadership of the two sectors had worked together.

A NATOP chieftain, Muyiwa Salami, disclosed in a chat with the sporting press in Ibadan that part of their demands before the new in-coming Buhari led administration is to synergized a healthy relationship between Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and that of Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) in order to save the dying Nigerian tourism sector.

Salami, the CEO of DVINE Travels and Tour who doubles as the NATOP boss at the Southwest geo-political zone was of the opinion that if good collaboration is encouraged between the two important sectors, the country would have been realizing huge IGR that would be closed to what it getting from oil.

According to him, “It seems that government always used the office Sports Minister and that of DG of NTDC to pacify the aggrieved political class which has always been resulting in putting a square peg in a round hole; this has been the major factor retarding the growth of Nigerian sports and tourism.

 “Tourism in Nigeria supposed to be a high revenue earner if well harnessed, same thing as sports, the bodies saddled with responsibilities of managing these sectors are not doing enough, they never conceptualize any new event that would draw foreigners into the country like many other African countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Uganda are doing and earning great revenues from it. What tourism and sports brings are direct monies which have immediate impact on the economy”, he noted.

“I played golf and table tennis at my leisure times, I’m an active member of Ibadan Golf Club, so I know the kind of impediment facing the sport likewise Nigerian tourism, none of our tourists site or any national packs are working in Nigeria, what they do is paying lip services”, Salami fumed.