On June 10, 2025, business was disrupted in some hotels in Lagos as a team from the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), blocked their entrances and took some staff members to their Lagos zonal office in Mushin, where they were detained for hours.
NIHOTOUR’s action, according to the institute, was over the non-compliance with its directive for Hotel Owners and Managers Association of Lagos (HOMAL) to register with the institute.
Decrying the action, HOMAL noted that the disruption in business and arrest of its members in Lagos by NIHOTOUR is capable of sending wrong signals to investors in the hospitality business and truncate the steady growth in the industry.
The association insisted that the institute’s action is multiple registration and illegal, especially as the case is in court.
Following the above, the association has called on the federal government to call the leadership of NIHOTOUR to order.
Adeniyi Ologun, secretary general of the association, described the action as illegal since there is a Supreme Court judgment on the role of the federal government on the issue of tourism in Nigeria, and also due to the pendency of the case before the court.
“We know that NIHOTOUR made demand that members of HOMAL, among other hotels, should register. They said that the registration would commence with the top management staff members for the institute to certify their qualification so to say,” Ologun said.
The HOMAL secretary general noted that the institute is banking on the NIHOTOUR Act 2022, which they said requires that all practitioners must register with the institute.
However, HOMAL said that this might be against the Supreme Court ruling in 2013, which made tourism and hospitality subject to state legislations.
“So, in the course of the exchange, like every responsible organisation, we decided to go to court to find out whether their request is valid or not. So, we approached the court, and the court proceedings commenced on May 21, 2025. At the court, after the exchange of legal documents, the case was adjourned to September 30, 2025.
“I remember HOMAL lawyer informed the court that NIHOTOUR has been forceful for the registration and certification of our members, which the court needs to give order that all parties maintain status quo. So, that was the position when we left the court only to be informed by many of our members like the Sheraton, Marriot, Radisson Blu Anchorage, Four Point by Sheraton, Oniru and others that NIHOTOUR has invaded their premises with armed policemen, barricaded their entrances, disrupted their operations and insisted on taking some of their management staff to follow them,” he lamented.
On the arrest of some staff members of the hotels, Ologun said, “Well, I don’t know what NIHOTOUR will call it; we know that some of the workers of our members were picked up. When I called the man said to be in charge, one Mr. Ibe, he said that those picked were at NIHOTOUR office in Mushin.
So, I came to the zonal office. I have been here since 12:30pm today; everybody said they could not do anything that they were following orders.”
Also speaking on the requirement for a hotel to get registered with NIHOTOUR and whether the institute was making any demand, Ologun said, “When I spoke with our members that were arrested, if I will call it arrest, they said that they were asked to pay N2.5 million before they could be released.
“At the NIHOTOUR zonal office in Lagos, fierce looking police officers mounted the gate, scrutinizing those who want to enter the premises of the institute” he noted.
On why the hotels’ staff members were detained at the zonal office instead of police station, Alonge said that only the NIHOTOUR director general can answer that.
“They have been notified beforehand. The act allows them to be detained and processed at the NIHOTOUR Zonal Office before being moved to the police. However, I have been informed that most of those that were arrested today have administrative bail by the police,” he concluded.
On NIHOTOUR’s part, Ajiboye Alonge, public relations officer of the institute, noted that actions were legal as he made reference to NIHOTOUR Establishment Act of 2022.
“NIHOTOUR has communicated repeatedly to all hospitality, travel and tourism concerns across the country, especially all those that our compliance and enforcement team has visited in Lagos today. Whatever actions that were taken are well within the legal authorization and the office of the Inspector General of Police,” Alonge said.
In his reaction to the development, Wasiu Babalola, a professor of Hospitality and Tourism at Atiba University, Oyo, noted that while there is need to regulate the hospitality sector, the approach in enforcement is wrong as it is capable of sending the wrong signal to the international community. “When you are enforcing, you cannot be selective in enforcement because by this action you are sending wrong signals to the international community that in enforcement, you are only targeting some brands. You are trying to drive some brands away. If we are not careful, the enforcement may take us ten steps backward from where we are,” Babalola warned.
