Ahead of its 28th Annual General Meeting and Tourism Conference 2025, the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), which is the umbrella body for private sector operators in tourism, has unveiled an impressive list of speakers and guests of honour for the event, with Hannatu Musawa, Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Industry, as the special guest of honour.
Speaking on the development, Nkereuwem Onung, president of the federation, noted that plans had reached an advanced stage for the elective AGM/Tourism Conference, stressing that it promises to be a celebratory occasion as it will afford the operators the opportunity to appraise the Federation, Nigerian tourism development and growth as well as chart a new course for the future.
Onung, who is expected to formally leave office at the close of the AGM, which is slated to hold on July 31, 2025, at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, as his four years tenure of two terms comes to an end, said he looks forward to a successful conference and peaceful AGM that will usher in the next executive council for the Federation.
On the list of special guests for the one-day event is Mohammed Ali Ndume, chairman, Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, alongside foreign envoys and notable guests.
The keynote speaker for the conference; with the theme; Tourism Policy, Implementation, Promotion and Governance: The Stake of Private Sector, is Babatunde Irukera, former vice chairman and chief executive officer, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPCC), who is also the founding partner of Simmons Cooper Partner.
Members of the panel, who are expected to bring more insight to the theme include; Richard Ovie Esewhaye, acting director general of Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA); Abisoye Fagade, director general, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR); Wale Ojo-Lanre, director general, Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development; and Irukera.
The keynote speaker is a renowned administrator and legal luminary whose visionary leadership and regulatory expertise have transformed the Nigeria’s consumers’ protection and competition landscape.
With over 30 years of dynamic legal experience spanning corporate counsel, commercial litigation, civil rights, and public policy, he has served in various influential capacities.
Irukera’s dedication to fair competition, consumer empowerment, and responsible business conduct resonates deeply with tourism stakeholders. His insights will enlighten how tourism businesses can thrive in a more competitive, consumer‑centric marketplace, ensuring trust, service excellence, and sustainability.
In a related development, the FTAN president has assured the Nigerian tourism industry practitioners and stakeholders that the federation’s 2025 elective AGM will be rancor free and devoid of any crisis.
Speaking recently on FTAN’s preparation for the AGM, he said that every effort is being put in place to make it hitch-free.
On the intensive campaigns and jostling for position in the new executives of the federation, Onung said that it was understandable considering the passion and zeal with which many private tourism industry practitioners have carried the sector.
“FTAN elections are built consensus and understanding among the federating associations. This has been the situation in the past, and even in this coming AGM, it will be the same. I understand the zeal and passion with which many members of our associations wish to come into the federation to serve. We are working towards building an understanding in which every association will feel accommodated,” Onung said.
“We have been engaging in meaningful and extensive dialogues to unify all tendencies and contending interests. I believe we are making progress, and I can assure you that the 2025 AGM will be one of the best FTAN AGM that you would witness.
“I call on our member associations to support and cooperate with both the 2025 AGM organizing committee headed by the Second Deputy President of the federation, Susan Akporiaye and the 2025 election committee headed by Abiodun Odusanwo,” he concluded.
