The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to repositioning Nigeria’s tourism sector with fresh infrastructure development and policy support aimed at attracting global visitors.
Hannatu Musa Musawa, Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, made this known on Thursday in Abuja during the unveiling of the book “What My Feet Saw, authored by travel enthusiast Gershon Ogbuluijah.
Speaking after performing the book unveiling, the Minister disclosed that the government would soon announce major investments in tourism infrastructure, including the development of a five-star hotel in Abuja.
“We are doing a lot of things. When you talk about infrastructure, next week we’re going to make an announcement about what we’re building, hotel-wise in Abuja which is an amazing five-star hotel that is coming up,” Musawa said.
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She explained that the Federal Government’s strategy focuses on integrating culture, creativity and tourism to create a vibrant ecosystem capable of drawing visitors from across the world.
“What we’re doing is integrating culture, creativity and tourism. Everything we’re doing should be based on our cultures and different activities throughout the year. This is why we want to bring people into Nigeria for tourism,” she added.
According to the Minister, the government has already developed policies to support the tourism industry and plans to inject funding into critical infrastructure in the coming weeks and months.
Gershon Ogbuluijah, who documented his six-year road journey across 14 African countries in his book, used the occasion to highlight Nigeria’s vast but underutilised tourism assets and urged the government to prioritise security and ease of travel to fully unlock the sector’s potential.
Citing examples from countries such as Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania, Ogbuluijah noted that structured tourism around natural reserves and wildlife generates significant revenue for those nations.
He pointed to attractions such as Yankari National Park and Gashaka-Gumti National Park as examples of sites that could be better developed to attract international tourists.
However, he cautioned that insecurity and road harassment must be addressed to inspire confidence among travellers.
“People travel for tourism so they can go back to tell people what they saw. If they are not sure of coming back, they will not go.
“I’ve spent the past six years traveling around Africa, visiting countries like Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Egypt, Namibia, and Mauritius. Tourism is educational, and I wanted to capture what I’ve learned so people can read about the beauty and diversity of Africa,” Ogbuluijah said.
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Highlighting Nigeria’s untapped opportunities, he noted that countries like Rwanda, Tanzania, and Kenya have successfully monetized their natural reserves.
“If you want to see gorillas in Rwanda, you pay $1,500. We have gorillas, apes, and several natural resorts in Nigeria, like Yankari and Gumti game reserves. We can do the same, but first we need to tackle insecurity and improve infrastructure,” he said.
The event, held at the Exhibition Pavilion in Abuja, brought together tourism stakeholders, culture enthusiasts and members of the creative industry.
