Nigeria’s minister of information, culture and tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has cast aside, a recent statement by the United States warning its citizens against travelling to some 20 states in Nigeria because of safety concerns. The minister insist that no state in Nigeria is unsafe.In the travel warning, US listed Bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Zamfara, Adamawa, Borno and Yobe as unsafe states.
Responding on Thursday while hosting a delegation from the Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN), Mohammed observed that US is itself the subject of terrorism attacks, as there is no week when a killing is not recorded.
“Recently, all the newspapers carried the negative story that 20 states in Nigeria are not safe, according to a US report,” he said.
“We are in Nigeria, how can we believe the claim that 20 states in Nigeria are not safe? That is not correct. There is no state in Nigeria that is not safe today.
“Is there any week they are not killing people in the US by either shooting in schools or driveways, or people committing suicide or mass bombing?
“How many of these stories do their media celebrate? If they want to tell their people not to come to Nigeria, it is not for us to help them propagate it.”
He urged the media and members of the association to complement efforts of government to re-position the tourism sector, saying the sector is driven by perception rather than reality.
He implored every Nigerian to invest in perception management for the country. He also urged leaders in the public and private sectors to help promote local tourism by spending their vacations and holidays at tourist sites within the country.
Mohammed said that his ministry would soon embark on visitation of major tourist sites in the country to assess their potential for development.
Earlier, Kabir Malan, national president of the association, commended the minister for his efforts at re-positioning the tourism sector.
He called for the review and implementation of the Tourism National Plan as well as the enactment of laws that would guide the operation of tourism practitioners.
Malan also urged the government to encourage investors to set up tourist camps across the country, and make loans accessible to them.
