Musawa directs NIHOTOUR to suspend enforcement actions nationwide

Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has directed the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) to immediately suspend all enforcement actions nationwide following recent incidents in Lagos State.

The minister gave the directive on Friday, following the recent incident involving NIHOTOUR during its national enforcement exercise in Lagos State.

The decision, she said, paved the way for a more inclusive, transparent, and consultative stakeholder engagement process, which she would personally lead in the coming weeks.

While reaffirming NIHOTOUR’s legal mandate to regulate standards, maintain a register of personnel, practitioners and professionals and ensure compliance across Nigeria’s hospitality, tourism and travel sectors, the minister called for calm and mutual understanding among all stakeholders.

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“The industry must be driven by standards, but our approach must also reflect our shared humanity. Compliance must not come at the expense of dialogue,” she said in a statement on Saturday.

The statement noted that a multi-stakeholder roundtable will be convened shortly to harmonise expectations, deepen collaboration and reposition the industry for sustainable growth in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu

The ministry said it remained dedicated to strengthening dialogue and strategic partnerships with all sectoral stakeholders to build an ecosystem rooted in trust, innovation, and shared prosperity.

Musawa commended the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) and other professional bodies for their steadfast commitment to advancing sectoral growth and cohesion, and reaffirmed her commitment to supporting NIHOTOUR in its ongoing transformation into a dynamic, responsible, and industry-aligned regulatory institution working collaboratively for national development.