FG asks NIHOTOUR to halt nationwide enforcement

Federal Government on Friday directed the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) to immediately suspend all enforcement actions nationwide following recent incidents in Lagos.

Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa who issued the directive in Abuja, expressed concern over the recent incident involving the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) during its nationwide enforcement exercise in Lagos.

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According to her, the decision was taken to pave the way for a more inclusive, transparent, and consultative stakeholder engagement process, which the Minister will 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.

She said: “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.”

According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the Minister on Media and Public Affairs, Dr. Nneka Anibeze, “a multi-stakeholder roundtable will be convened shortly to harmonize expectations, deepen collaboration, and reposition the industry for sustainable growth in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and also his compassionate approach of tempering justice with mercy.

“The Ministry remains dedicated to strengthening dialogue and strategic partnerships with all sectoral stakeholders to build an ecosystem rooted in trust, innovation, and shared prosperity.”

To this end, the Minister 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.

FTAN President, Mr. Nkereuwem Onung had via a petition dated 16th June, 2025 sent to the Minister over alleged invasion by NIHOTOUR compliance team accompanied by a truckload of police operatives, both in uniform and plain clothes, who stormed a number of hotels and arrested some of the personnel over their failure to register.

However, the hotel personnel who were taken to the Zonal Campus of the institute in Mushin, Lagos, were reportedly released later.

Mr. Onung called on the Minister to intervene and bring clarity to the NIHOTOUR Establishment Act 2022 which he observed is currently creating confusion in the industry.

He said: “We are aware that Abisoye Fagade, Director General of NIHOTOUR, is attempting to implement the NIHOTOUR (Establishment) Act 2022. It has already generated conflicts and confusion in the industry and the Federation does not subscribe to such.

“We therefore call on the Honorable Minister, to act immediately to save the Hospitality and Tourism industry from chaos and imminent collapse due to the confusion of objectives, powers and roles of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) under its establishment Act 2022 (“NIHOTOUR Act” or “the Act”), as well as their conflicting interests and unconstitutionality.”

FTAN noted that there is currently confusion in the Nigerian tourism industry over the role, powers and objectives of the Institute.