NIHOTOUR to train 500 Edo South youth on tourism

500 youths in the Edo South Senatorial District of Edo State have started an Intensive Empowerment Training Programme organised by the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR).

The training, which was facilitated by the lawmaker representing Edo South Senatorial District, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, was declared opened on Monday in Benin by the Director General of NIHOTOUR, Mrs Chika Balogun.

Mrs Balogun noted that the training was targeted at equipping unemployed graduates with usable skills that will make them self-reliant for the rest if their lives.

She said that in the face of global recession, “tourism could re-engineer, revamp and rearrange the Nigerian economic quagmire”, adding that the 2017 set followed the 540 Edo South youths, who received training in hospitality.

Facilitator of the training and the chairman Senate Committee on Tourism, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, said tourism now constitute about 6 per cent of the world Gross Domestic Product (GDP), remarking that he would work with the Edo State government to train the beneficiaries.

Senator Sam Anyanwu, who also attended the training, praised the doggedness of Senator Urhoghide in bringing the training to his constituency, saying the lives of the beneficiaries would not remain the same after the training.

A representative of a sponsor of the programme, Consolidated Alliance, said participant would be employed as special consultant to Consolidated Alliance to the tune of N15 million.

Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Diaspora in Edo State, Osaze Osemwegie-Ero, said Edo State has 75 tourist sites and that the state government would revive and revamp them to world standard.