Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has commissioned the Makurdi Campus of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, (NIHOTOUR).
Speaking during the event on Tuesday, Ortom thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for approving Makurdi, Benue State as the location of the North Central Zonal Campus of the Institute and also appreciated the Director-General of the Institute, Momoh Kabir, and his team for working hard to ensure the successful take-off of the Campus.
The Governor who noted that the Hospitality and Tourism businesses are the driving forces behind the development of most advanced economies of the world said “it is becoming very clear that the position of Oil as the leading Revenue earner in most Oil producing countries is gradually diminishing.
“For that reason, many countries are looking elsewhere for sustenance. Hospitality and Tourism Sectors have provided viable options as huge Revenue earners.”
He said Benue State have been moving in the same direction because of his belief that Hospitality and Tourism businesses hold a lot of promise to the wellbeing of the State.
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Ortom said his administration has put plans in place to ensure that Tourism potentials are adequately developed to attract Tourists to the State’s numerous Tourism sites which includes a village in Benue State which is known to be mosquito-free, Ikyogen Cattle Ranch, Ikwe Wildlife Park among others.
He said with the presence of the Institute in Makurdi, Benue and other States in the North Central geopolitical Zone stand to benefit immensely from the development of manpower in Hospitality and Tourism management and called on the youth and other persons interested in acquiring skills to take advantage of the opportunity being presented at the institute.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mrs. Ngunan Addingi thanked Governor Ortom for facilitating the location of the institute in Makurdi.
According to her, NIHOTOUR, a collaborative project between Federal and Benue state government, has a mandate to provide a platform for human capital development in the hospitality and tourism industry, regulate training programmes and professional practices in the industry among others.
The Acting Director General, NIHOTOUR, Mr. Momoh Kabir decried the dearth of high quality training and certification of individuals that will satisfy the hopes and demands of consumers in the industry hence the need to fill the gaps.
Mr. Kabir who was represented by his Director of General Studies, Taiwo Famobiyele, advised all and sundry, especially the youth, to take advantage of the institute and acquire skills that will enable them fill the right job positions available in the country.
