Emeka Anokwuru
Nigeria’s ‘Father of Tourism’, Chief Mike Amachree has appealed to the Federal Government to involve states more in the generation and distribution of electricity throughout the country. He said this will fast-track development and engender sustainability for medium scale enterprises. Speaking at an interview with newsmen at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Chief Amachree said lack of efficient electricity supply was hindering the economic development of the nation and foisting unwarranted hardship on the citizens. Chief Amachree noted that Nigeria as the giant of Africa with its numerous mineral resources should have long ago overcome the challenges of electricity demand and supply. The tourism guru also said the current poor supply of electricity is adversely affecting the hospitality industry as hoteliers and entrepreneurs spend very huge amount of their of income on power generation. He said this is a minus for tourism development in the country.
According him, the state governments are elected office holders and it is easier for the people to hold them responsible whenever there is poor electricity supply or other related services. This, Amachree said, would make them to work harder.
He urged the federal government and the National Assembly to consider his idea to engender competition amongst state governments. The tourism mogul emphasized that lack of electricity supply has contributed to the closure of many industries in the country noting however that no new investor would appreciate any business environment without electricity or adequate energy. Electricity, he said, is critical to the development of any industry particularly the tourism sector worldwide. Amachree , who was a member of the vision 2010 committee, advocated for the creation of a separate Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism to fast track the sector.