At a recent gathering of “select journalists” with the Director – General of Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mr. Folarin Coker, he had told his listeners that Nigeria is not the kidnapping and violent crime capital of the world and so therefore security challenge in whatever disguise cannot expressly impede the flow of visitors to Nigeria, and cannot also discourage domestic tourism flow.
That sad commentary and simplistic chest beating by a supposed chief tourism marketing officer of Nigeria, speaks volume of any possible re-awakening of Nigeria tourism as a major catalyst to national economic development and job creation under this administration.
Indeed, it was as if the kidnappers in Nigeria were out to run the NTDC boss out of office and make him swallow his boastful narrative as they went to Ogba Zoo in Benin, Edo state on Sunday evening and kidnapped Dr. Andrew Ehanire, a top member of Federation Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN) and proprietor of the nature tourism enclave.
The abduction of Ehanire was not the first open attack against industry practitioners in recent times as there were records of foreign tourists abducted and killed across the nation and attacks against luxury bus operators on Ondo/Edo highway.
There are also increased reportage of sea pirates attacks on national and international boundary waterways, forceful and thoughtless destruction of iconic culture tourism sites as evidenced in the Eke ukwu market in Owerri and touristic rock formations in Jos, Plateau state. Simply put, no meaningful tourism development plan by NTDC can ever erase the fears of insecurity and poor infrastructural footholds in Nigeria.
For the NTDC boss and any other public office holder to fend off such fears as not impacting tourist arrivals in Nigeria and also not hinder development of our domestic tourism profile smacks of poor appreciation of how tourism evolves and a possible lack of understanding of how to get Nigeria out of the tourism forest.
Significantly, security and infrastructure remains the two top prefects in the department of tourism development, a tourism school to which students of perdition in kidnapping, urban crime, poor road networks, extortion by security agencies at border posts and national access routes and inexcusable utility failures among others must be aggressively checked and banished before any growth process can be recorded.
I find the kidnapping of Andy Ehanire very disgusting and cannot pretend just like Mr. Coker of NTDC that such attacks against humanity does not count. We appeal to the kidnappers of this resourceful Nigerian tourism entrepreneur to please release him.
Andy Ehanire as a fellow advocate of an enduring tourism legacy has gone through a lot in recent times to hold down to the Ogba Zoo initiative. Some members of Edo state house of assembly were alleged to have invaded the pristine nature enclave and encroached on the facility just to erect houses to the detriment of sustainable survival of the flora/fauna resources in the tourism kingdom to the benefits of the recreational well being of Edo people and Nigerians in general.
Andy Ehanire has lost a lot in the battle to keep this facility going with his health deteriorating daily and to now “capture” him and the subsequent killing of three innocent policemen whose only offense was to keep a watch at facility to deter crime and reassure visitors of their safety, is a crime too many to ignore.
I find suggestions that the media gag itself from reporting these attacks against tourism in Nigeria as wicked, self centered and a silent support to the multiplication social dislocations in Nigeria. What we expect to see is a strategic response from all agencies of security in Nigeria to such barbaric attacks on our people and visitors inclusive, a process to which excuses in whatever shape or choice of words should not be entertained and accepted.
Just look at crime bursting in Europe, Asia and America which within seconds or days, the perpetrators are arrested with their cells busted. In our Nigeria, it is a long story, negotiation, ransom paying and huge appeal to sentiments even from the government. This is not the land to which we want to bequeath to our children neither is it the type of legacy we wish to leave behind for generations yet unborn.
Please we appeal again to those behind Andy Ehanire abduction to release him so that he would go back to tend the zoo and the animals therein for sake of recreation and tourism growth in Edo state. Andy and I with other practitioners were in Jos, Plateau state capital recently to Jaw – Jaw on how to better the private and public sector tourism aspirations.
He drove all the way from Benin and as wont with him, made significant contributions and was mandated by the group to come with a position paper. Intelligent, outspoken and a good writer, Andy Ehanire was former vice-president south-south of FTAN and currently President of Zoo owners association of Nigeria.
We pray NTDC should rise to this challenge by calling for a security cover on all tourism sites in Nigeria and above all, effective policing of notable dark spots all over the country. On this score, I had spoken with FTAN President, Alhaji Rabo Saleh to rise to the occasion and initiate collaborative templates with security agencies that could restore safety confidence in our people and visitors.
To pretend that all is well, will amount to burying our heads like the ostrich. We shall not rest until Andy Ehanire is released by his captors and our land freed from the fear of unknown.

Related News