Nigeria: Stakeholders Laud EFCC Over Registration Ultimatum to Hoteliers
By Emeka Umejei – Lagos – Stakeholders in the Nigerian tourism industry have lauded the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) over Ultimatum to hotel operators in the country to register with the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation(NTDC) or face prosecution.
Reacting to the development, president of Federation Tourism Association of Nigeria(FTAN), the umbrella private sector tourism association, Samuel Alabi described the ultimatum as a plausible development for the Nigerian hospitality sector. According to Alabi, anybody that has nothing to hide will have no fears registering with NTDC.
“Anybody that has nothing to fear will not shy away from registering with NTDC. Once a hotel is registered with NTDC information about it can be accessed and that makes it a legitimate business,” Alabi stated ” I see the directive as helping to sanitise the system. I do not know why any hotel perator should not register with NTDC. If anybody fails to register, the person should face the consequence.”
Stating further, Alabi advisd those who are not happy with the directive to challenge the directive in court.
Corroborating Alabi, Tola Odunuga, president of Hotel Association of Nigeria (HAN) described the diretive as laudable and timely. “The EFCC is right because everybody should register with NTDC. I give EFCC my support,” Odunuga stated.
In the same vein, Producer of Frontline Television culture and tourism programme, Goge AFrica, Isaac Moses described the directive as being in order with international best practice.
” IThe EFC directive is in order with international best practice. Any hotel operator shoudl be registered with the regulatory agency which is the NTDC,’ Moses said. Toeing same path, Tarzan Balogun, Chief executive officer (CEO) of Tarzan Boat Jetty and President National Association of Boat Operators agrees hat it is a welcome development because in his view it will make it easier to track fraudsters and fake operators.
“It is a welcome development because it will help to know the number of hotels in operation and the people who access them. It is a laudable development,” Balogun stated
