The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has ordered the immediate suspension of all enforcement activities by the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) across the country.
The directive comes in response to a recent incident in Lagos State involving NIHOTOUR’s national enforcement exercise. Minister Musawa made the announcement on Friday, stating that the suspension will allow for a more inclusive, transparent, and consultative stakeholder engagement process, which she will personally lead in the coming weeks.
While reaffirming NIHOTOUR’s statutory mandate to regulate standards and maintain a professional register within the hospitality, tourism, and travel sectors, the Minister urged all stakeholders to remain calm and engage in constructive dialogue. “The industry must be driven by standards, but our approach must also reflect our shared humanity. Compliance must not come at the expense of dialogue,” she said.
To this end, the Ministry plans to convene a multi-stakeholder roundtable aimed at harmonizing expectations, deepening collaboration, and repositioning the sector for sustainable growth in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The Minister emphasized the President’s compassionate leadership style and stressed that enforcement efforts must be tempered with empathy and understanding.
Minister Musawa also commended the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) and other professional bodies for their unwavering commitment to sectoral development and unity. She pledged continued support for NIHOTOUR’s transformation into a more responsive, collaborative, and development-focused regulatory agency.
The Ministry reiterated its dedication to building a tourism ecosystem anchored on trust, innovation, and shared prosperity.
