Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, the newly appointed Director-General of National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), has declared that he is committed to massively increase the training capacity of the Institute to achieve Sustainable Tourism development in Nigeria. He made the revelation earlier today, September 1st 2020, in a meeting with a section of NIHOTOUR management team at their headquarters in Abuja.
It was the occasion of his official resumption of duty as the DG of NIHOTOUR, Alhaji Nura Kangiwa said, “we want to make Tourism a sustainable business in Nigeria by, immediately, increasing the training capacity of the Institute to international standards. Because, without hands-on training, people cannot successfully create and market competitive tourist products and destinations.”
It would be recalled that on August 25th 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Alhaji Nura Sani Kangiwa as the substantive Director General of NIHOTOUR. His appointment was announced by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a press release made available to newsmen in Abuja by Mr. Segun Adeyemi, the Special Assistant to the Minister of Information and Culture.
Speaking with NIHOTOUR management team in his office, Alhaji Kangiwa equally praised Alhaji Kabiru Momoh, who was the acting Director General of the Institute until Alhaji Nura’s appointment by President Buhari. In the exchange, Alhaji Nura Kangiwa effusively appreciated the efforts of the erstwhile Director General stating that, “you have indeed set a formidable template for me to work with. Hence, you and I shall work very closely together to improve the processes and operations of NIHOTOUR for the longterm benefit of Nigeria’s Hospitality and Tourism sectors.
Accordingly, the new DG of NIHOTOUR encouraged the entire staff and members of the Institute to support him, without fear or bias, in his drive to selflessly reposition the leading Hospitality and Tourism professionals’ training institution in Nigeria and West Africa.
He said, “You may need to be assured that I work within the cherished principles of the United Nations of being non-sectional. As such, I am fully gender-blind, religion-blind, tribal-blind and decidedly non-parochial in life and in my work ethics. I have always been true to this principle in my previous appointments, both in the public and private sectors, and this time around I shall be much more so!”
NIHOTOUR is the premier hospitality training tertiary school and tourism industry capacity development citadel in Nigeria. The Institute has been operating since 1987, with training centers spread across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. Presently, NIHOTOUR is affiliated to several international training Ivory Towers in the USA, Europe and African regions. NIHOTOUR was established in 1987, following a tripartite project agreement NIR/85/004 signed that year between the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and International Labour Organisation (ILO) as part of a comprehensive approach to tourism development in the country.
Alhaji Nura is a renown Tourism technocrat in West Africa, who hails from a royal family in Kebbi State, North Western Nigeria. Prior to his appointment as FG NIHOTOUR, Alhaji Nura Kangiwa meritoriously held different positions in Nigeria’s tourism public and private sectors including being the Vice-President, Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), North West Zone; and also, a senior Special Assistant on ‘Tourism Matters’ to the Governor of Kebbi State – between 2016 – 2019.
Alhaji Nura’s appointment as DG NIHOTOUR has been roundly received and celebrated by hospitality and tourism business owners, travel traders and practitioners across Nigeria.
