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Gov Ishaku Urges FG to Make Taraba Tourism Capital of Nigeria
•Mambilla plateau’s now accessed by road, air
Senator Iroegbu in Abuja
The Governor of Taraba State, Arc. Darius Ishaku, has, in the wake of
the urgent need to diversify the country’s economy, challenged the
federal government to invest heavily in the tourism sector with
special attention to his state.
Ishaku, who made this call while speaking to journalists in Abuja on
Sunday, said that there is no better place to embark on any serious
tourism initiative than Taraba state.
He said the federal government can only demonstrate its readiness to
invest in the sector if it makes the state its main pivot scheme.
He said: “One area I believe is very lucrative in terms of
investment, is tourism because if you check you find that some
countries like Greece, Cuba and even Kenya here make tourism the
corner stone of their economy. Tourism gives them enough and it
enhances the employment opportunities in these places.
“Unlike other areas, tourism is the sector where the customer doesn’t
leave with the commodity. Take the Taj Mahal in India. The place sees
millions of customers yearly yet it is still standing. You can only
leave with the experience but the tourism attribute remains there for
the benefit of the owners. You can imagine how much we as Nigerians
spend yearly in travels and sight seeings even with the tough times.
Countries are making a fortune from tourism even in a relatively
unsafe world.”
The former university don turn politician, stressed that tourism is a
low hanging fruit not requiring too much funding
According to him, “nature has practically finished the work for investment”.
“Take our own offer for example. The Mambilla Plateau is already 80
per cent completed by nature with all the wondrous sight and sound
you find there. God has provided natural golf courses, water falls,
wildlife, undulating hills and poetic scenes. The way the weather is
constituted, you would think God installed air-conditioning gadgets
all over the place all year round.
“It also looks as if God was painting and painted this picture
perfect place. So, nature has done its work. What remains now is for
us to add the 20 percent of infrastructure needed. This would mean
good roads, hotels, amusement parks and shopping malls,” he noted.
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