Abisoye Fagade: A New Sheriff in Tourism
Always an affable host, the newly appointed Director General of the National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism, Abisoye Fagade, a well-known serial entrepreneur and politician, has already rolled up his sleeves to restore sanity and standardisation in the institute. He tells Vanessa Obioha about his mission and vision
The day Abisoye Fagade was announced as the new Director General of the National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), he was in his hometown, Ibadan, Oyo State, with his friend and royal father, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi. They were in town for an event.
As they prepared, Fagade’s phone buzzed with a text message: “Welcome on board.” He glanced at the sender’s name, sighed, and showed the message to the monarch, who asked if the news had been made public. “Not yet,” Fagade replied. Oba Elegushi advised him to keep the good news to himself for the time being.
The secret was, however, short-lived. Soon after, the internet buzzed with the announcement that President Bola Tinubu had appointed Fagade to lead the institute, which trains personnel and practitioners in the tourism and hospitality sector. Congratulatory messages flooded in from all corners. Even social media influencer Tunde Ednut called to marvel at his popularity.
“I had over 2,000 messages on my WhatsApp,” he recalled over drinks on a recent Saturday evening. We were at the restaurant of Alexia’s Place in Opebi, Ikeja — one of the few boutique hotels he had established. “I was so filled with joy. It happened at the right time.”
Always an affable host, Fagade is no stranger to the hospitality and tourism sector, having consulted on a few culture and tourism projects for state governments, including his state, Oyo, Kwara and Lagos states. His work with the former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, on the popular Ibom Golf, which saw him bring international golf players Colin Montgomery, Nancy Lopez and Retief Goosen to Nigeria, further cemented his involvement in the industry. That golf experience in 2007 also introduced him to the game, which has since become his favourite sport.
Born to a father who was a banker and a mother who was a teacher (both parents are late), Fagade’s childhood dream was to be a naval officer but his father wouldn’t have it. He would later delve into marketing communications, working with reputable companies such as SO&U Saatchi & Saatchi and IMS Group before opening his own company, Sodium Group, in 2009. Fagade has since donned the hat of a serial entrepreneur with businesses in agriculture, hospitality and tourism, oil and gas and manufacturing.
In 2023, he embarked on a political ambition to become the governor of his state, Oyo, but was unsuccessful. He is also the founder of the foundation Oyo Si Ma Dun (OSMD) which is involved in youth empowerment through education and financial support.
Now in this new role, Fagade has already rolled up his sleeves and focused on bringing standardisation and professionalism to the industry.
“The only way to bring sanity and standardisation to the sector is to standardise the structure of the tourism management and hospitality,” he explained. “What do I mean by that? We can capture people who work in our industry, and train them properly to deliver world-class experience. Whoever is paying for a service, should have a standard experience, and if you are not trained to do that, you won’t be able to deliver. You cannot give what you don’t have.”
“We’re trying to empower the industry to be able to deliver a world-class experience for their customers,” he continued, “and by doing so, raise the standard of hospitality and tourism in Nigeria, awaken the awareness of the people that work in the industry that they represent this country, and it’s important for them to know what they are doing, tutor them into the right direction and give them certification. There’s this feeling that you get when you are satisfied. You can say that I’ve been trained, I know what I’m doing. And also, there’s a place people can always report to when the services are not acceptable.”
To kick start this mission, the new NIHOTOUR DG recently announced free registration for all personnel in the hospitality and tourism sectors for a limited time.
“Between December 1 and January 15, if you work with a hotel, nightclub, or in a tourism environment, whether you work as a waiter, a retailer, a manager in the hotel, all the personnel at any level, you can go to our website and register for free. This is our way of identifying with the people in our industry. After January 15, they will have to pay for registration,” he said.
Calling it an early Christmas gift, Fagade explained that the initiative is aimed at building a database to help streamline the institute’s activities. He expressed confidence in his staff stating that they are willing to work but just need to be motivated.
“My immediate stakeholders are my staff and I told them the first day I resumed that I’m here to motivate them to give their best.”
As a gesture of goodwill, he had the institute’s mobile kitchen truck, which had long been dormant, cook meals for the entire staff.
“That week, that mobile kitchen truck cooked for all the staff. They have never tasted a meal made by the mobile kitchen. They were very happy. It didn’t cost me anything to get that working.”
Fagade believes that motivation is key to improving performance. “How can staff give their best if they aren’t motivated? I don’t believe in wasteful tenures. If you’re given lemons, make lemonade out of it. I’m trying to use what I have in the institute to get what I want.”
To him, the tourism industry represents a “social bitcoin” with a long value chain, but it has yet to reach its full potential due to a lack of regulation.
“What we (NIHOTOUR) are bringing to bear is regulation. We are bringing a structure for standardisation which will bring about a return on investment. You will be able to measure where you are, and what you need to do to be where you are going to be, but right now, we don’t even know where we are or what you are doing. We are just scratching the surface by the time we structure the industry, you now see other value chains that are there.”
Fagade strongly believes in Nigeria’s potential, particularly in its cultural diversity.
“We need to look inward to be great. We don’t need anybody’s endorsement or validation to be Nigerians. We have such a strong identity that other African countries want to be like us,” he enthused.
His love for Nigeria, according to him, has always been ingrained. It is what made him set up a Naija Corner in London at a festival during the 2010s so that Nigerians can feel at home.
“There are no bad leaders in Nigeria but bad citizens. If we all decide to be good citizens, then we will have a better country and better leaders.’
Explaining further, he said, “The passion I have for this country is partly because I’ve been everywhere in the world and I feel we can do better. You can’t do better if I don’t do better. It starts with simple things. We will get the kind of leaders that we deserve if we all don’t put our hands together to make this country a better place.
Established in 1987, NIHOTOUR is tasked with providing professional and technical skills training to enhance personnel at all levels in the hospitality and tourism industries. The institute also conducts research for the sector.
Fagade envisions expanding the institute’s reach through an e-learning platform.
“We don’t have the brick-and-mortar capacity to train the over 30 million people in the sector, but with online learning, students can still receive certification. We’re working to strengthen our e-learning system, and with government funding, we’ll make it happen.”
Fagade also plans to partner with state governments and the private sector to help deliver world-class services. He hopes to establish a World Tourism Academy in Nigeria, acknowledging that while it may not be completed within his tenure, he intends to lay the groundwork.
NIHOTOUR is often mistaken for a tourism development agency, but Fagade wants to clarify its role.
“We are the regulator of tourism and hospitality personnel. We don’t deal with entities, we deal with personnel. We are the gatekeepers of that industry. We are the ones that put the control and structure that makes up tourist centres. We are the foundation that makes tourism to be because, without the personnel, there is no tourism.”
As for how he wants to be remembered at the end of his tenure, Fagade simply said, “Great guy. The footprints will be there. When they call you an all-around great guy, it means you’ve done well for everyone.”
