Nigeria yet to maximize the potentials of the luxury industry says Duke
Former Governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke has said that Nigeria has not maximized the potentials of the luxury industry.
Duke made this known during the 2016 Made by Design Exhibition at the Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.
He however called on the Federal Government to dedicate more of its efforts in growing the luxury and tourism industry in the country, noting that the luxury industry is major revenue earner to Nigeria.
According to him:“Unfortunately as a country, we have not maximize the potentials of the luxury industry and we hope that efforts like this would help stimulate that desire to maximize growth. It is an important driver, it is a revenue earner, a great one and as you all know the growth of the hospitality industry literally affects every other sectors of the economy”
Duke further stressed that the government must patronize the luxury and tourism industry as that was the only avenue to grow the sector. He added, that between 1999 and 2007, there was a presidential commission headed by President Olusegun Obasanjo where discussions were made to move the luxury and tourism industry forward.
According to him:“In those days of 1999 to 2007, we had a presidential commission on tourism headed by the president himself and quarterly we would hold a meeting with the various states that had tourism driven projects, to deliberate on how to develop the sector, unfortunately from 2007, that stops and we started to ebb”
“I hope efforts like this will bring it back to the fore of our consciousness because it is one sector that can easily surpass the petroleum sector. Most of the time that we talk about diversification of the economy, first thing we look at is agriculture but there is also tourism, I want to work with all of you again and I hope that this effort will be sustained and we will grow this sector” he said.
Publisher of THISDAY Newspaper, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena also spoke at the event and revealed that THISDAY Arise Group was taking part in the exhibition because the Thisday was chatting a new course to drive the attention of the government to the luxury industry.
“At the THISDAY Arise Group, we believe in chatting new areas. See what we did to fashion, now everybody is taking over it and big brands are making waves in that industry now. So, we hope that we can also help to transform the home and design industry”
The high point of the event was the unveiling of the home+design magazine by the Former Managing Director of the Asset Mnagement Comopany of Nigeria (AMCON), Mr. Mustafa Chike-Obi.
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