If our politicians can use our cultural festivals to manipulate elections it means they can also use them to generate tourism revenue if they want to 

Ayo Akinfe

[1] From the feedback we are getting, it looks like Governor Babajide Sanwoolu has been returned in Lagos with a a wide margin. It appears that using the Oro Festival yielded dividends. Our culture was used to influence the outcome of a gubernatorial election 

[2] Now, anyone who follows the economics of the British monarchy will know that they use it as a money spinner to woo tourists and sell memorabilia. They open up their palaces to fee-paying tourists, lease out estates and sell the use of the royal crests to big businesses 

[3] Elsewhere, like Nigeria, Dubai started out as wholly dependent on oil but today, today, less than 5% of the emirate's revenue comes from oil. Dubai's non-oil foreign trade stood at $362bn as far back as 2014. In Dubai, the government's decision to diversify from a trade-based, oil-reliant economy to one that is service and tourism-oriented, has made the emirate one of the world’s biggest economic success stories of the 21st century 

[4] Dubai has been called the shopping capital of the Middle East as it has more than 70 shopping centres, including the world's largest shopping centre, the Dubai Mall. Over the last 20 years, Dubai has invested massively in infrastructure like rail metros, roads, security, hotels beaches, holiday resorts, conference centres, etc

[5] Now, the only places in Nigeria that can compare with all this in any way shape or form are Lagos, Abuja and Akwa Ibom. They have the basic infrastructure upon which we can build a global tourist economy

[6] Now, we have to live in the world as it is and not as we would want the world to be, so it is not realistic to expect the whole of Nigeria to become Dubai overnight. However, we can initiate a global tourist programme in Lagos centred around the Eyo and Oro festivals 

[7] Personally, I would actually adopt the Tasmania model of developing an island tourist paradise, which could easily bring in a sum identical to the $50bn or so Nigeria getting from crude oil sales annually. Maybe call it Jakande Island 

[8] Australia has developed Tasmania as a tourist paradise, away from the mainland. Ideally, all our coastal states should look to have at least one tourist island in the Atlantic Ocean. We have the potential to create such islands where security, power, water, transport, hotels, etc that can sustain a world class tourist industry 

[9] Such tourist islands should be easy to attract capital for as they pay for themselves withing five to 10 years. If you ask me, it is highly irresponsible of Nigerian leaders to go on these jamborees to Dubai while our own tourist industry languishes in ruins

[10] Dubai is sold as a great destination because of its lovely weather which is similar to that of Nigeria. There is absolutely no reason why many of those weddings, parties, birthdays, AGMs etc they hold cannot take place at Nigerian holiday islands off the coasts of Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Delta, Ondo and Lagos states!
 

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