Mr. Blessing Efurhieme is the
Manager of Imperial Gamesville, a tourism centre situated in Asaba, the
Delta state capital. In this interview with Austin Oyibode of NAIJ.com,
he speaks on tourism as a national revenue generator but is being
neglected by the federal government of Nigeria. For him, the government
of Nigeria has not done too well, especially the present government of
President Muhammadu Buhari.
Following
the poor attitude of the federal government to the development of
tourism in the country, he said Imperial Gamesville was developed to
boost tourism and help Nigerians relax and unwind at the end of the
hustle and bustle of the day’s work. He said Imperial gamesville will
take-over the tourism industry in Nigeria, beating games centres in
Lagos and Abuja, the two major centres in Nigeria.
Excerpts:
Looking at the Nigerian tourism industry, how do you see it, is there any hope for it in this present dispensation?
As
it is right now, the government is not actually doing anything about
it. Nigeria is not there yet. Nigeria is still way backward on that. If
you look at Dubai right now, that city has taken only about 17 years to
get to the level it is. It’s not up to 20 nor 30 years. Nigeria is
almost 60 years as a nation but it has not gone anywhere.
That
city has achieved so much in a short time. Aside the oil they have,
they make their money from tourism. Tourism is the main thing that gives
them money. People from all parts of the world who really want to
relax, they go to Dubai. So, they have so much promoted tourism over
there but here in Nigeria, it’s not so. We are hoping that the
government will learn from what is happening there and replicate such in
Nigeria.
President
Muhammadu Buhari and Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture.
Lai Mohammed's ministry is responsible for initiating programs on
tourism development in Nigeria
Are you saying that tourism is a big business?
Yes,
tourism is a big business. Dubai was built through tourism, so what are
we talking about. It is a very big business. Do you know how much Obudu
cattle ranch is generating? They are generating a lot of money from it.
People from different parts of the country go there to relax, Nigerians
go there for holidays. Foreigners go there for holidays. The place is
fantastic. Places like that in Nigeria will take the country far. It
will go way beyond the level it is now.
Now, what do you think are the obstacles against the development of tourism in Nigeria?
Well, we know the problem we have in this country, it is nothing other
than the leaders we have in this country. They have not actually seen it
as an area of revenue generation. If they have, they will invest more
in that area.
But only very people
have spoken about it. And in one way or the other, they have shut them
down. If the government can actually look at that area, put in the best,
Nigeria will be a hub for tourism.
If I get you clear, are you saying Nigerian leaders are killing tourism through their actions?
Yes,
they are. They are not doing anything in that direction. They are not
looking at it at all. In fact the present administration is not even
concern about it. I have not read any paper where the federal government
is saying anything about tourism. You may have seen but me, I haven’t
seen.
The only thing we hear about is
fight against corruption, that is the only thing we hear of. It is
either they arrest this today or that one brought money tomorrow. I have
not heard anything about tourism since this government came on board.
That industry is gradually dying and nobody is talking about it.
So, how do you advise government on how to strengthen tourism in Nigeria?
Well,
the government has to first all see the light in it. If they don’t see
it as something that will generate revenue for the nation, they won’t go
into it. So, they have to see the revenue generating potentials in it
before going into it.
My advice is
that they should look at other countries that have invested in tourism
and see if it actually helped their economy to grow or if it killed
their economy. Because if it is encouraged in Nigeria, we will have more
investors come into the country. The government should look into it, it
will help Nigeria to grow.
Minister
of Information Lai Mohammed under whose office lies culture and tourism
development and Manager of Imperial Gamesville, Blessing Efurhieme
Now, in what way will this Imperial Gamesville contribute to the national economy?
Imperial
Gamesville is a centre of tourism and being as such, it will contribute
to building the national tourism industry. There are people who will
come to Asaba for business, they will want to relax and have fun.
Instead of going back to their destinations, they may decide to stay
longer than the period they had planned to stay. We believe that if you
have this type of place in different parts of the country, it will help
in boosting tourism and by so doing add to the national economy.
When our boss went to Dubai, he
loved what they have there, that was what actually prompted imperial
gamesville. He saw so many places for relaxation. When you have places
to have fun, it helps you to relax your body and unwind. When you know
there are places of relaxation after the day’s hustle and bustle, it
will make you to travel to those places and have fun.
What are the tourism attractions in this Imperial Gamesville?
Like
you have seen, it’s a place where you have variety of games which you
can’t find in many parts of the country. Here, people come and enjoy
themselves. Tourism is sight-seeing, going to places and seeing things
that are unusual is tourism.
Places
like Obudu Cattle Ranch in Cross River state is a place people go for
tourism, not just to sleep but for fun. After you’ve lodged in your
hotel, you come out, climb trees, hills and enjoy the environment. Obudu
might not be similar to what we have but in a way, all are geared
towards building a fun loving environment.
It’s
the same thing here but just that here, you just come, relax and
unwind. There are physical games that will help you from the stresses
you’ve had during the day and feel relaxed.
In what way do you think this games village will help Delta state?
This
gamesville is the first of its kind in Asaba. I believe it will help
bring more people into the town. From time to time we are going to be
doing competitions that will invite people from other parts of the
country to participate. With that, people will not just come, enjoy the
games and go back, they will lodge in a hotel, eat, they will patronize
other business in Asaba. So, in a way, we are actually bringing Asaba to
light.
Are you saying this your centre is going to overtake some in the cities like Abuja and Lagos?
For
now, I think it has overtaken what we have in Abuja, I don’t think
there is a place like this in Abuja. The only thing we don’t have here
yet is balling. We are planning to do that. We have a space for it. We
are just taking our time to put things in order. We are looking at
bringing roller coasters, we are looking at replicating things in Lagos
here in Asaba. And we believe it will help promote Asaba as the state
capital.
