Dr Kayode Fayemi’s government in Ekiti State has called on potential investors in the Tourism Sector to make Ekiti their destination of choice, by taking advantage of the vast tourism potentials in the state to boost their economy through revenue generation.
Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism, Professor Rasaki Bakare, made the Clarion call during an inspection tour to the various Tourism sites across the state.
Ojo Bakare, who submitted that Ekiti would be the hub of entertainment with all its potentials, urged both local and foreign investors to come and do business with Ekiti.
“The essence of our identification of the tourism facilities in the state, is to show the world the potentials this state has for tourism business, you have seen the depth of what we have, what is left is for investors to come in and do business with the state. It is good to build filling stations and hotels, but tourism sites when invested in can give you what petrol stations and running of hotels cannot give you.
We are calling on potential domestic and foreign investors to come to Ekiti and do tourism business with us, the message is simple if your ambition is to make money, come to Ekiti, we have a lot for you to key into and make money.
We have Arinta Water falls, the Ero Dam, Fajuyi amusement park, the Ikogosi warm spring and the Civic Centre Edifice which contains the cinema, Art theatre gallery and other facilities, I don’t know where something like our Civic Centre is in Nigeria except the National Theatre in Lagos”, he said.
The Commissioner added that the present administration, under the leadership of Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has created an enabling environment for tourism business to thrive, through necessary legislation and legal framework to guarantee the maintenance and sustainability of all the tourism facilities across the state.
He informed that all routes leading to the various tourism sites are currently receiving attention while talk is ongoing with a Lagos based Helicopter Company to engage it, to airlift tourists to Ekiti all in a bid to guarantee smooth and easy access to the sites.
“In the next couple of months, Ekiti will be the hub of entertainment, that is why we are calling on all potential investors to come now and key into what we are doing in Ekiti, the crime rate is close to nothing, there are many destinations over the world with serious security issues and people still go there, but in Ekiti you can attest to the fact that our security operatives are almost on vacation because there is little or nothing for them to do in terms of chasing criminals, we thank God for the peace we enjoy in the state which is an added value to the tourism business Ekiti people are very friendly and hospitable, they receive and take care of people, Ekiti is one state that solves the problems of other people, irrespective of where they come from. Already our people naturally have the nature to receive and take care of people and that is the fundamentals of tourism”, he assured.
Expressing delight at the latest endeavour of the Dr. Kayode Fayemi-led administration, the Paramount Ruler of Ire-Ekiti in Oye Local Government, His Royal Majesty, Oba Victor Bobade, the Onire of Ire-Ekiti, posited that upgrading the Ogun Onire groove to international standard was sacrosanct as it stands out as a basic amenity for revenue generation.
The sites visited includes: Ogun Onire groove at Ire-Ekiti in Oye Local government, Ero Dam at Ikun-Ekiti in Moba Local Government, Arinta water fall at Ipole Iloro Ekiti and Ikogosi warm spring resort at Ikogosi-Ekiti both in Ekiti West Local Government and Fajuyi Memorial Park in Ado-Ekiti, the State Capital, among others.
Packaged by Emmanuel Adeniran
