Insecurity hinders opening of tourist sites in Niger – Govt

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The government of Niger State, Nigeria, has acknowledged that insecurity is one of the biggest hindrance to the development of the state’s tourism sector.
Fatima Adamu, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Niger State, Nigeria, spoke at the 2023 World Tourism Day celebration, which had the theme, ‘Tourism and Green Investment’, said there are tourism sites in some local government areas that could be developed and opened to the public, but insecurity is preventing this.

She noted that tourism had the potential to be a significant revenue generator for the state, but the actions of bandits were obstructing its development.

Her words, “My challenges in promoting tourism in Niger State are funding and insecurity because some of those places cannot be assessed because of the insecurity, most especially the Kwangugari site. The Kwangugari site is where we have the Gadan Allah.”

“We could have made it a tourism site for everyone but it’s no longer accessible because of insecurity. But His Excellency is trying his best to see that everything moves on smoothly, to control the insecurity in Niger State.”

“We have many tourism sites in Niger State but not all of them are functioning well and I am trying my possible best to make it functional. I want to activate all the tourism sites in Niger State and where they need investors. We are inviting investors to come and invest in Niger State because Niger State is a home of tourism.”

“We have many tourist sites. The examples we have are the Zuma Rock, Gurara Falls, and Shagunu Beach. We have the Dutse Malolo in my local government.  We have the Gada Allah where you can come. It is a natural bridge and it is not everyone that knows there. I’m trying to activate all those sites.”

The state’s commissioner for transport, Ladidi Kuta, who represented the deputy governor, said that tourism in the state had been interrupted in the past, but that the current government was working with development partners to open up most of the state’s tourism attractions.