Runsewe endorses NIHOTOUR certification program
By Ebere Chibuzor
President World Craft Council,WCC, Africa Region, Otunba Segun Runsewe has proposed certification and endorsement of entry regime and job profiling in tourism and hospitality industry in Nigeria by the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, NIHOTOUR, while speaking at the NIHOTOUR inaugural master class lectures in Abuja recently, Runsewe who’s also the Director General National Council for Arts and Culture,NCAC, believed, the process would bring sanity to the sector’s training and retraining capacity.
According to Runsewe, the Nigerian domestic tourism and hospitality industry is bedeviled by very dangerous web of organised doubtful and fraudulent hospitality and tourism schools, with no visible measured contributions to the growth and development of services delivery expectations.
” NIHOTOUR remains strong bridge that will check the rather unbecoming presence of fly by night hospitality training schools all over the country, particularly at time like this when Nigeria needs to capture growth potentials of entire cultural gamut and hospitality sector to effectively train our youths not only in vocational studies but to prepare them after formal academic trainings for job openings in the industry.” Runsewe explained.
He however bemoaned poor teaching environment in NIHOTOUR and urged the new leadership to overhaul all training facilities in the Institute across six geopolitical zones in Nigeria, adding that a refreshing training profile and environment will help federal government funded tourism school to rebound and gain confidence of the industry investors and operators who are in search of quality middle and low level manpower.
” It is not business of NTDC or NCAC to train the required industry manpower but that of NIHOTOUR.
And sadly, critical presence of the training needs has been systematically hijacked by questionable training colleges, foisting on the industry half baked and poorly trained service providers and manpower.” he further stated.
To stem the slide, Runsewe advocate henceforth, NIHOTOUR certification must be minimum entry regime for those seeking jobs in the industry and without which industry would continue to grop in the darkness of effective service delivery needed to sustain future tourism and hospitality economy growth.
” I believe NIHOTOUR is the future and fulcrum to effectively champion sanity in all the training and retraining capacity in the sector.
Lawyers after the mandatory course at our Universities, still have to go through training programs at the law school before being certified to practice and same should be the face of training expectations and certification by NIHOTOUR.
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There are countries in Africa and Asia with this profile outlook, so NIHOTOUR must be in the fore front of this initiative and to help restore confidence in our service delivery and knowledge bank for the sector,” He noted.
Runsewe commended very aggressive drive of Alhaji Nura kangiwa, newly appointed Director General of NIHOTOUR to change the narratives of the training institute and bring about world class training program to the advancement of Nigerian hospitality and tourism sector.
