Tourism transportation expert commends FG over international flights resumption

The National Tourism Transportation Summit has commended the Federal Government over resumption of international flights in the country.

The organiser of the annual summit, Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, gave the commendation on Wednesday in a letter addressed to the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika.

Odusanwo said that the flights resumption, after five months of closure of the Nigerian airspace occasioned by the global coronavirus pandemic lockdown, was a pleasant experience for the travel industry.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Nigeria resumed International flights Sept. 5, 2020 after 5 months of total lockdown.

“We are aware of the high level national and international dialogue, diplomacy and interventions that should have culminated to this achievement of returning international flights to our skies once more.

“As tourism and transportation professionals, this single achievement means a lot to us and our stakeholders because this is the time we can say the lockdown has been eased for us.

“We also wish to cease this opportunity to salute you again for the commissioning of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, runway last month.

“We look forward to your strict supervision in the completion of the terminal building and other ancillary and complementary facilities in the airport in a short time,” he said.

Odusanwo explained that the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN) is a cardinal stakeholder of the National Council on Transportation (NCT) which is the highest transportation advisory body in the country.

He said that at the 15th NCT meeting held in Sokoto in 2017, the ITPN asked the tourism and transportation sector to close their ranks in order to diversify the economy in line with the programmes of the present administration.

“That memorandum was adopted by the NCT and subsequently approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), that gave birth to the ” Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo”.

“The Ministries and Agencies of both sectors have successfully hosted two editions of the summit in 2018 and 2019,” he said.

Odusanwo said that the tentative event date for 2020 edition had been scheduled for 8th and 9th November, 2020 at the Abuja International Conference Centre.

He noted that the theme for the event would be: ” Repositioning Tourism and Transportation Connectivity and Mobility to Revitalise the Economy”. (NAN)