Guardian

AN Edo State socio-cultural group, Benin National Congress (BNC), Tuesday lamented government’s alleged non-implementation of suggestions by various committees set up to look into the country’s tourism industry.

The group expressed its view on the issue at its 7th national merit award held in Benin.

National President of the association, Aiyamenkhue Edopkolor said that federal and state governments needed to look into the enormous potential in the tourism sector that could help reduce the level of unemployment.

“Federal and state governments need to take a look at the reports of committees and commissions set up to deal with tourism issues and other youth employment-related issues of the past. The solutions are intact, what may not be intact is the political will to execute these germane patriotic recommendations.”

Edokpolor said that if Cameroun could, through the International Court of Justice, get the Bakassi Peninsula from Nigeria, then there was no reason Nigeria should not also approach the same court to recover millions of dollars worth of artifacts forcefully taken from Benin City by the British in 1897.

“I am sure that a powerful cabal is benefitting substantially from the current arrangement where Benin people are not exempted from payment of tolls and duties to British and other foreign museums where these artifacts constitute a fulcrum of revenue generation.”

He noted that the Edo State government had substantially boosted engagement of youths through tourism and wished that successive administrations in the state would improve it.

Edokpolor also alleged that multi-national companies had compromised “our legislators to do their biddings as regards the Petroleum Industry Bill by jettisoning the inherent checks and balance mechanisms from the original version.”