The Enugu state government has announced that it is embarking on the construction of a 300-bed, ultramodern quaternary health facility to be known as the Enugu International Hospital.

In a statement yesterday, it stated that this was in line with the administration’s promise to reverse the flow of medical tourism and position the state as the preferred destination for business, investment, tourism, and residency.

Speaking at the end of the Enugu State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Peter Mbah at the weekend, Commissioner for Health, Prof. Emmanuel Obi, said that besides providing excellent and highly specialised medical services, the hospital, which would be sited in the heart of Enugu city, would equally serve as a citadel of medical research and training.

“This means that tomorrow is finally here in the health sector because primary healthcare is being addressed, secondary healthcare is being addressed, tertiary healthcare is also being addressed.

“Now we are going to add quaternary healthcare to the scope, which simply means that an extension of tertiary care and advanced levels of medicine, which are highly specialised and not widely accessed, are now going to be available in Enugu in no distant time. So, medical tourism will reverse back to our environment.

“The Enugu International Hospital is going to come up at Rangers Avenue. So, it will be centrally located in Enugu, and will be easily accessible from the international airport.

“It is going to be the type of place that will give excellent medical services, including research and training. It will be that type of hospital that people will no longer have any reason to leave the shores of Nigeria to go to for healthcare,” Obi stated.

The commissioner also informed that the meeting discussed measures to checkmate the Mpox disease, previously known as Monkeypox, which he explained had become a major international concern, adding that exco directed a scale-up of awareness campaign on the disease.

“Mpox has now become a disease of public health importance of international concern and the government of Enugu State has had discussions on how to ensure that effective surveillance, control, and prevention of any upsurge of Mpox in the state will be put in place.

“The Ministry of Health is, therefore, working with the other health sector players, including the Akanu Ibiam International Airport’s Port Health Services, to ensure that Enugu citizens are aware, safe, and minimize their exposure to the Mpox,” the commissioner stressed.

In another development, the government also announced the constitution of a broad-based committee to ramp up the implementation of the Enugu State Geological Information System (GIS) Service Law 2024.

Briefing Government House correspondents, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, said the intent was also to enhance the value of land holding in Enugu State.

Je said this this will enable those who own flats in the city or pieces of land in the village to be able to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) to make their property bankable because the entire state would be captured digitally.

“With the implementation of the Enugu State Geological Information System, the era of applying for Certificate of Occupancy and it will take months to handle will be a thing of the past.

“This is because everything about land administration in the state will be handled digitally and electronically. This is a high-end technology and we are not talking about what is far-fetched, but about what is already being implemented. So, exco simply made approval that will strengthen and expedite the implementation.

“So, very soon, it will be fully on stream and operational. This will not just transform land holding and administration, but even everything that relates to data concerning land. And all these are geared towards the governor’s vision to eradicate poverty and also connected to growing our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from $4.4 billion to $30 billion,” Udeh stated.

The Director of Sports, Enugu State Ministry for Youths and Sport, Mr Boniface Onovo, said the state has enough facilities and potentials needed to host the 2026 National Sports Festival (NSF).

Onovo disclosed this in Nsukka on Wednesday while speaking with newsmen shortly after conducting officials from the Federal Ministry of Sports Development, Abuja and Nilayo Sports Management Limited (NSML) Lagos, the Consultant of Enugu State 2024 Marathon and 2026 NSF bidding.

Onovo said the officials were in the state to inspect existing sports facilities as Enugu State was among states bidding to host NSF 2026.

The officials started the inspections on Wednesday in Enugu North Senatorial District.
He maintained that the state had all it required to host the sports festival.

“Officials from the Federal Ministry of Sport Development, Abuja and Nilayo Sports Management Limited (NSML) Lagos are satisfied with sports facilities seen in Enugu North Senatorial District.

“They inspected Nsukka Township Stadium, Akanu Ibiam Stadium, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, among others,” he said.

According to the director, the officials will also visit other sports facilities in Awgu axis and in Enugu Capital Territory before leaving the state

“After their inspections, I will submit the report to the Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Mr. Lloyd Ekweremadu, who will in turn forward it to Gov. Peter Mbah for necessary actions toward the bidding,” he said

Onovo explained that hosting of 2026 sports festival would boost economic tourism, expand existing sports facilities as well as market sports potentials and achievements of Enugu State to the entire world.

“If Enugu State wins the hosting right of NSF 2026, it will not only boost the state’s economic tourism but will also market sports potentials and achievements of the state, as well as expand the existing sports facilities in the state,” he said.

He appealed to Enugu people at home and in the diaspora to support Gov Mbah’s bid for the state to host the 2026 NSF.

“Gov Mbah has demostrated in words and actions since assumption of office in May 29, 2023 that he is youth and sports friendly.

“The recent victory of Rangers Football International in winning the 2023 National League trophy is an eloquent testimony of the governor’s commitment in development of youths and sports ” Onovo said.

The visiting team also the Enugu Sports Club where they also inspected some sports facilities in the club including the swimming pool, table and lawn tennis ground.

The Chairman of the sports club, Mr Victor Atuonwu, conducted the team round the facilities in the club.

Despite the challenges she faced upon assuming her role as Minister of Tourism, Lola Ade-John, with her background in technology and banking, is determined not to rest on her laurels. She shares with Vanessa Obioha her mission to promote Nigeria through its inspiring stories, cultural heritage and abundant natural resources.

When Mrs Lola Ade-John was announced as a nominee for a ministerial position by President Bola Tinubu’s administration last year, many expected her to be considered for a role in technology given her extensive career in banking and information technology. However, on August 16, 2023, she was appointed Minister of Tourism. Ade-John recalled watching TV when the news broke.

“I was happy because the pressure died down, but another set of pressure started,” she said on a rainy morning at a private location in Lekki. Dressed in a colourful midi dress with balloon sleeves matched with a pair of medicated glasses, Ade-John exuded confidence, purpose and bluntness with a tinge of humour. She did not shy away from discussing her health challenges upon resuming office, debunking speculation that she had been poisoned.

“I did not know what was wrong with me. I wasn’t the only one who ate the meal I bought so it could not have been poison.”

Upon assuming office, Ade-John realised that tourism is quite different from what most people thought. As someone who travelled mostly for leisure or business, she discovered that tourism is more than just an entertainment affair.

“People mostly look at tourism more from the entertainment business but there is a lot that goes into it before one can say the country is ready for tourism,” she said.

“Part of our job is to get people to attend these concerts or festivals but how do we measure attendance? We are not yet a digital economy so it’s difficult to gather data on attendance,” she continued.

The lack of data posed a big challenge for the minister.

“Where is the data? What are we measuring? How do we monitor? Those things don’t exist,” she said, stating that she went to the National Bureau of Statistics which is slightly different from that of tourism.

Leveraging her expertise in technology, having worked as a systems analyst in the oil and banking sectors and founded Novateur Business Technology Consultants, Ade-John has embarked on building a database and a website for the ministry.

“There is nothing on the web that is endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism. What that means is that there is nothing really to showcase Nigeria to the world. Yes, you have the embassies but they also have their websites. We want to have our own website and then link to other websites like the U.K. government did.”

Ade-John envisions this website as a comprehensive resource about Nigeria, covering everything from the states and the people to the food, festivals, activities, and other interesting places to visit.

She revealed plans to introduce digital tours.

“Especially for our children abroad,” she said. “Through virtual reality, you can travel to places as far as Obudu Ranch and immerse yourself in the beautiful landscape and nature. Do you know they have gorillas there? We are working with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation to see what we can do.”

Funding continues to pose a significant challenge for the ministry, affecting many of the plans laid out by the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA) in the past seven years. However, Ade-John remains undeterred, drawing from her banking experience where “you just have to get things done,” she said. “I’m used to getting things done. Sometimes it can be unconventional, other times it can be straightforward.”

So far, she has been meeting with potential investors and advocating for a tourism development fund to be negotiated with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

“People that pay for tickets and all that, they need to find a way of separating tourism taxes, and these come directly to the agency or ministry. These can be used to develop and advertise assets,” she explained.

In the past few months, Ade-John has been up and about, going about her duties with vigour. A week before we met, she was at the United Nations Tourism Executive Council 121st meeting where she represented Nigeria and expressed the country’s readiness to contribute to the global tourism agenda. She has also been touring heritage sites and other destinations across the country that would attract tourists and investors, significantly contributing to the country’s GDP.

Her main focus, she said, is domestic tourism.

“We are trying to get investors to use these communities to run these cultural assets.”

Currently, the minister revealed that Ikogosi Warm Spring in Ekiti and Obudu Ranch in Cross River have already taken off the revitalisation process to attract more tourists.

“We are also looking at investors for building desert safaris, Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi, Mambilla Plateau in Taraba. We have identified at least the top 20 destinations in the country.

“Nigeria is such a beautiful place. We are blessed with hardworking, intelligent people and vast natural resources. The only thing we don’t have is snow.”

Beyond identifying these destinations, Ade-John stressed the importance of infrastructural development in accessing these places. From good roads to flights and electricity, these will, in turn, bring development to the community.

“Obudu, for instance, is right up on the mountains. They are building an international airport there and this will help develop other smaller industries such as transportation and commerce. Even though some believe that having an international airport there will not be beneficial, I think otherwise.”

Tourism has a lot to do with culture. Ade-John believes that local communities can benefit from tourism by selling stories about the place and the people.

“We sell the culture. We talk about stories and we sell stories, and these are accompanied by souvenirs that also tell stories.”

Having toured most parts of the country, a major concern for Ade-John is the cleanliness of our environment.

“People dump dirt in water, by the roadside, everywhere. So how do you want to attract people to come to your community if it is dirty? We do not take care of our assets” she said.

“In the villages and other rural communities, it’s not even about hotels, one can rent out a room. A room can be cleaned up and have mosquito nets to prevent mosquitoes. The villagers can cook good meals, and entertain you. That will give them a good experience.”

To this effect, the minister launched ‘Doctrine According to Tourism,’ a nationwide campaign that seeks to empower local communities with the knowledge and tools needed to embrace tourism as a catalyst for economic growth and cultural preservation. Through workshops, awareness campaigns, and community consultations, the campaign will actively involve local communities, indigenous groups, and marginalised populations, promoting meaningful engagement and empowerment to ensure everyone has a stake in Nigeria’s tourism development.

“More importantly, it is about teaching the people our values and we are working with the National Orientation Agency (NOA).”

Understanding that tourism is associated with other sectors such as health, education, immigration, information, technology, aviation, transportation and so on, Ade-John is often faced with challenges affecting these sectors. For instance, the high cost of a Nigerian visa continues to dissuade tourists from visiting the country. On the other side, she strongly believes that the proposed coastal highway will open up economic opportunities for Nigeria.

“The coastline starts from Senegal all the way to Cameroon. Imagine the traffic. Some potential investors are already showing interest in building resorts. Nigerians are not good at leisure tourism, it is only in Lagos that we have such.”

Another tourism asset not yet explored by the country according to Ade-John is history.

“History is a tourism asset. We have museums that house some of the relics of the 1976 coup and even the Biafran war but we do not showcase or take care of them”.

She however acknowledged the Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja for their work in preserving the nation’s history.

Part of her plans for the ministry is to ensure that tourism and history are taught in primary schools.

“The children need to know our history; that’s what tour operators live on. They live on our stories. If you go to Egypt, they sell their stories to you. Be it papyrus paper or pyramids. They sell stories. We want to sell Nigerian stories.”

In the hospitality sector, Ade-John is keen on ensuring that the hotels are properly classified and meet international standards.

“When you say a hotel is five-star in Nigeria, it should be five-star in other parts of the world. We are doing a reclassification, even for street food vendors. We want to ensure that the food is healthy for consumption.”

Even though her portfolio is not entirely familiar to her, Ade-John is getting herself acquainted with the people who have been moving the tourism sector forward. People like Ikechi Uko, the organiser of Akwaaba African Travel Market (AFTM) are helping her in showcasing the hidden treasures that can sell Nigeria to the world.

“We want to show the country to the right people by promoting these events that celebrate nature and wildlife.”

A major milestone for Ade-John is to get the federal government to prioritise tourism and its potential to boost not only the image of the country but contribute to the GDP. She recently resuscitated the Presidential Council on Tourism (PCT) which includes stakeholder ministries and state governments. This, she said, will provide strategic direction and oversight for tourism development in Nigeria. The council will ensure that tourism policies are well-coordinated and effectively implemented across all levels of government. The ministry has also commenced the review of the National Policy on Tourism and Hospitality with over 100 experts partaking in the exercise.

Touring the country has helped Ade-John discover interesting places such as the hidden tunnel in Epe attributed to the Queen of Sheba, the Koma heritage site in Adamawa, the mountains in Ekiti for hiking, and the King Kosoko Memorial Museum on Lagos Island.

“These little treasures are all about stories and we have to sell them.”

By promoting these treasures, Ade-John believes that Nigeria could become a leading global destination by the time she concludes her tenure in office.