The Federal Government has announced plans to establish community
museums as part of efforts to ensure that local communities benefit
from tourism.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
announced the plan on Thursday at the ongoing 4th World UNWTO/UNESCO
World Conference on Tourism and Culture in Kyoto, Japan.
”In Nigeria, we observed that tourists stay in the big cities when
they visit. They visit the museums in the cities where objects gotten
from different parts, including the rural areas, are displayed but
they hardly go to the rural areas.
”To encourage tourists to visit the rural areas where money spent is
quickly reflected in the local economy, we are trying to establish
community museums,” said the Minister, who served as one of the
panellists at the Ministerial Segment of the conference, dedicated to
discussing and exchanging policies and government models impacting the
future of cultural tourism.
Alhaji Mohammed said the government will, in particular, encourage the
establishment of palace museums.
”Parts of ancient residencies of traditional rulers and important
chiefs are being turned to museums. Thus, we are not limiting museums
to the big cities. Money spent by tourists while visiting these rustic
places stay longer in these areas. Lamido Adamawa now has the Fombina
Palace museum, just like the Emir of Potiskum has palace museum,” he
said.
The Minister said the government, through high-level representation,
training of festival managers and the provision of enabling
environment, is supporting and promoting festivals and cultural
tourism all over the country, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that
local communities benefit from such events.
He said that a national calendar of festivals will soon be unveiled to
assist tourists who are coming to Nigeria in planning their visits.
Alhaji Mohammed said that Nigeria has continued to leverage on the
areas in which it enjoys comparative advantage, citing music, movies
and fashion as some of such areas.