Nigerian govt speaks of plans to establish museums in rural areas to boost tourism

To encourage tourists to visit the rural areas of the country, the Federal Government said it planned to establish community museums.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said the plan was also part of the government’s efforts to ensure that local communities benefit from tourism.

A statement by the minister’s special assistant, media, Segun Adeyemi quoted him as revealing 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 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.

He 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.

Mohammed said the government would, 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 big cities. Money spent by tourists while visiting these rustic places stays longer in these areas. Lamido Adamawa now has the Fombina Palace museum, just like the Emir of Potiskum has palace museum,” he said.

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The minister said the government, through high-level representation, training of festival managers and the provision of enabling environment, was supporting and promoting festivals and cultural tourism all over the country, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that local communities benefited from such events.

Adding that a national calendar of festivals would soon be unveiled to assist tourists who had plans to come to Nigeria to plan their visits, he said the country has continued to leverage on the areas in which it enjoys a comparative advantage, citing music, movies and fashion as some of such areas.

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