Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has called on all Edo residents to rise and rebuild the State tourist centers, to actualize the dream of making Edo a tourism destination in the world.
The Governor who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon Comrade Philip Shaibu made the call during the launching of the Edo State tourism master plan with the theme ‘’Rethinking Tourism ‘’ held in Benin City.
He noted that in actualizing the dream of making Edo a tourism destination in the world, all stakeholders must be supportive and ready to rebuild the tourist attraction centers in the State.
“In achieving the mission of ‘’Making Edo Great Again‘’, the residents of Edo State must be willing to partner with the State Government in tapping into the economic frontiers and repositioning the state revenue beyond oil. As a people we are tapping into our unique advantage, our history, rich culture and the location of our land” he added.
Earlier, Edo State Head of Service and chairman, tourism steering committee, Anthony Okungbowa Esq. while welcoming everyone to a new dawn in Edo State asserted that tourism is the biggest industry in the world, .
The Head of Service noted that tourism should be seen as a religion as this will lead to rebuilding the fundamentals of Edo economy by developing the State to attract tourists.
Okungbowa said ‘’we are determined to revitalize our tourism centers and to attract people to Edo State, to make Edo the preferred destination for a sustainable tourism destination and to bring investors to the State ’’.
He also encouraged all indigenes to key into the new project, noting that the time to rewrite the story of Edo is now.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Strategy, Policy, Projects and Performance Management, Sarah Esangbedo Ajose-Adeogun called on everyone to embrace the new tourism master plan, adding that it will improve the business and hospitality industry by bringing investors to the state.
High point of the event was the unveiling and launching of the tourism master plan.
