Travel/Tourism
5 Reasons Nigeria’s Festival Business Is Thriving
By Nkem Ndem
From stunning white masquerades at Eyo to the week-long festival held in honour of the river goddess, Oshun, Nigeria is home to some of Africa’s greatest festivals. Each year, locals and tourists from neighbouring countries and abroad, flock to events across the continent to witness and participate in festivals that showcase the religious history, music, art, indigenous folklore and cultural heritage of the nation.
While these festivals, of course, celebrate tradition, heritage and the rich history of the people through colourful attires, artistic expositions, and intriguing traditional rites, they also mean good times for performers, visitors and local businesses. Among the largest is the Calabar carnival which usually features as many as 50,000 costumed participants and attracted more than 2 million spectators last year. In what seems to be almost a decade, Nigeria has witnessed a consistent growth in the festival business and Jumia Travel gives five reasons for this.
Festivals mean big business for locals. From cultural to music festivals, these events form an important income stream for local communities and the host regions. They not only bring people together and get infrastructure built, they create jobs and if executed rightly, local businesses are at the centre of the creation of these types of events. With the increasing business opportunities for the events organizations and local businesses, there has been a sort of revolution in festivals in the commercial aspect.
Sponsors are now paying millions to brand festivals. Initially, festivals were done on low key, especially cultural festivals. However, today awareness for such events is now done on a large scale. From billboards, radio jingles and even ticket sales, a lot of strategies are now put in place to create massive awareness and captivate the target audience. These new strategies being adopted are made possible because sponsors and advertisers are willing to spend millions of dollars to target what they know is a truly captive audience. With donations from Telecoms such as MTN, GLO and AIRTEL to companies such as Indomie, UAC, Dangote and NGOs, festival sponsorship spending has been growing exponentially over the last couple of years, consequently leading to a boom in the Nigerian festival business.
Technology and Social Media Buzz
Technology has played a huge role in the boom of the festival industry in Nigeria. In addition to the fact that there have been advances in data gathering and analysis as well as wireless technology which have vastly improved how these festivals are planned and managed, Social Media has played a huge role in the marketing and promotions, as fans build communities online flood their social media feeds with photos, videos and posts highlighting festival fashion, top performances and more; sharing their excitement far and wide. The publicity and social media buzz drive help inspire others to attend these festivals, leading to a significant growth in the festivals business.
Media Coverage
The media coverage of these events has played a huge role in shaping the way these events are seen not just within the country, but around the world as it is hard to tell how many millions of people see it. The minds of these people who get to read about these events in the media and watch them on television are automatically shaped to envision the events as an avenue for fun. This propels them to plan, attend and invest in future events.
Millennial Are Driving Attendance
It is no secret that Millennial in Nigeria, who make up a large percentage of the population, would trade almost anything for the thrill of an experience, especially shareable, personalized experiences. These festivals feature everything that appeals to them, from music, alcohol, highly-shareable moments and a community of fans to a break from the hustle and so they are keen on driving. Their involvement in different aspects (including buying festival tickets, attending festivals e.t.c) has directly or indirectly also led to a growth in the country’s festival business.
Nkem Ndem is a PR Associate at Jumia Travel.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has announced plans to introduce V-Pass, a biometric facial recognition system designed to make passenger processing faster, safer and more seamless across its domestic airports.
According to FAAN, the new technology will allow passengers to verify their identities through facial recognition after a one-time enrolment, reducing reliance on physical identification documents and shortening queues through automated electronic gates.
The authority said the system is expected to enhance airport security while improving the overall travel experience for domestic passengers.
FAAN added that V-Pass has been developed with data privacy at its core and is compliant with the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).
The agency described the initiative as part of its commitment to delivering smarter, technology-driven airport services and said nationwide sensitisation and rollout updates would be announced in due course.
Airports in countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates already deploy facial recognition technology for processes such as check-in, security screening, immigration and boarding, so the move also aligns Nigeria’s aviation sector with a growing global trend towards contactless travel.
These systems have been adopted to improve operational efficiency, strengthen security and enhance the overall passenger experience.
For FAAN, the deployment of V-Pass forms part of its broader digital transformation agenda aimed at modernising airport operations and accommodating rising passenger traffic.
Experts say that beyond improving convenience, the authority expects the biometric platform to strengthen identity verification, reduce the risk of impersonation and support more efficient airport security, while maintaining compliance with data protection.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
About 14.12 per cent stake in Ikeja Hotel Plc has been acquired by Honeywell Group Limited, a notice on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited has revealed.
Honeywell Group took up the part of the hospitality firm through one of its affiliates known as HGL Real Estate Limited.
Ikeja Hotel, in the disclosure filed with the NGX on July 2, 2026, said the stake comprised 305,323,525 units of its equities.
“Ikeja Hotel hereby notifies the Nigerian Exchange Limited and the general public that it has received notification from HGL Real Estate Limited, an affiliate of Honeywell Group Limited, that it has acquired 305,323,525 units of Ikeja Hotel Plc’s shares, representing 14.12 per cent shareholding in the company,” the notice stated.
Ikeja Hotel is one of Nigeria’s leading hospitality investment and hotel management companies with premium hospitality assets.
It operates two leading hospitality organisations in Lagos, the Sheraton Lagos Hotel and Balmoral Convention Centre.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
About 10 hospitality establishments, including hotels and restaurants, were sealed on Wednesday by officials of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA).
The affected businesses are located in different locations in the Alimosho Local Government Area of the metropolis, Business Post learned from a statement from the agency.
It was stated that they were sealed by LASEPA for persistent violations of environmental regulations despite repeated warnings, abatement notices, and several opportunities to comply with the agency’s directives.
According to the notice, the enforcement exercise was carried out in line with the directives of the Lagos State government to ensure strict compliance with environmental laws and to safeguard public health.
The affected facilities were said to have breached various environmental regulations, including noise pollution, air pollution, unlawful discharge of untreated effluent, obstruction of official duties, among others.
LASEPA closed the premises of Granduer Meridian at Obasa Akiniyi Street, Oluwaga, Ipaja for non-compliance with the agency’s directives; Lasola (Spazio Bar), located on Ipaja Road, Fatolu Bus Stop, Ipaja, was sealed for noise pollution and non-compliance with directives; Millennium Restaurant, located at Gate Bus Stop, Ipaja, Ayobo, was shut down for non-compliance with directives; O2 Exquisite Suites & Tower on Jimoh Akinremi Street, Jimoh Bus Stop, Akowonjo, was sealed for non-compliance with directives; and Chirozz Hotel & Suites, located on Samuel Street, Akowonjo, by Vulcanizer Bus Stop, Egbeda, was closed for noise pollution and non-compliance with directives.
In addition, House 7 Hotel, located at Remi Akande Street, Egbeda, was sealed for non-compliance with LASEPA’s directives; House 48 on Isiba Oluwo Street, Egbeda, was sealed for non-compliance with directives; Exclusive Hotel, located at Ishan Kimishe, Akesan Bus Stop, was shut down by non-compliance with directives; Sabola Ventures Limited, Iocated at Km 11, LASU–Isheri Road, Igando, was shut down for operating without evidence of an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP), and discharging untreated effluent into public drains; and City Int’l Motel, located at Chief Olu-Adegbite Street, off Oladun Street, Council Bus Stop, Idimu, was sealed for non-compliance with directives.
