Travel/Tourism
Ajimobi Lays Foundation of Tourism Market in Iseyin
By Dipo Olowookere
Oyo State Governor, Mr Abiola Ajimobi, has laid the foundation of the 13.5 hectares Aso Ofi International Tourism Market at Iseyin, saying that the state was ready to partner genuine investors to preserve its historical sites, artefacts and monuments.
The Governor, who performed the foundation laying ceremony at the weekend during the second edition of Aso Ofi festival in Iseyin area of the state, added that the partnering investors would also manage and develop new tourist sites.
Mr Ajimobi, represented by his deputy, Mr Moses Adeyemo, noted that Oyo State is endowed with rich diverse cultures and a wide variety of indigenous festivals such as Sango and Oranyan in Oyo Town, Oke-Badan in Ibadan, Beere in Saki, Olele in Ogbomoso, among others as well as beautiful landscapes which include Ado-Awaye Suspended Lake, Oke-Badan Hill in Ibadan, Igbo-Oba Royal Forest in Igboho, Iya Mapo Hill in Igbeti and other numerous species of flora and fauna with their scenic values.
He observed that most of these tourist sites are yet to be fully maximized to generate revenue, saying “It is therefore our duty to identify, plan, package and market them for overall development of the State.
The concept of the Aso-Ofi festival is to celebrate Aso-Ofi, one of the State’s Tourism products, towards propagating this unique indigenous textile material globally and promote the youth empowerment agenda of this administration as one of the solutions to the present economic challenges facing the country.
“To this end, youths should be encouraged to learn this trade without waiting for white collar jobs that are not always there; farmers should be encouraged to grow the cotton trees as part of agricultural agenda in the State to boost our indigenous textile industry.
“We are here today to fulfill the promise made by my administration during last year Aso-Ofi celebration to the good people of Iseyin that an International Tourism Market will be established in this town known universally as the cradle of Aso-Ofi.
“We are lending credence to our pace setting status by laying the foundation of the first ever market to combine a museum with other tourism features here in Iseyin. We appreciate the support of the good people of Iseyin in particular and Oyo State in general for your continuous support for this administration since its inception over six years ago as well as your collaborative efforts in the transformation agenda of our government,” the Governor added.
Mr Ajimobi stressed that the state is making frantic efforts to make Oyo State a haven for tourists to appreciate the numerous Cultural and Tourism entities that abound in the State, noting “since we came on board, our transformation agenda has been vigorously pursued and we have been engaging in the revitalization of all indices of development in the State.”
In his welcome address, Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Toye Arulogun explained that the 13.5 Hectares Aso-Ofi International Tourism Market will contain 500 weaving sheds/workshops, 500 exhibition shops, a warehouse, 1st indigenous textile museum in Nigeria, a fire station, a clinic and a police station, pointing out that Aso-Ofi festival was conceptualized to showcase and celebrate our locally made fabric that is now an internationally accepted brand.
Mr Arulogun noted that the first edition of Aso Ofi recorded huge success as financial institutions, Exports promotion agencies, private and corporate organisations have been having serious and genuine engagements with the aso-Ofi weavers and marketers in the state.
He assured that the state would not relent in its cultural tourism drive in order to make it as one of the mainstreams of the economy of the state.
The 2017 Aso Ofi day festival was witnessed by top government officials from the state led by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Lekan Alli, Members of the National Assembly, members Oyo State House of Assembly led by the Deputy Speaker, Mr AbdulWasiu Musa, traditional rulers including the representative of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Aseyin of Iseyin, Oba Abdulganiyu Adekunle Salau, the Eleruwa of Eruwa, Oba Samuel Adegbola, Onjo of Okeho, Oba Rafiu Osuolale, Religious, Community and market leaders, Aso Ofi weavers and marketers from Ibadan, Ilorin and Abeokuta as well as prominent sons and daughters of Iseyin.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A travel card designed for tourists, business visitors, Diaspora returnees has been launched by Verve in partnership with Providus Bank.
Known as the ProvidusVerve Travel Card, the Naira-based travel card will allow inbound travellers to enjoy a smooth, secure, and convenient payment experience throughout their stay in Nigeria. It was powered by Verve’s secure.
Created to support the surge of tourists, expatriates, business visitors, conference delegates, and returning diaspora expected during the festive Detty December season, the ProvidusVerve Travel Card enables seamless payments for transportation, hotels, dining, shopping, entertainment, and everyday essentials nationwide.
The card also works on select global merchant platforms that accept Verve, including Netflix, Google Play, and other digital services, ensuring travellers enjoy uninterrupted access to familiar services.
The ProvidusVerve Travel Card eliminates the hassle of sourcing naira or converting foreign currency on arrival. It enables instant, secure transactions, reduces reliance on cash, and supports compliance with the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
It also mitigates the risks associated with carrying physical cash such as loss, theft, or fraud, offering a safe, regulation-aligned option for both online and in-person payments.
“The ProvidusVerve Travel Card is a timely solution for inbound travellers seeking reliability, security, and simplicity while navigating Nigeria.
“Together with Providus Bank, we have created a product that eliminates the friction traditionally associated with accessing local payments.
“Whether for tourism, business, or festive activities, this card ensures a smooth financial experience from the moment visitors land,” the Vice President for Issuing and Acquiring Management for Africa at Verve International, Mr Paul Ohakim, stated.
On his part, the Divisional Head for Product Management and Solution Delivery at Interswitch, Mr Ademola Adeniran, described the partnership as a reflection of “Verve’s commitment to designing products that respond to real user needs.”
“The ProvidusVerve Travel Card supports everyday experiences — from booking rides and hotels to shopping, streaming, and dining. It provides inbound travellers with a secure, compliant, digital-first way to experience Nigeria without financial barriers,” he added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, has disclosed that the federal government may recover and sell the assets of Dana Air to refund passengers and travel agents whose funds remain trapped following the suspension of the airline’s operations.
The Minister disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at the Ministry’s fourth quarter stakeholders’ engagement to enhance governance for effective service delivery in aviation.
Speaking at the event themed “leveraging public feedback to drive excellence in aviation services, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will be directed to probe why funds trapped by the airline are yet to be refunded.
He revealed that the authority suspended the operations of the airline as a matter of choice between safety and disaster.
“For Dana, the problem is that it was a choice between safety and disaster. So we didn’t take the commercial thing as priority. The priority was safety, and we all looked at the damning reports that we had met on the table.
“It was a decision of the NCAA to suspend them, but I pushed them to say, look, these are the reports we are seeing on the table about safety record, about lack of standards that put the lives of Nigerians at risk. If they continue flying, I don’t know whether most of us will be here. Many of us would have been victims of one of those flights. God forbid.”
According to him, “I have asked Najomo (NCAA director general) to dig deep to find out how those passengers and agents will be refunded. He has to dig deep on that.
“One solution will also be that if that same individual or those entities are trying to come back to aviation under any guise, whether to go and register a new AOC or use any business within the aviation sector, they have to go and settle their debts first.
“We should look at their assets. There are assets that are still available. Let them sell their assets. Let’s cannibalize their revenue and pay people. Let’s find a way to go after their assets and get money to pay Nigerians who are owed.
“NCAA should do that because they can’t get away with it.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said it has imposed a N5 million penalty on Qatar Airways for consumer protection violations.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Mr Michael Achimugu, on X, adding that there may be other sanctions depending on how the airline treats other cases.
“Glad to announce that, today, the NCAA has sanctioned @qatarairways to the tune of five million naira being penalty for consumer protection-related infractions. In addition, the letters of investigation (LOI) written to the airline over other cases may lead to further sanctions if not treated satisfactorily,” Mr Achimugu wrote.
The fine followed an incident when a Nigerian passenger was accused by a Qatar Airways cabin crew member of sexual harassment during boarding in Lagos for a flight to the United States via Doha, Qatar.
The allegation was only reported in Doha, where the passenger was arrested, detained for 18 hours, fined, and compelled to sign a document written solely in Arabic.
Qatar Airways allegedly refused to continue his journey, forcing him to purchase another ticket at considerable financial and reputational cost.
The NCAA said it invited Qatar Airways’ country manager to a meeting over the incident, but he failed to attend, sending subordinates instead.
“I understand that some countries do not have advanced aviation consumer protection regulations like Nigeria does. In certain cases, some countries don’t even have any. This creates a situation where airlines operating out of those countries (mostly national carriers) act with disdain towards consumer protection enforcement in Nigeria.
“This is not a situation that we would accept here. It is against the law for ANY Airlines not to respond to the NCAA. It is against the law to provide false information to the NCAA. It is against the law to fail to comply with the provisions of Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023,” Mr Achimugu said in an earlier post.
In September, the NCAA accused Qatar Airways of mistreating Nigerian passengers and failing to comply with consumer protection regulations under Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
The regulator then threatened stiff penalties against the airline for repeatedly disregarding its directives.
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