Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has said the administration would construct a good access road to the Owu Fall in a bid to develop tourism industry and boost the revenue drive of the state.
Owu Fall, one of Nigeria’s tourist attractions, is in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara South Senatorial District of the state.
AbdulRazaq also said that talks are ongoing to bring the Air Peace to Kwara to increase air traffic in the state and attract more businesses.
“We believe we have to develop the road infrastructure for us to revamp our tourist sites most especially the Owu Fall and Esie museum and we are committed to that,” AbdulRazaq told a delegation of the Association of Hotel Owners in Kwara State, led by their chairman Omogbenle Adeyemi.
“And as we have said earlier, we intend to put some of our festivals into national tourism map and budget vote for them so as to preserve our rich culture.”
He noted that when tourism industry is developed, it would attract tourists, create business and generate wealth in the state, especially for hotel owners.
AbdulRazaq challenged the hoteliers to consider building hotels in the northern senatorial district of the state, especially Baruten which the Governor said lacks any hotel and often results in people not wanting to stay there.
“We are ready to partner with you on this. We also want to revamp Kwara Hotel but we have not concluded anything yet; so we welcome ideas from you. We will be willing to partner with you to turn the fortune of the hotel,” he said.
AbdulRazaq said the administration would work to make the capital city of Ilorin a conference centre.
Adeyemi, for his part, said the purpose of the visit was to identify with the excellent performance of the administration and suggested transformation of the various heritage sites in the state as a way to improve the revenue for the government.
He also urged AbdulRazaq to consider members of the association for appointment into the State Tourism and Hospitality Development Board.
AbdulRazaq, meanwhile, has promised to extend soft loans to businesses owned by youth entrepreneurs — apart from also considering them for more appointments into his administration.
Saying the youths are primed to drive the state’s economy through the Kwara State Social Investment Programmes (KWASSIP), AbdulRazaq explained that the administration will raise capitals for businesses with prospects to engage more hands, create wealth and expand the state’s revenue base.
“We will encourage people with ideas that are sellable. We will fund those ideas. For instance, you can come up with ideas about Aso Ofi. We urge you to suggest your ideas. Be proactive. If many people succeed, they will also pay taxes,” he said at a meeting with Kwara APC Youths Leaders.
Kayode Oyin-Zubair and Oyinloye Oyelere, who spoke on behalf of the youth leaders from across the 16 local government areas of the state, commended the Governor for giving young people a historic sense of belonging.
They pledged to continue to support his administration, calling on the administration to do more to empower the youths to become employers of labour.
