In line with the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, tourism icon, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, is encouraging the tourism sector to look inward for the much needed prosperity.

So, Hope Unity Rebirth Prosperity (HURP) he says, is the tourism product for this week. The 9th, in the proposed 52 products targeted within 365 days!

Otunba Wanle Akinboboye affirmed the need to develop our domestic tourism market as a forerunner for international tourism.

In his opinion, Nigeria can and should develop domestic tourism before focusing on international tourism, as this will provide an opportunity to fine tune its tourism offerings before subjecting them to the scrutiny of international tourists. It will also generate income, albeit in Naira, as domestic tourists will still be spending money in the various tourism locations.

He noted that during the second quarter of 2023, UK residents (domestic tourists) spent £6.7 billion on short stay holidays within the UK. This translated to over N7 trillion in a 3 month period using current CBN official exchange rates.

Otunba Akinboboye said that the devaluation of the Naira and the rising cost of traveling abroad for holidays has created the perfect opportunity for the development of a domestic tourism market.

According to him, such domestic tourism market should not be confined to the elites or middle class, but should also extend to ordinary Nigerians, who live in villages and towns in the various states of Nigeria and who currently do not travel widely within the country.

Otunba Akinboboye stated further that, by creating an active domestic tourism sector, Nigerians will have the opportunity to learn more about the country and develop a sense of belonging and pride in not just their village, local government or state, but in the nation as a whole.

Government he said, should make concerted effort to promote domestic tourism at all levels, to simultaneously stimulate the much needed feeling of unity that will transform the people that live within the geographical area that Flora Shaw referred to as the ‘Niger area.

“Domestic tourism will create hope and foster unity, which in turn will lead to a rebirth of our nation and prosperity. As part of domestic tourism, we should offer tourism products that generate hope and unity amongst our people, that leads to the rebirth and prosperity of Nigeria.”

The Tourism Icon, coined the acronym HURP (Hope Unity Rebirth Prosperity) to refer to the domestic tourism product that he believes can be used to achieve these goals. HURP will educate people in all 774 local governments of Nigeria about the wonderful and diverse country in which we live, by engendering pride in the nation as a whole, encouraging people to identify with it.

“It is my believe that the best way to achieve such education is via a domestic tourism product that targets interaction between ordinary people from different parts of the country. This can be achieved by a village exchange programme where, for example, villagers from Koton Karfe in Kogi State will visit an Ijaw village and see first hand what life beside the creeks and ocean really entails. Subsequently the Ijaw villagers can visit the Koton Karfe village. This exchange programme will encourage friendships and most importantly understanding of those with whom we share a common national border. They will also begin to better understand the complex nation that is Nigeria and their role in its journey towards prosperity.

“The problem of Nigeria for so long has been the feeling that our unity should be an automatic feeling. However, in reality, there must be a concerted effort to generate a feeling of unity and a common purpose among the approximately 371 tribes and 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria . It is only when we do this that we can jump start the rebirth process that is required for the prosperity of our nation. It is envisaged that the village exchange programmes will be financed by government or the corporate sector as part of their CSR and nation building efforts.

“We must create a renewed hope in Nigeria and jump start a rebirth process. We must build a platform for tomorrow’s people, as our lack of unity has hindered our development as a nation,” Otunba Wanle Akinboboye added.

The General overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor E. A Adeboye has said if rapture fails to take place soon, he would die on a Sunday after eating pounded yam.

The Man of God, who made the assertion at the ongoing Holy Ghost Congress of the church in Ogun State, said he would die the way one of his uncles died after church service.

Recounting how the uncle died, Adeboye said he was in the house after dancing during a church service and gave up the ghost without being sick.

He said the uncle died inside a toilet while the wife was preparing his meal.

“After she finished pounding the yam, she knocked at the door of the toilet, when they opened the door, my uncle was gone; no sickness, no ache, no pain.

“I know somebody will say if we are never sick, how are we going to die and go to heaven? You don’t need to be sick to go to heaven”.

“If the Lord tarries His coming, I will go on a Sunday after a good meal of pounded yam,” he said.

1. Vice-President Kashim Shettima, on Saturday, said average Nigerians are angry with government officials and other members of the elite class, following the high cost of living. The vice president stated this during the graduation ceremony of the Executive Intelligence Management Course, organised by the National Institute for Security Studies.

2. The Department of State Services (DSS) says plans are underway to commence the production of its Unmanned Ariel Vehicles, UAVs, also known as drones, AK-47s, and other weapons that would be used by the service and possibly sell to other agencies.

3. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, will commence the prosecution of electoral offenders in January. The electoral offences include culpable homicide and unlawful possession of firearms, snatching and destroying of INEC items, misconduct at polling units and stealing of results, among others.

4. The Bauchi State Police Command has said its detectives arrested a 35-year-old man in the Bauchi metropolis, who allegedly tried to kill his wife with a pestle. The police claimed the suspect had intended to kill his wife, sell off the television set in their home and use the proceeds to furnish his shop.

5. No fewer than three small-scale miners have died while 11 others were injured when a mining pit collapsed in Dan Kamfani, Anka Local Government of Zamfara State. An eyewitness who works around the area said, on Saturday, that the incident occurred around 4pm on Thursday. He said the number of casualties cannot be confirmed due to the depth of the mining pit, which is 275 metres deep.

6. The abducted parish priest of Saint Michael’s Catholic Church in the Umuekebi community in the Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, Reverend Fr Kingsley Eze, also known as Father Ichie, and his driver, Uchenna Newman, have regained freedom. Gunmen had on Thursday last week kidnapped the cleric and his driver when they alighted from a Volvo jeep to purchase something at Orieama junction around 8 pm.

7. The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, on Saturday, said the controversy that trailed the huge delegation Nigeria took to the Climate Change Conference in the United Arab Emirates has shown that President Bola Tinubu is not ready to learn from the mistakes of the previous administration. Abure raised the concern while receiving an award of excellence from the Benin chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association.

8. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Sokoto State has accused Governor Ahmed Aliyu of the All Progressives Congress of reckless spending. The party in a press statement made available to newsmen in the state, by its Publicity Secretary, Hassan Sayinnawal, on Saturday, accused the APC-led administration in the state of handling public funds recklessly through what it describes as grossly inflated contracts.

9. Lawyers representing the Concerned Northern Forum have threatened to take legal action against the federal government if it fails to provide adequate compensation for the victims of Tudun Biri, which was bombed by military aircraft in Kaduna State. Over 80 villagers were killed during an unintended attack while they were celebrating Maulud, last Sunday night.

10. The US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Molly Phee, has visited Nigeria to mediate in the political situation in Niger Republic, which has been under military rule since July 26. This was disclosed in a statement on the website of the US Secretary of State.