The Chancellor of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University in Katsina, Senator Ibrahim Mohammed Ida, has called for the development of a10-year tourism reform agenda aimed at accelerating the intentional development and promotion of Nigeria’s tourism sector.

Delivering a keynote address at the opening ceremony of the ninth edition of Nigeria Tourism Investors Forum and Exposition (NTIFE) 2026 and the 29th Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2026 of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) held in Abuja, Ida said such an agenda should encompass the Tourism Roadmap for Nigeria, the establishment of the National Tourism Marketing Council, the Tourism Development Fund (TDF) and other strategic interventions that will aid the transformation of the sector.

The chancellor, who is also the Waziri of Katsina State, stated that these should be attended to with promptness and urgency that they deserve, adding: “We must act promptly and decisively.”

Speaking on theme, ‘Tourism Transformation through Collaboration, Policy Alignment and Investment,’ the former federal Permanent Secretary said: “It is direct, it is urgent and it is the only path forward if we are serious about unlocking the true potential of tourism in Nigeria.

“For decades we have talked about tourism as the next big thing after oil. Today, we must move from talk to action. The world is moving and tourists are making choices every day on where to spend their money and their holidays. We must act promptly and decisively.”

Ida decried the present state of Nigerian tourism, with no intentional focus and uncoordinated policies implementation, all of which have left the sector in a poor and beggarly state.

“I have seen and exploited the opportunities in the sector, and I have also felt the pains. What I will share today is based on personal knowledge and experience,” he disclosed.

Ida, who is also the proprietor of Bristol Palace Hotel group, said the sector is in its current state because “we tend to regard tourism more as an afterthought, instead of treating it as a real revenue earner.”

He added: “The time for the real transformation of the sector is now. Indeed, it should have happened yesterday.

However, the type of transformation needed can only come if we adhere strictly to the intent and purpose of choosing the theme of today’s forum, which is the quest for a roadmap for the transformation of tourism through collaboration among stakeholders; a deliberate policy alignment among the stakeholders; and the search for the infusion of massive capital investment into the sector from public and private sources.”

To build a vibrant and sustainable tourism sector, he recommended a number of quick fix solutions: “Shift from focusing purely on volume and revenue to prioritising sustainability, community well-being, and technological innovation.

“The successes of our private airlines, Nollywood and Fintech came when the government created the space and the private sector provided capital and know-how. Tourism must follow the same model.”