The Delta Government says that plans are already ongoing to develop the various tourist sites in order to attract tourists to the state.
The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr. Lawrence Ejiofor, made the assertion when members of the Delta State Non-Governmental Organizations visited him on Thursday in Asaba.
“The state is working toward reviving all the tourist sites across the state and we have so many of them such as the source of River Ethiope, and the Lander Brothers Anchorage.
“We have to revive all of them so that anybody that wants to invest in them can do so,” Ejiofor said.
The commissioner also said that recently, the ministry received some investors who were already with the blueprint and drawings about the Anchorage.
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“’We welcome that development because they are going to spend their money in developing the Anchorage and they will also manage the place.
“The state is not interested in the returns, but the functionality of the place,” he said, noting that the ministry was more of a private sector-driven ministry.
He advised Nigerians to visit local tourists sites in the country during their vacations and stop travelling abroad.
“Our people should be discouraged from going outside the shores of this country to spend their vacation.
“’We can develop our environment, especially the various tourist sites in the country and make them more attractive for foreigners to visit.
“We can equally develop these sites and take our children there and tell them about our history and heritage.
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“It is not just about watching foreign musicians and learning the culture of the white people. A lot of our people have become too Westernised,” he said.
According to him, the whites developed whatever they have and that is why most people are trooping there.
“It is high time we changed our narrative by telling the story of our rich cultural heritage by investing in our environment and developing the natural resources available in our country,” he added.
Ejiofor commended the group for their initiative and assured them that the ministry’s doors were wide open to as many that will want to partner with the state.
Earlier, Mr. Okezi Odugala, the Coordinator of the group, said the organisation was willing to partner with the state in developing some of its tourist sites.
Odugala said that one of the objectives of the organisation was to develop strategies for public, private partnership for sustainable development of the state.
He said that the organisation was established on July 9, 2015 with a membership strength of 75 credible NGOs working with the state government. (NAN)
