PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has said that the Federal Government was committed in making the country number one tourism destination in the world.
He gave the assurance Tuesday at the Command Performance night of the Abuja Carnival.
To achieve this onerous goal, President Jonathan who was represented by the Vice President, Namadi Sambo, stated the commitment of the Federal government in diversifying the economy and paying special attention to the tourism and culture sector, which he said had a very high potential for economic empowerment and employment generation.
He lauded the carnival, the culture and tourism sector, saying that it was time Nigeria tapped into the vast and rich resources of the sector by turning it into economic paradise for the people.
''The Federal government remains firm in its commitment to diversification of our economic base beyond our dependence on oil and gas. In this regard, the Federal government will continue to promote the rapid and sustainable growth and development of the tourism and culture sector of our national economic,'' he said,
Sambo added: "The sector provides economic development options with high capacity for empowerment and employment opportunities, poverty reduction as well as good returns for investment.''
According to him, the carnival which was initiated in 2004 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo "defines the nexus that exist between culture and technological growth of a country."
Therefore, he called on all the state governments to pay heed to the development of their various delegates/troupes to the yearly cultural and communal feast, insisting that it reflected the unity in our diversity, building bridges and encouraging inter – cultural exchanges among the people of Nigeria and other parts of the world.
With the theme of this year's celebration being 'carnival of peace and harmony,' the President urged everyone, especially at this trying moment of the country, to continue to imbibe the cultural values of the country, which among others preach peaceful co-existence, love and respect for one another.
Also, the Senate Deputy President, Ike Ekweremadu has assured of the Senate support in transforming the fortunes of the culture and tourism sector into a money spinning one. While commending Duke for the success of the carnival, Ekweremadu who invited and sponsored the Prime Minister of St Kitts & Nevis Island and his entourage to the carnival, urged the minister to take the carnival to the next level.
The next level for him, he said was to begin to export Nigeria's tourism and culture to other lands, adding ''the world needs to know that we also have some of the best entertainers here and we need to invite to explore this greatness and thereby turn it into a foreign earner for the country,''
