NANTA 2020 election: Susan Akporaiye, Best Ready To Emerge New President In Kano

Left to Right: Taiwo Oludayo, Mrs. Susan Akporiaye and Mr Sylvesta

The members of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), seems to have made up their minds on supporting the Presidential aspirations of Mrs. Susan Akporaiye, as she made a formal declaration of her aspiration in Lagos on Tuesday, with a promise to continue to run with the collective dream of NANTA as a body.

Susan Akporaiye has formally come into the race un-opposed with the backing of a formidable team of young and older members of NANTA with a manifesto that members are popularly embracing.

Susan who addressed the media at the occasion said that her declaration for the ultimate seat of NANTA is a collective effort of herself and all the well-meaning members of the body, who have watched her over time, know her capacity and are ready to work with her to bring a major turnaround to the fortunes of NANTA.

In her speech, Susan said, “We want to have new stories to tell in NANTA. We are going to create the new narratives as he hope to steer NANTA into a new glorious path after 43 years of operating from same pole and position.

“If am by God’s grace handed over the baton of leadership in Kano come March, I would be recorded as the 16th president of this great institution and unarguably the second woman leader in its 43 years existence. To our founding leaders and presidents, I doff my hat to their dedication and commitment, not forgetting the immense personal and financial sacrifice which had brought us thus far.

“Recently, there have been calls for deep interrogation of the NANTA collective and vision, with some people within and outside our environment agitating for policy shift and re-direction for NANTA as an institution. We are all aware that a life not worth examining is not worth living, so our intervention after NANTA 44th AGM in Kano, rides on the wings of this positive introspection.

“First, let me re-assure our members, our principles and the federal government, that my team is sufficiently aware of the desire to up the aviation game in the down-stream sector, project its national profitability, encourage its acceptation as veritable pillar of national economic contributor and a strong bastion of academic research and recognition.

“Today, Nigeria with our 200 million people with about 70% in the youths grade, has not seen the need to create openings for specialized study and research in our tertiary institutions thus failing to attract needed interest from our teaming youth population, not excluding the potent employment facilitation, investment, professionalism and technology transfer which should respond to the everyday dynamics associated with the sector.

“To this end, we shall practically support and generate an all-inclusive NANTA aviation training school which will bear our trade mark of excellence, innovation, well guided international exposure and content. That same intent will also manifest a hospitality engagement, all not just in the drive to diversify the NANTA investment profile but support the growth of the Nigerian aviation and tourism sectors,” she added.

Among other things, Susan Akporaiye promised a fresh financial flow that will help reduce the pressure on sundry levies and dues from members and dependent on other sources of funding and contribute to the wellbeing of stakeholders.

Other promises include: we will work on the unity of NANTA. My team will work hard to bridge and mend cracks, we shall reach out, share solutions and increase our membership profile. We shall not encourage divisive tendencies; neither would we empower cultship and unbridled cut throat competitions and acts inimical to the unity of NANTA. We shall encourage the act of “see something, say something” and shall not romance with divide and rule profilers. A special enquiry desk and helpline would be introduced in our national secretariat to ensure that members and stakeholders get firsthand information on our programmes and projects, and also make contribution or suggestions.

On Government relations, we shall innovate on already laid down approach and get NANTA to play a key role in women affairs without which homes today would be in trouble. Indeed, there are more women trade operators not just in travel trade but in tourism, a sector with numerous open windows. We will seek access to government grants through established government agencies, to aid additional investment openings and financial stream flow. We shall see to it that new chapters are opened in our relationship with our regulatory bodies and others that can make our business thrive.

Zonal leaderships shall be encouraged to embrace sustainable projects that will impact on our members. To merely hold and attend meetings, pay dues and levies without anything to show for it, shall be a thing of past under my watch.

I will create support groups, select icons and legends in the sector to tap from their wealth of experience and be so guided. Moreso, we shall market Nigeria’s sites across the globe to help improve tourists’ influx into the country, thereby boosting the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

”I believe that Nigeria has a lot to showcase and sell to the world, considering our beautiful culture, cuisines, fashion and music. We may not have the Disneyland but our tourism assets in their natural state, like the Idanre hills, Ado-Awaye Hanging Lake and more are enough to show to the world. We will be having trade shows in different countries with the help of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), we will showcase most of our tourism sites to the world to attract international tourists, while playing down on the past activities of our predecessors, because we will need more to focus on more work to complement what they have done,” she concluded.