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In his 12 months in office as the President of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), he has expressed commitment to rewrite Nigeria’s tourism story and set machinery in motion to redress the fractured umbrella body that is weakened by fragmented state chapters, its flagship legislation mired in litigation, and its voice barely audible in the corridors of government.
Speaking at a press conference marking his administration’s first anniversary, Badaki and his team chose not to parade a list of glittering achievements.
Instead, they did something rarer in Nigerian public life: they issued a communique that read almost like a confession, admitting to the industry’s oldest wounds before explaining, point by point, how they intend to heal them.
The theme of the briefing, ‘Changing the Narrative: Tackling the Structural Challenges of Nigeria’s Tourism Industry Through the Tourism Transformation Mandate, sets the tone for what follows.
Rather than a celebratory recap, FTAN presented a diagnostic report card naming seven structural fault lines that have held the sector back for years, and laying out what has been done, and what still needs to be done, about each one.
The first crack the administration named was institutional. For years, FTAN’s effectiveness had been blunted by the absence of a unified strategic direction, scattered stakeholder engagement, and weak coordination among member associations.
To address this, Aliyu’s team developed and won adoption of the Tourism Transformation Mandate (TTM) as the Federation’s guiding blueprint, began rolling out a comprehensive work plan, and set in motion plans to strengthen state chapters through the inauguration of ones in the administration’s second year.
The Secretariat itself, the administration said, has also been reinforced, alongside a more inclusive style of engagement with member bodies.
But it was on the question of tourism policy and regulation that the communique turned unusually candid. FTAN did not shy away from naming a controversy that has trailed the industry for years, as the disputed National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) Act of 2022.
He was blunt in stating that the confusion surrounding the Act was inherited from a previous FTAN administration, and that its implementation has caused the industry more harm than good, fuelling litigation that some within the sector’s own ranks are said to be exploiting for private gain.
FTAN’s position, Badaki made clear, is that both the NIHOTOUR Act and the National Tourism Development Authority (NTDA) Act should be sent back to the National Assembly for re-enactment, with clearer definitions of the roles of the relevant agencies and stakeholders.
As he appealed to the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy to fast-track the process in line with the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Federation urged those agencies to stick to their original mandates while the legislative process plays out.
On the relationship between government and the organised private sector, the administration reported that it has rebuilt working ties with the Federal Ministry and strengthened collaboration with the NTDA and other agencies to reaffirm FTAN’s standing as the recognised umbrella body for Nigeria’s private tourism operators.
Beyond the country’s borders, FTAN pointed to a restored relationship with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and deepened engagement with COPITOUR and other regional development partners, part of a broader push to reconnect Nigeria’s tourism sector with regional institutions.
According to him, the effort produced what the administration described as a notable diplomatic win of ECOWAS backing for the COPITOUR Executive Meeting to hold in Abuja during the 2026 edition of the Nigeria Tourism Investors Forum and Exhibition (NTIFE), an event repositioned as a bigger regional investment platform, now folded into the Federation’s Annual General Meeting.
On visibility, the administration reported a marked increase in media engagement and advocacy activity over the past year, saying the endeavour was aimed at raising public confidence in tourism as a serious economic pillar.
Closing the communique, FTAN struck a measured, almost self-critical note, insisting that the true test of leadership is not the number of programmes an administration runs, but whether it dismantles the systemic barriers holding an industry back.
The Federation pledged to keep implementing the Tourism Transformation Mandate, sustain engagement with government at all levels, push for regulatory reform, and deepen regional partnerships to drive a tourism industry that is globally competitive, investment-driven and sustainable.
