We’re Not Exploiting Our Tourism Potentials – Gana
By: Osby Isibor on May 5, 2013 - 7:24am
Mrs.
Susan Adishetu Gana is the Niger State Commissioner for Tourism and
Culture. She is a grassroots woman, youths’ mobiliser, and advocate of
transformational leadership. In this interview with OSBY ISIBOR, she
speaks on the tourism potentials of her state, role of women in national
development, her political career and other issues.
You are the Niger State Commissioner for Tourism and Culture. Before now, you’ve served in other ministries as commissioner and in other capacities. How has it been so far in your new office?
It has been a very interesting ministry. It is a ministry where things that are being done are not unfamiliar to you; because we talk about tourism, we talk about culture. And culture is our way of life; culture depicts everything which we do at home, at school, within the society; or anywhere you find yourself, your culture is your watchword.
And at the same time, in tourism also, we have seen a lot of tourists’ attractions, which we haven’t really paid attention to. We just see them, we think they are things that we just past by. But with enlightenment, we’ve now known that we have wealth in some of these tourists areas, which we have seen, either as children or as adults.
So, it is a part of our life. Part of our life, because when you go out to look at some of the wonders of the world; look at the forest areas, the water, the birds, and everything you see attracts you.
As Tourism and Culture Commissioner, what are the strategies put in place to tap into these tourism potentials in your state?
I will start with the tourism aspect of it. The state government had preciously given the ministry the support, the attention and the go-ahead to locate where all these tourists’ attractions are – whether they are man-made or natural. And this is the first step you will take before you can get any investor to come to develop anything in the state. Now, the ministry has gone round all the 25 local government areas.
We’ve been able to come up with a data for all the potential sites, and we have over, or approximately, about 60 sites that have been so identified in each of these local government areas. And what we have done, so far, is to put it in a pictorial form, so that every individual will know what we have. At the same time also, what the ministry is doing now is to post it on the website so that everyone will have an idea of the tourists’ attractions that we have, where they are located and how to go about it.
And I must say that we have a lot of interesting tourists’ attractions that have been so identified. We have some wonderful sites that have been identified both in Faggi and Borogu, and in some other places. We have the Dutse Menono, we have the Gada Allah, and we have the Borogu Beach. It is a sort of area that could be used for relaxation. A lot of areas have been identified.
So, what we do now is to market it, and we have begun the process. And through this way, we will be able to attract investors. Like we’ve always said in Niger State, for an investor to come to Niger is very easy. It is not going to take you time to acquire your land. It is not going to be time-consuming or time-wasting.
So, for any serious investor, you can easily come to Niger State for investment. What an investor will need is a peaceful environment and provision of accessible roads, which the Niger State government is doing her best to provide for investors.
Now for the cultural aspect, just as the team went round all the 25 local government areas, we ensured that all the traditional rulers and village-heads that we visited were sensitized on the importance of keeping our culture alive.
Our culture is very important, because it is a way of life which we all know. It modifies one’s behaviour. It’s unlike what we have these days; when we see someone behaving in such a way that is unexpected, that we begin to wonder where he or she comes from.
So, now we are encouraging every community to go back to our cultural heritage. When we talk about cultural heritage, we are not talking of only our dances, our foods, or local cuisines. We are also talking about things that we have done in the past, that are of relevance and can still be modified to suit the present generation. We will talk about our woven materials, like the one I am wearing now. So, we want to encourage our generation and generations to come to imbibe some of these cultures and to bring them back.
Like now, we have encouraged our communities, some of them are already coming up with the Hunters Festival. We have this Hunters Festival, we have the Durbar and a lot of others that are coming up because of this sensitization. I think so far, the enlightenment has really done so well for us in Niger State, and everybody has keyed in and is willing to bring back the lost culture to life.
In all these that you’ve highlighted so far, how does it impact on the life of the ordinary people of Niger State?
We know that there is a lot of wealth hidden in these our tourists sites. We are seating on wealth and we need to explore that wealth. Take, for example, the rural tourism which we are trying to encourage; is it not just to encourage people to appreciate what they have, either naturally or man-made. We also encourage people to come and have a look at what is happening in the area.
And when you come to have a look at that area, it means you need to encourage the economic base of that community. And how do you encourage the economic power of that community? It is to encourage them to come back with those good old days’ arts and crafts which they have been doing before. Take for example, weaving of clothes, pottery making, weaving of mats and local hand fans.
So, the more tourists come to these areas, the better for these people, because they will be able to produce some of these local crafts and be able to make some money for themselves. So, it’s not just identifying the tourists’ attractions for its sake.
It’s good we identify them, it’s good we value them, it’s good we encourage our children and generations to come to know where these tourists’ sites are, but, at the same time, it’s good to encourage the local communities to improve on their economic base.
That’s one of the essences of this sensitization which we have made. This sensitization has really impacted a lot on the people, and that is why it is being encouraged. It is not on a very large scale yet, but the good thing is that something, at least, has started.
Something has started in the sense that in most of these communities where these Durbar or local festivals take place, there is a lot of selling and buying. That’s a fraction of it. Improving on the economy of the people; and that’s just a step, and gradually, we will be able to perfect this, and then, the people will be able to improve on their standard of living.
Recently, a critical stakeholders meeting was held in Abuja to boost investment opportunities and woo investors to Niger State. As one of the participants, how would you describe that meeting, and what impact do you think this will make in the state?
I think, it was a very wonderful meeting, highly enlightening. And it has shown everyone the way and the need for every ministry and MDAs to work together for the success of this one-stop-shop investment opportunity. We all need it, if we want to woo investors to our state.
If we are disjointed and not connected, we might delay investors in acquiring some of the necessary documents which they need to come to our state to invest. But now with this enlightenment and the retreat which we had last week, everyone has a responsibility to go back home and put things together and encourage one another to help our investors to be glad to come to Niger State for business. And I think that’s in order.
What would you say are the achievements of the ministry under your leadership?
We’ve done a lot as far as the ministry is concerned, and we always thrive for the first. You know our vision as a state is to be one of the first three economies in the states by the year 2020. So, we struggle so hard, so that we will be one of the three and not to be left out at the bottom.
Recently, we were in Ghana on the Ghana/Nigeria Cultural Festival to participate in three events; that is dance, African fashion show and African Hair-do. And we came first in two of the three events; that is African Hair-do and dance.
The Council for Arts and Culture organised and hosted the 2nd Niger State Cultural Quiz Competition. The competition took place between February 14 and 15, 2012, where over 30 secondary schools participated. The best school was selected to represent the state at the National Cultural Quiz Competition. The council also participated at the 6th National Cultural Quiz Competition, held at Abeokuta, Ogun State, between February 28 and March 2, 2012. In that competition, Niger State took 5th overall position.
Again, the council fully participated at the Annual African Festival of Arts and Crafts Expo (AFAC 2012), which took place at the Eagles Square, Abuja, from June 7 to 14, 2012. At the end of the expo, the council was victorious and won the following laurels: 1st position in food fair (innovative packaging), 1st position in product and brand design (brass) and 3rd position in food fair (variety and presentation).
A lot of efforts is being put together to be at the top, which we want to continue and hold on to. Apart from that festival, we also participated in NAFEST, the Abuja Carnival, the Arewa Festival and RATTAFEST. And in all of these festivals, we came back with laurels. And that is to show some of the things we have done so far.
Can you lead us into your political life and the challenges you face as a woman politician?
First of all, I must say I’m very grateful to the Chief Servant of Niger State, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, who has found me worthy to be a part of his cabinet. I got into politics in 2007, after my appointment as a commissioner.
Being with the people at the grassroots hadn’t been quite smooth. It couldn’t be smooth, because there are certain challenges. First, let me begin with the challenge of being a woman. In some communities, they still have a reservation for women. Women are not equal to men; no matter what we say. It is still there. And in some communities where they want to maneuver, the woman is not the best to be maneuvered to do a lot of things out of place. So, you have that challenge.
But the most interesting of it all is that, down at the grassroots, being sincerely loving to your people, talking to them, and telling them the agenda of government are most important and paramount in the life of the people. Once they discover that you have that ability to lead them, to tell them the truth, they go along with you.
Not everyone will go along with you, and that is where the problem is in our nation today. We need men and women of sincerity; men and women that are honest and with integrity to deliver what they have promised the electorate. Now, when you do these, you will discover that you will be able to carry the electorate along with you.
But I must say, we need a lot of sensitization now more than ever before for our youths. We need sensitization, to tell them that Rome was not built in a day, and we need to value hard work. We must value hard work; you don’t get everything on a platter of gold. You just have to work to get what you want. And when you get things on a platter of gold, you don’t value it. And I think our youths should know that.
Most unfortunately, some of our youths have been used as political thugs. I use this opportunity to call on every concerned Nigerian, interested in the life of our youths, that we must join hands together and desist from this act of using our youths as thugs.
So, we still have a lot to be done in this aspect, and I’m sure, with a lot of sensitization and delivering what we promised the electorate, I bet you, we will have a better Nigeria for it.
As Nigeria prepares for the centenary celebration of its amalgamation in 1914, that also symbolizes 100 years of women’s contributions to Nigeria’s development. How would you describe the Nigerian woman?
The Nigerian woman has done very well, and an average Nigerian woman is good. An average Nigerian woman, when given a responsibility, wants to deliver on that responsibility. And she does it with the whole of her strength, the whole of her heart, and the whole of her energy, because she wants to make an impact. If you go back to history, the Aba women riot of 1929 with Margaret Ekpo, you see that they were concerned about the welfare of the citizens of Nigeria.
You talk about Gambo Sawaba, Queen Amina and Funmilayo Kuti – all these great women, and even now, we still have our women who are serving as ministers and commissioners, who are doing very well. These women have done wonderfully well, and have contributed much to the development of the economy of this nation. Look at Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, and Prof. Dora Akunyili, see the way they worked so hard for this country.
I admire them so much. We should be able to lay our lives for our nation, not just after what you get from it. I will say so with all humility and responsibility, that we need women in more areas of governance. The woman finds it difficult to take what is not hers. So, we need to give women a place in this society.
In as much as women are asking for more positions in governance, there is this belief in some quarters that women don’t love themselves. There is also this “pull her down” syndrome among the women political class. Do you share this idea?
I don’t have that belief as an individual that I should pull down a fellow woman. I believe in building a woman like myself, whether I’m in that position or not. If I find a woman in a position that I admire, I can go close and give her my own support and encouragement for her to succeed.
But if you look at the situation that we find ourselves, there is a lot of intrigues, politicking and all that And that is why some women believe they should pull one another down. I want to say, it’s not good at all for us as women.
I think, in that area, what we do is that we need the women to come together as a force.
That is what we need, and when we come together as a force, we should be able to choose from ourselves, who we want to be at the top. And when we choose somebody to be at the top, we need to support such a person, irrespective of our religion. We need to support her, so that she can deliver; and we also need to give her some guidance, where necessary.
But we must also remember that as women, we don’t have the financial strength like the men, because the man can go to any length if he wants to succeed. That again is a problem to the women. You can’t just go to any length because you want to succeed as a woman. And because we can’t just go to any length just anyhow, I will ask women to come together and work together, so that we can deliver.
We can take this nation, if we work very hard. Because I know that a woman has the capacity to rule this nation. So, as women, what we all want to do is to work together as a team and fight our own challenges. We have too many challenges as women, to begin to think or look at another woman to pull her down.
You are the Niger State Commissioner for Tourism and Culture. Before now, you’ve served in other ministries as commissioner and in other capacities. How has it been so far in your new office?
It has been a very interesting ministry. It is a ministry where things that are being done are not unfamiliar to you; because we talk about tourism, we talk about culture. And culture is our way of life; culture depicts everything which we do at home, at school, within the society; or anywhere you find yourself, your culture is your watchword.
And at the same time, in tourism also, we have seen a lot of tourists’ attractions, which we haven’t really paid attention to. We just see them, we think they are things that we just past by. But with enlightenment, we’ve now known that we have wealth in some of these tourists areas, which we have seen, either as children or as adults.
So, it is a part of our life. Part of our life, because when you go out to look at some of the wonders of the world; look at the forest areas, the water, the birds, and everything you see attracts you.
As Tourism and Culture Commissioner, what are the strategies put in place to tap into these tourism potentials in your state?
I will start with the tourism aspect of it. The state government had preciously given the ministry the support, the attention and the go-ahead to locate where all these tourists’ attractions are – whether they are man-made or natural. And this is the first step you will take before you can get any investor to come to develop anything in the state. Now, the ministry has gone round all the 25 local government areas.
We’ve been able to come up with a data for all the potential sites, and we have over, or approximately, about 60 sites that have been so identified in each of these local government areas. And what we have done, so far, is to put it in a pictorial form, so that every individual will know what we have. At the same time also, what the ministry is doing now is to post it on the website so that everyone will have an idea of the tourists’ attractions that we have, where they are located and how to go about it.
And I must say that we have a lot of interesting tourists’ attractions that have been so identified. We have some wonderful sites that have been identified both in Faggi and Borogu, and in some other places. We have the Dutse Menono, we have the Gada Allah, and we have the Borogu Beach. It is a sort of area that could be used for relaxation. A lot of areas have been identified.
So, what we do now is to market it, and we have begun the process. And through this way, we will be able to attract investors. Like we’ve always said in Niger State, for an investor to come to Niger is very easy. It is not going to take you time to acquire your land. It is not going to be time-consuming or time-wasting.
So, for any serious investor, you can easily come to Niger State for investment. What an investor will need is a peaceful environment and provision of accessible roads, which the Niger State government is doing her best to provide for investors.
Now for the cultural aspect, just as the team went round all the 25 local government areas, we ensured that all the traditional rulers and village-heads that we visited were sensitized on the importance of keeping our culture alive.
Our culture is very important, because it is a way of life which we all know. It modifies one’s behaviour. It’s unlike what we have these days; when we see someone behaving in such a way that is unexpected, that we begin to wonder where he or she comes from.
So, now we are encouraging every community to go back to our cultural heritage. When we talk about cultural heritage, we are not talking of only our dances, our foods, or local cuisines. We are also talking about things that we have done in the past, that are of relevance and can still be modified to suit the present generation. We will talk about our woven materials, like the one I am wearing now. So, we want to encourage our generation and generations to come to imbibe some of these cultures and to bring them back.
Like now, we have encouraged our communities, some of them are already coming up with the Hunters Festival. We have this Hunters Festival, we have the Durbar and a lot of others that are coming up because of this sensitization. I think so far, the enlightenment has really done so well for us in Niger State, and everybody has keyed in and is willing to bring back the lost culture to life.
In all these that you’ve highlighted so far, how does it impact on the life of the ordinary people of Niger State?
We know that there is a lot of wealth hidden in these our tourists sites. We are seating on wealth and we need to explore that wealth. Take, for example, the rural tourism which we are trying to encourage; is it not just to encourage people to appreciate what they have, either naturally or man-made. We also encourage people to come and have a look at what is happening in the area.
And when you come to have a look at that area, it means you need to encourage the economic base of that community. And how do you encourage the economic power of that community? It is to encourage them to come back with those good old days’ arts and crafts which they have been doing before. Take for example, weaving of clothes, pottery making, weaving of mats and local hand fans.
So, the more tourists come to these areas, the better for these people, because they will be able to produce some of these local crafts and be able to make some money for themselves. So, it’s not just identifying the tourists’ attractions for its sake.
It’s good we identify them, it’s good we value them, it’s good we encourage our children and generations to come to know where these tourists’ sites are, but, at the same time, it’s good to encourage the local communities to improve on their economic base.
That’s one of the essences of this sensitization which we have made. This sensitization has really impacted a lot on the people, and that is why it is being encouraged. It is not on a very large scale yet, but the good thing is that something, at least, has started.
Something has started in the sense that in most of these communities where these Durbar or local festivals take place, there is a lot of selling and buying. That’s a fraction of it. Improving on the economy of the people; and that’s just a step, and gradually, we will be able to perfect this, and then, the people will be able to improve on their standard of living.
Recently, a critical stakeholders meeting was held in Abuja to boost investment opportunities and woo investors to Niger State. As one of the participants, how would you describe that meeting, and what impact do you think this will make in the state?
I think, it was a very wonderful meeting, highly enlightening. And it has shown everyone the way and the need for every ministry and MDAs to work together for the success of this one-stop-shop investment opportunity. We all need it, if we want to woo investors to our state.
If we are disjointed and not connected, we might delay investors in acquiring some of the necessary documents which they need to come to our state to invest. But now with this enlightenment and the retreat which we had last week, everyone has a responsibility to go back home and put things together and encourage one another to help our investors to be glad to come to Niger State for business. And I think that’s in order.
What would you say are the achievements of the ministry under your leadership?
We’ve done a lot as far as the ministry is concerned, and we always thrive for the first. You know our vision as a state is to be one of the first three economies in the states by the year 2020. So, we struggle so hard, so that we will be one of the three and not to be left out at the bottom.
Recently, we were in Ghana on the Ghana/Nigeria Cultural Festival to participate in three events; that is dance, African fashion show and African Hair-do. And we came first in two of the three events; that is African Hair-do and dance.
The Council for Arts and Culture organised and hosted the 2nd Niger State Cultural Quiz Competition. The competition took place between February 14 and 15, 2012, where over 30 secondary schools participated. The best school was selected to represent the state at the National Cultural Quiz Competition. The council also participated at the 6th National Cultural Quiz Competition, held at Abeokuta, Ogun State, between February 28 and March 2, 2012. In that competition, Niger State took 5th overall position.
Again, the council fully participated at the Annual African Festival of Arts and Crafts Expo (AFAC 2012), which took place at the Eagles Square, Abuja, from June 7 to 14, 2012. At the end of the expo, the council was victorious and won the following laurels: 1st position in food fair (innovative packaging), 1st position in product and brand design (brass) and 3rd position in food fair (variety and presentation).
A lot of efforts is being put together to be at the top, which we want to continue and hold on to. Apart from that festival, we also participated in NAFEST, the Abuja Carnival, the Arewa Festival and RATTAFEST. And in all of these festivals, we came back with laurels. And that is to show some of the things we have done so far.
Can you lead us into your political life and the challenges you face as a woman politician?
First of all, I must say I’m very grateful to the Chief Servant of Niger State, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, who has found me worthy to be a part of his cabinet. I got into politics in 2007, after my appointment as a commissioner.
Being with the people at the grassroots hadn’t been quite smooth. It couldn’t be smooth, because there are certain challenges. First, let me begin with the challenge of being a woman. In some communities, they still have a reservation for women. Women are not equal to men; no matter what we say. It is still there. And in some communities where they want to maneuver, the woman is not the best to be maneuvered to do a lot of things out of place. So, you have that challenge.
But the most interesting of it all is that, down at the grassroots, being sincerely loving to your people, talking to them, and telling them the agenda of government are most important and paramount in the life of the people. Once they discover that you have that ability to lead them, to tell them the truth, they go along with you.
Not everyone will go along with you, and that is where the problem is in our nation today. We need men and women of sincerity; men and women that are honest and with integrity to deliver what they have promised the electorate. Now, when you do these, you will discover that you will be able to carry the electorate along with you.
But I must say, we need a lot of sensitization now more than ever before for our youths. We need sensitization, to tell them that Rome was not built in a day, and we need to value hard work. We must value hard work; you don’t get everything on a platter of gold. You just have to work to get what you want. And when you get things on a platter of gold, you don’t value it. And I think our youths should know that.
Most unfortunately, some of our youths have been used as political thugs. I use this opportunity to call on every concerned Nigerian, interested in the life of our youths, that we must join hands together and desist from this act of using our youths as thugs.
So, we still have a lot to be done in this aspect, and I’m sure, with a lot of sensitization and delivering what we promised the electorate, I bet you, we will have a better Nigeria for it.
As Nigeria prepares for the centenary celebration of its amalgamation in 1914, that also symbolizes 100 years of women’s contributions to Nigeria’s development. How would you describe the Nigerian woman?
The Nigerian woman has done very well, and an average Nigerian woman is good. An average Nigerian woman, when given a responsibility, wants to deliver on that responsibility. And she does it with the whole of her strength, the whole of her heart, and the whole of her energy, because she wants to make an impact. If you go back to history, the Aba women riot of 1929 with Margaret Ekpo, you see that they were concerned about the welfare of the citizens of Nigeria.
You talk about Gambo Sawaba, Queen Amina and Funmilayo Kuti – all these great women, and even now, we still have our women who are serving as ministers and commissioners, who are doing very well. These women have done wonderfully well, and have contributed much to the development of the economy of this nation. Look at Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, and Prof. Dora Akunyili, see the way they worked so hard for this country.
I admire them so much. We should be able to lay our lives for our nation, not just after what you get from it. I will say so with all humility and responsibility, that we need women in more areas of governance. The woman finds it difficult to take what is not hers. So, we need to give women a place in this society.
In as much as women are asking for more positions in governance, there is this belief in some quarters that women don’t love themselves. There is also this “pull her down” syndrome among the women political class. Do you share this idea?
I don’t have that belief as an individual that I should pull down a fellow woman. I believe in building a woman like myself, whether I’m in that position or not. If I find a woman in a position that I admire, I can go close and give her my own support and encouragement for her to succeed.
But if you look at the situation that we find ourselves, there is a lot of intrigues, politicking and all that And that is why some women believe they should pull one another down. I want to say, it’s not good at all for us as women.
I think, in that area, what we do is that we need the women to come together as a force.
That is what we need, and when we come together as a force, we should be able to choose from ourselves, who we want to be at the top. And when we choose somebody to be at the top, we need to support such a person, irrespective of our religion. We need to support her, so that she can deliver; and we also need to give her some guidance, where necessary.
But we must also remember that as women, we don’t have the financial strength like the men, because the man can go to any length if he wants to succeed. That again is a problem to the women. You can’t just go to any length because you want to succeed as a woman. And because we can’t just go to any length just anyhow, I will ask women to come together and work together, so that we can deliver.
We can take this nation, if we work very hard. Because I know that a woman has the capacity to rule this nation. So, as women, what we all want to do is to work together as a team and fight our own challenges. We have too many challenges as women, to begin to think or look at another woman to pull her down.
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