OYO State Labour Partys (LP) deputy gubernatorial candidate and former majority leader in the states House of Assembly, Hon. Ademola Adejumobi, has given an assurance on the overhauling of the states tourism industry.Hon Ademola, who said this in a chat with TTH during the weekend, added that the states tourism was bereft of development and exploration. This, he ascribed to the level of education of the past administration about the potentialities of the industry to evoke affluence in the state.Nobody with a good insight on tourism as an economy booster will not give it attention; creating a concrete structure for its sustainable growth, continually charging and giving needed support to the stakeholders in the industry.The Dr Azeez Adeduntan-led administration, when it assumes office in May, will address the decadence in the industry and resuscitate it to propel affluence and unprecedented development in the state, and make it proud nationally and internationally.To achieve this, well constitute a progressive-minded and ebullient team to visit all the tourist sites in the state, give a sincere report of their state, with a view to developing, promoting and exploring them to better the lots of the state and the people therein, Adejumobi disclosed.In the same vein, the partys candidate for the House of Assembly, representing Iwajowa Constituency and former Chairman, Foreign Relations and Training in the state House of Assembly, Hon. Demola Tijani, stressed the need to make tourism parastatals autonomous.This, according to him, would enable the parastatals to fully discharge their responsibilities and put the state tourism on the fast lane of development.The tourism parastatal, which was supposed to be autonomous, was subservient to the Ministry of Information, which should not be. This was a miscalculation. And it has incapacitated the parastatal from living up to expectation; debarring it from developing and promoting tourist potentialities in the state to better the lots of the state and its people. This had not only dug the grave of the states tourism industry, but buried it and almost wiped out its memory.But it is not yet over for the resuscitation of the industry. To achieve this, let the tourism parastatal be autonomous, even at the federal level; empower the parastatal with all necessary things and give it a target, which if not met, should lead to the people in charge being questioned and tried, Tijani said.The former Chairman, Foreign Relations and Training, promised to move the motion for the independence of the states tourism parastatal if elected as the member of the House in the April poll.On the controversial Agodi Gardens, Tijani said: Agodi Gardens is an eco-tourist site. When I get back to the House, I will ensure that I move a motion that will move the gardens from either the Ministry of Information or Agriculture to the autonomous tourism parastatal. We will legislate to that effect. And once the floor upholds it, the executive cannot run away from their responsibilities.
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