Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, Director General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) has promised to collaborate with the Benue state government to boost manpower and capacity development of youths in the state in particular and the North Central Zone as a whole with the view to encouraging them to venture into tourism business as a professional career which will offer them gainful employment better than the elusive white collar jobs in line with the Federal government’s efforts to curb unemployment.

Kangiwa who made the promise when he received in audience Mrs Ngunan Addingi, the Benue State Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism in his office, said the Benue state government has demonstrated enough passion and commitment to the growth and development of tourism and hospitality in the state and needed support to accomplish its vision of growing the sector.

He said NIHOTOUR as the nation’s apex public training institute for the tourism and hospitality industry is willing to partner with the state government to make Makurdi, the state capital, the hub of tourism and hospitality training in the North Central zone of the country, stressing that the state of the art infrastructure put in place by the state government for tourism training purpose is worthy of applaud and commendation.

The Director General, who expressed his delight and appreciation with the visit by the Commissioner, said that this will go a long way in fostering better understanding as well as create a mutual and beneficial relationship for enhanced manpower training which will in turn contribute to the growth of the tourism industry in the state and the country in general.

Mrs Addingi had earlier told the Director General that she was in his office to first congratulate him on his appointment as the Director General of the Institute as well as brief him on the intention of the Benue State Government to have the presence of NIHOTOUR in Makurdi to enhance the capacity and manpower development needs of the state in the tourism and hospitality industry.

She said the state government has shown enough commitment and high level passion in growing its tourism potentials, but regrets however that this can only be achieved with the availability of high quality manpower to drive the industry and looks up to NIHOTOUR to come to its rescue.

While the commissioner wished Alhaji Kangiwa a successful tenure as Director General of the Institute, she strongly solicited for the support and cooperation of the Institute under his watch in bringing about the take-off of tourism and hospitality training in Benue state.