The Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Tuesday, has said it will be delighted to work with the Delborough Hotel management in Lagos for the building of a 7-Star luxury hotel at the Arts Village in Abuja.
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, stated this Tuesday in Abuja, when the management of the Hotel paid a courtesy visit on the Ministry, for the purpose of signing a Lease Agreement between the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) and the Delborough Hotel.
Speaking at the event, Musawa said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has insisted on the diversification of the economy and that boosting the tourism sector is just one of the ways of boosting the economy.
She said the Delborough Hotel in Lagos been able to merge culture and tourism for the development of the country and that it can be likened to other popular hotels in Dubai and other developed countries of the world.
She said: “This is a fantastic day, not only for the ministry, I think for Nigeria. From the very beginning, when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came on board, he made it very clear that he wanted to diversify. We are a growing population. I often say, I know at this point, for those who have heard me speak, it sounds rather banal, but it is the truth, we have to diversify. One of the areas that we felt was key for us to diversify, apart from the creative and the cultural industry, is the tourism industry.
“Tourism now is the new fave. Everywhere you go in the world, it’s about building tourism. For us, we have looked at the different strategies to deploy in order to diversify away from that. Just recently, we were in the United Kingdom with Mr. President. One of the areas that he spoke about was his interest in how far we have come in the delivery of tourism.
“Of course, the capital city of the greatest black nation on earth is Abuja. As much as we want to talk about tourism in Nigeria, if we do not provide
the infrastructure in the capital city of the giant of Africa, you have not even started a conversation of tourism. I was talking about a year and a half ago. I was in Lagos, and of course, I am used to the hotels that I usually go to in Lagos.
“Somebody said to me, why not try the Delborough Hotel? At that time, I was rather uncomfortable because I am one of those people who like their comfort zone. You are almost used to the hotels that you go to. By chance, I stumbled on the Delborough Hotel. I went there. Honestly, for those who have not been there, it is a great experience. For those who have not been there, it’s almost like being teleported to a hotel or to an industry in Dubai.
“There is no difference with being in the Delborough Hotel in Nigeria and being in a seven star hotel in Dubai or somewhere else. There is no difference with being in the Delborough Hotel and being in a seven star hotel in some of the key cities in Dubai or in America or any of the key cities in the world.
“And then I asked, I said, what brand is the Delborough Hotel? And they told me it’s a Nigerian brand. And it was almost like a light bulb moment for me, because as the Minister of Art, Culture, Industry and Tourism, to be able to take a Nigerian brand, mix it with culture, mix it with tourism, and then the soft power that we’re looking for, it was a given for us to not only bring in an international brand into Nigeria, but to take an international brand that is Nigerian in and of itself, and then export it internationally.
“But before you do that internationally, you have to be able to take a Nigerian brand and be able to show the world that you as a Nigerian have taken ownership of it. And the easiest way for us to be able to do that is to bring it into the capital city of Nigeria. There are many brands internationally that are looking at coming into Nigeria to serve their own brand, but what does it say about our own brand if we have, what do they call it, a low-hanging fruit? That is essential.”
She added: “It’s a seven-star hotel in Lagos. You’ve not bought it into Abuja, but you want to export it. So for me, in the conversation that I’m having with Mr. President, it’s to ensure that we take ownership of our own brand, bringing it into the FCT before it goes internationally, and it has gone international.
“So we had a conversation with the DG of NCAC, who wanted to also be part of this conversation, because it is working as one vehicle, trying to export, import this Nigerian brand. So the reason I insisted on us having this meeting today, even though we are talking with the presidency, and at the same time with NCAC, trying to cross the T’s and dot the I’s, it was important for me to bring both Flutterwave and Delborough here today to show you how committed we are as a government in ensuring that we do this, to do this thing together as Nigerians.
“We have to do this thing together for the tourism industry, and for the hotel brand, because this is in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President, where he wants to see that diversification.
“So I hope that you know that as a government, we are committed to ensuring that Delborough does not only have the commitment, and the partnership, and the collaboration of the federal government, but we are committed to ensuring that as a federal government, we want to take ownership of whatever this means as an expression of Nigeria.
“It is a seven-star hotel that we want, when you talk about the Ritz, when you talk about globally, when you talk about the world of Astoria, that conversation, that Delborough has got to be there. And as a federal government, we want to ensure that we give all the support, all the partnership.
“So, of course, we are working on the modality of how that will look like, with Delborough coming into FCT, working with the NCAC, inculcating the private sector, inculcating the agency, inculcating the culture and the creativity and of course bringing it in the heartland of Abuja in the heartbeat of Abuja. There is no other better location. I think we have already done that, so my hope is within the next week or so, in the next few days, we would have crossed the T’s and dotted the I’s.
“I’m working directly with the presidency in ensuring that the private sector knows that we are completely committed and this is why it is necessary for us to have you here. For me, it was important to ensure that your whole team, together with Flutterwave, comes here so that you know that we are committed as a federal government.
“Hopefully, within the next few days, we will cross the T’s dot the I’s to ensure that we put this in the proper manner, so that this thing can be sustainable beyond all of us, for the private sector, for tourism, for Nigeria, for the Renewed Hope Agenda and for every single Nigerian.”
Also speaking, the CEO and Chairman of Delborough Hotel, Dr. Stanley Uzochukwu, said the Delborough hotel will not only boost tourism, but will also connect businesses ans create jobs.
He said his team will be delighted to partner with the federal government for the development of the country, starting with the building of a 7 Star luxury hotel at the Arts Village in Abuja.
Blueprint.ng reports that, after its inauguration in late 2023, the Delborough Hotel has gained recognition for high-profile guests, including hosting over 16 Presidents and top investors.
