Hon. Salifu Idachaba lauds gov Bello for signing Kogi state hotels and tourism board bill »

… Says Gov Bello’s assent is the right step for revenue generation

At Government House on Tuesday, Governor Yahaya Bello signed the long-awaited bill to provide for the “repel and re-enactment of Hotel and Tourism Board Edict of 1995, establishing the Kogi state Hotel and Tourism Board and other matters connected” into law, ensuring the regulation of hotels and other leisure facilities while reiterating his assurance that all laws made were aimed at improving Kogi State and were citizen-friendly.

The bill empowers the state’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism to regulate the activities of hotels, restaurants, eateries, recreation centres, event centres, and other facilities.

Hon Idachaba in a statement has commended Gov Bello for his new direction style of governance particularly his assent to the bill stressing that the act is timely and is the right step for revenue generation and also the security of citizens in Kogi State.

Hon Idachaba noted that this all-important omnibus executive bill has been pending in the House of Assembly since 2016. The eventual passage and assent by Gov Bello is the sure right step to revenue generation being the much-awaiting law backing the ministry to identify, register, categorize, classify hotels, brothels, event centres restaurants, eateries and allied businesses at all levels across the state.

Hon Idachaba stressed that there are currently over four hundred hotels in Kogi state but paying little or nothing to government coffers. He said with the governor’s assent, the ministry will implement the laws religiously and holistically to boost the state’s IGR.

He further stressed that the ministry will carry out a comprehensive census of all hotels, event centres and allied businesses and closely monitor their activities to weed out all forms of hideout for criminal elements across all the nooks and crannies in the state in line with GYB zero tolerance for criminalities.

He also stated that this law will delve deeply into what is happening in the sector and will provide for the registration of Hotels, Restaurants, and other facilities in Kogi State, making it easier for the ministry to regulate the operations of hundreds of these facilities in the state for harmonious cooperation.