Tourism Not Major Focus Of My Administration – Surah Animashaun

By Babatunde Kaka

• There are perceptions that since her administration kicked off, tourism programmes has been at the forefront.

Ekohotblog reports that the Chairman of Epe Local Government, Princess Surah Animashaun, has stated that tourism is not the major focus of her administration.

This she said in reaction to claims from some quarters in the Fishing community that her administration is one-sided.

There have been perceptions that since her administration kicked off, tourism programmes has been at the forefront.

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Animashaun who made the rebuttal via her Facebook page noted that she has touched other sectors of the economy

According to her, her administration has touched areas such as education, women empowerment, job creation, security and others for the uplifting of her people.

She, however, clarified that her ultimate goal is to unearth opportunities abound in the tourism potentials of the Local Government which are too good to overlook, describing the sector as a “low hanging fruit.”

“It is the duty of every leader to take advantage and develop the potentials at our disposal, which is the ultimate goal for Epe land and its people. To many, it may seem that I am too focused on tourism but if you have followed my time in office since my emergence, you will see that my work also extends to areas such as Education, Women Empowerment, Job Creation, Security, amongst others,” she said.

“A lot of work is being done underground to roll out a robust plan for the sustainable development of the Epe Local Government. However, we must all acknowledge that Epe Tourism is a low hanging fruit and one of the easiest ways for every single member of the Epe community to benefit from and generate income for themselves and their families.

“Because of how diverse it is, it has the potential to keep people and their businesses engaged. When we showcase the beauty of Epe, it will attract visitors and investors. These visitors will need tour guides who are familiar with the land to show them around while the investors will engage the landowners to purchase land for their urban or agricultural development and constructions. All of these people will do businesses with entrepreneurs, bricklayers, farmers; skilled individuals and craftsmen. They will patronize them and promote their work when they leave.”

Amimasgaun avered that whichever way tourism is perceived, it is a win-win situation for all and sundry.

She pointed out that the multiplier effects of the sector should be seen in terms of employment opportunities, job creation, the boom in businesses and wealth creation.

She added that exploring opportunities abound in tourism would also “remodel and revive our beautiful land and share our culture with the world.”

The chairman stated that without exploring opportunities in Epe land, a blessed environment with rich natural resources, a fish market, vast lands for outdoor activities, colourful festivals and talented individuals, it will be a waste if not capitalised upon.

Animashaun emphasised that her administration is well-grounded and properly positioned to explore other viable sectors apart from tourism for her people to thrive thereby breeding economic prosperity.

“While tourism is NOT the main focus of this administration, I owe it to the good people of Epe to identify viable sectors they can all thrive in and put structures in place to create an enabling environment for their success. This is my mandate,” she said.

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