Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said Nigeria possesses the potential to become a major global tourism destination if the right leadership commitment is given.
Obi made the remark while speaking as a guest at the 2025 Domestic Tourism Conference held in Enugu State.
In a post shared on his social media handles, the former Anambra State governor described Nigeria as one of the world’s most untapped sources of foreign exchange revenue, stressing that the sector could be transformed with adequate investment and security.
He drew a comparison with Turkey, which, according to him, earned over $61 billion from tourism alone in 2024.
“To put that into perspective, that is more than Nigeria’s entire foreign exchange earnings from several of our sources combined.
“In the same year, over 62 million people visited Turkey, creating millions of jobs and supporting countless SMEs. By contrast, Nigeria cannot even boast of 10% of that number in tourist arrivals. Imagine if we were able to attract even a third of Turkey’s tourism numbers, that could mean over $20 billion in revenue for Nigeria from Tourism alone, alongside massive job creation for our people,” Obi said.
The former governor further argued that Nigerian leaders must set the tone by spending their holidays within the country instead of travelling abroad.
“Again, like I have consistently mentioned, it is time for our leaders, especially the President, to begin setting the example by taking their holidays in Nigeria. Nothing is stopping our own President from hosting holidays in places like Zamfara, Cross River, Kebbi, Yobe or Plateau. Nigeria has what it takes to be a global tourism destination. What we lack is vision, leadership, and commitment.
“Nigeria is beautiful and our leaders must start showcasing Nigeria’s beauty to the world,” Obi added.