...Given to Hospitality!

Once again it's anniversary time. Many waters have flowed under the bridge and events that comes with it bring new definition to life. It's been a whirlwind year already. 2017, 2018 were relatively developmental. Looking on the surface, nothing seemed to happen in these years. Nonetheless, the eyes that see, know that fruit bearing trees started from seed bearing fruits. When seeds grow and develop, they are invisible to the eyes. However, when they germinate, the eyes may blur to observe, but clear observance is activated by the value of the fruit.

After the seeds sown in 2017 and 2018 began to bud in 2019, there's bound to be eminent growth. Our penchant for people first in our work is the essence of existence. It drives our sleeping and waking moments. We joy when our constituents are doing well. We rejoice when the younger ones find hope and strength to continue believing. This year, we were approved as a centre by the Institute of Tourism Professionals/National Institute for Hospitality & Tourism, working as drivers of the NPower/NBuild Program vocational skills development for youth in Nigeria. Despite the sacrificial nature of the work, we've found considerable joy in it giving younger ones the necessary skills that will forever put food on their tables, a roof over their heads and clothing on their backs.

In April, we were in Dubai to meet with the CEO of Pinnacle Events, Joe Elias, a global organisation that does great work in the UAE. We have signed a partnership agreement with them and are presently promoting the inaugural version of the first African Market Expo, in readiness for any serious player in the African space to position itself as a major player under the AfCTA agreement.

In June, my erstwhile Chairperson, Kehinde Daniel FIH, CEO, Kots Catering and I were present at the Institute of Hospitality, Annual Dinner. It was an exceptionally perfect trip. It was the shortest I have ever done travelling abroad; 3 days, but highly effective. The Dinner was exquisitely arranged. The plated service which saw over 300 top practitioners well served and fed by a Team of well disciplined service personnel at the Waldorf Hilton, in London portrayed the epitome of the hospitality trade. I wondered why our hotels here in Nigeria shy away from offering plated service. Yes, it was smooth, but I know loads of planning and training had been conducted behind the scenes. Our hospitality institutions need to up their game. It was certainly a night to remember as my 2-man Team (Kehinde and my humble self) representing Nigeria were introduced to the guests. Peter Ducker, the CEO of the Institute took out about 10 minutes to speak of the development going on in the hospitality industry in Nigeria and the contribution of members of the Institute to this development. I was proud to carry a green passport.

Despite all these developments, my thoughts on the plane worked around the short time left for practitioners like us to lay the goodly foundation that we so much require for up and coming practitioners to step on. What with so many battlefronts to fight on. Lack of government regulations; absence of a Ministry of Tourism; double taxation; uncaring, unprofessional and insensitive Owners/Investors, with a self-centred attitude and trader mentality; lack of entry barriers for practitioners (everyone now has become an expert in hospitality, in our early days, it was seen as a profession for those who couldn't make the cut - I chose well); an unskilled workforce; lack of credit facilities to promote hospitality businesses; huge infrastructural deficits; tourism & hospitality institutes and associations that are working in cross-purposes resulting in none backed up by law - a dog-eat-dog condition - not to talk of the volatile and corrupt environment. Most certainly, if you focus on all these challenges, you'll drown in lack of productivity. This we shall not do!

To all the courageous ones who have not fled Nigeria, I salute you. This is our day. Our season has come, our rewards are here. Continue to operate under the Spirit of Hospitality. Many thanks for wishing me well....remember, "we are given to hospitality".