In the progress of its joint effort to sanitise and to make sure international best practice in the hotel industry is achieved, the Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria [FTAN], Standard Organisation of Nigeria have met with the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture to streamline a seamless working relationship within the control of the law to launch a national hotel grading and classification exercise with Lagos as the pilot lead.
The trio, who met recently at the office of the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf had a discussion centred on how to partner through practical terms to chart a national uniform grading and certification model for another state to follow.
Speaking on the importance of management system standard the Director, Management systems certification, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, Felix Nyado noted that the benefits range from pointing out risks and opportunities, preventing problems from reoccurring, boosting marketing and sales effort, improving employee’s performance to improving management control over the business.
“The implementation of the standard is very important to the stakeholders in Nigeria [hotel owners and all hospitality and tourism promoters] because it is a sign of an upgrade in our hospitality business environment.
“The demand for a unified, one-stop certification and rating system for Nigerian hospitality establishments is a request from the major stakeholders to reduce the weight of compliance on the owners.
“The inspection is going to be carried out by the state ministry of tourism and in line with the requirements of ISO/IEC17020:2012 standard, which specifies a requirement for competence of bodies performing inspection and for the impartiality and consistency of their inspection activities.”
The SON team who buttressed the need to follow the best global standard in hotel grading and classification presented the ISO Management System Certification comprising the ISO9001; Quality Management System, ISO 14001 Environment Management System, OHSAS18001 Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series, ISO22000 Food Safety Management System, Integrated Management System as well as the route of certification.
Following the statement of SON team leader, Felix Nyado, Director, Management systems certification, “the provision of certification service is in first, second and third phases among which are the inspection and grading audit, assessment report and recommendation and the final stage are the certification.
In her statement after the lead by the SON team, the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism Arts and Culture, Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf appreciated the SON team for taking time out to visit the ministry over the grading of a hotel but reminded attendees that Lagos has its grading and classification mandate under the control of the law, including that such provision is still valid and will be upheld regardless of the collaboration.
Getting more curious about the position of the SON, she inquires about the actual role of SON in the hotel grading exercise, stating that they will not play second fiddle in their mandate which clears under the supreme court judgment.
The commission also agreed on the fact that FTAN which is an organised private sector body is pushing the course for the benefit of the country and Lagos, but also held on her position on who is taking a leadership position in the grading exercise.
Giving a clearer picture of the process, the President of FTAN, Nkereuwem Onung who interjected at a slight crossroad question on what is the role of each of the parties, said that the purpose of the collaboration is not to superimpose one party on the other but to use the process of division of labour at actualising the process that will bring uniformity in the hotel industry in terms of national grading and certification.
“We are actually making Lagos State the pilot of this grading and classification project as a pacesetter and we know and believe that if the state gets it right, it will be a sustainable lead for other states of the federation.
Onung explain that it is high time for Nigeria to join the global best practice in giving our hotel and other tourism allied businesses an international standard so that all other benefits accrue to the status can be enjoyed.
“We are losing many things owing to non-uniformity in the national grading of our hotels and this is an impediment to investment opportunity because no one will want to invest in an environment or business where everything goes.
“Also, as it is now, no one will even want to visit a place where every state runs its own grading where a one-star hotel in state A will be two or three-star rating in other states and so on.
“The Lagos state on their part made it clear that they are ready to collaborate and make the process work provided the parties involved in the collaborative effort recognise the legal provision of the Supreme Court in favour of the state.”
After a well laid down explanation by the president of FTAN and the SON team at the meeting, the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Akingbile-Yusuf agreed to take time out to look at the SON strategic document on the requirements and guidance for use on hotel and serviced accommodation management system and rating the team and promised to get back in a month’s time for another meeting.
Already, the SON team has suggested a training slot for the director of the ministry as well as promised to invite the participation of the ministry’s representative to one of its exercises to give them a broad knowledge of what the role of the organisation entails as the certification organ of Nigeria.
The meeting has in attendance the President of FTAN, Nkereuwem Onung, Vice President, FTAN South-South, Justina Ovat and FTAN National Public Relations Officer, Wale Olapade.
For the SON, Felix Nyado led Team while the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has in attendance the commissioner, Pharmacist Akingbile-Yusuf, the permanent Secretary, Nathan-Marsh, Assistant Director, Hotel Licensing Department, Ladejobi Ganiyu Ibrahim among others.
