By CHARLES IWUOHA

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and a Governor of the Old Enugu State, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, have been penciled down to launch a 395-page book on hospitality and tourism management meant to boost the country’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

Others expected for the launch include: Chairman, Enugu State Board of Internal Revenue, Chief Emeka Odo, Rector, Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, Prof. Austin Nweze, and PDP Governorship Candidate for Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah.

Speaking with newsmen in Enugu on Monday, the author of the book, Chief Steve Odo, said that when principles of the book are applied, it would lead to IGR increase for individuals, businesses and governments.

Odo said that the book titled: “The Principles and Practice of Hospitality and Tourism Management”, would lead to effective hospitality and tourism management to harness the abundant potentials in the two sub-sectors.

“It has been my life-long ambition to write the book and open up the endless opportunities and potentials for wealth creation and up-scaling IGR for both individuals, groups, businesses and governments in the country.

“Tourism and hospitality are rare sectors that authors hardly write about due to little knowledge or even few reference materials and lack of data.

“Nigeria, especially Enugu, is booming in hospitality and tourism, even as there are great potentials to increase the gains from hospitality and tourism if well harnessed,” Odo, who is also the General Manager of Enugu State Tourism Board, said.

The tourism board boss said that the book would serve as a legacy he would be leaving behind for stakeholders, students, practitioners and administrators of the two correlated sub-sectors.

He said that the challenges he encountered in writing the book included few reference materials and lack of data on tourism and hospitality.

Odo said that the book, which would be launched on Thursday, June 9, 2022, at Enugu Sports Club, GRA, Enugu, had chapters that deal with effective management of hotels, restaurants and other tourism entities, including rules, regulations and procedures.

“The book also contains how to apply management functions of Planning, Organising, Staff Leading, Controlling and Co-coordinating in the management of hotels and other related entities.

“It contains how to prepare 100 different types of African and Continental dishes, as well as how to plan and manage events of all kinds.

“The role of hospitality and tourism in Nigeria’s National Security and the need for collaboration with governments at all levels.

“The appendix provides lists of some good hotels in the 36 states of Nigeria and Abuja, as well as most registered hotels and tourist sites within Enugu State, among others,” he added.

According to him, Chief Nick Omeye, Federal Commissioner, Public Complaints Commission; state’s Commissioner for Justice, Chief Milletus Eze and the book reviewer, Dr Ferdinand Anikwe, a former Director-General of Centre for Black African Arts and Civilisation, among others, would grace the occasion.

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