Aare Abisoye Fagade: Right opportunities can shape destinies

For those that wonder who this man called Abisoye Fagade, tell us, who is Abisoye Fagade?          

I am a thoroughbred Ibadan man from both parents, my father was from Oke-Offa Baba Isale and my mother was from Oranyan. My father was an astute banker, he worked with First Bank until his retirement and my mum was a dedicated teacher in Ibadan. I attended Queen of Apostle Primary School, Oluyoro, my secondary school was Lagelu Grammar School, the same school both Alhaji Lam Adesina and Senator Abiola Ajimobi attended. I studied Demography And Social Statistics at the first degree level and I graduated from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. I attended the Stanford University (SEED Program) for a year and several other courses in reputable foreign Ivory Towers including Howard Business School. I started my career in 1999 with De-United Foods Ltd, the manufacturer of the most popular noodles brand in Nigeria, Indomie. That brand took me to the 36 states of this country, we were busy engaging consumers and promoting the brand all over Nigeria. I later joined Starcomms as a Direct Marketing Manager in 2004, later moved to Tequila of IMS Group as a Client Service Manager. From there I moved to my last paid employment at SO&U Saatchi and Saatchi Group, Soulcomm as an Assistant Director and I resigned from there as an Associate Director in 2009 when I started Sodium Brand Solutions which has given birth to several other companies.

Tell me more about the decision to start your own business when you decided to.

Without knowing, my former boss, Mr Udeme Ufot gave me that courage to start on my own by working selflessly for him then. If I could remember, there was a project we were doing in Uyo in 2007 and it afforded me the opportunity of working closely and directly with the then Governor of Akwa Ibom, Obong Victor Attah. It happened that the Governor took a special interest in me and the rest, as they say, is now history.

My relationship with him opened the doors to other big projects. One of them is the Project Kwara that my company (which I later floated) did with Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed. We consulted for him throughout his tenure and we are still friends till date. To answer your question, I decided to go solo when I knew I was ripe enough to handle high profile projects in 2009. Meanwhile, my brainchild, Sodium Brands Solution, has now transformed into Sodium Group with specific interest in Advertising and Media consulting, Oil & Gas, Hospitality, Agribusiness and Manufacturing. All of them are being run by professionals in those fields with near nil supervision. They are also able to navigate the challenges of running businesses in Nigeria with the wealth of their experiences.

Is NIHOTOUR looking at having more youths as members?

Absolutely. Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, we recognize the critical role that young people play in transforming Nigeria’s hospitality, tourism, and travel sectors. The youth are the backbone of innovation, entrepreneurship, and digital transformation, and as such, NIHOTOUR is prioritizing their inclusion in all aspects of our operations. We are actively increasing youth participation by expanding training programs that are tailored for young Nigerians seeking careers in hospitality, tourism, and travel. We are also introducing digital and smart tourism initiatives to engage tech-savvy youth and prepare them for the global tourism industry. Again, we are providing entrepreneurial support to help young Nigerians establish and sustain tourism-related businesses. We are equally strengthening collaborations with tertiary institutions to integrate hospitality, tourism, and travel education into academic curricula while developing internship and mentorship programs to provide direct industry experience. Our goal is to equip young Nigerians with skills that will make them competitive on both the local and global stage while creating job opportunities and boosting Nigeria’s tourism economy.

What benefits does NIHOTOUR provide for youths looking to get into the hospitality, tourism, and travel industry?

NIHOTOUR is a bridge between young Nigerians and limitless opportunities in hospitality, tourism, and travel. We provide professional training  and certification, NIHOTOUR offers globally recognized training and certification programs that open doors to employment in hotels, airlines, resorts, tour operations, event management, and other tourism-related fields. These certifications give young personnel and practitioners a competitive advantage locally and internationally. On Entrepreneurial Development, we provide young Nigerians with knowledge on starting and sustaining businesses in hospitality, tourism, and travel. Training covers business management, customer service, digital marketing, and financial literacy for tourism entrepreneurs. On job placement and internships, through strategic partnerships with industry stakeholders, NIHOTOUR links young personnel and practitioners to internship and employment opportunities in top tourism, hospitality, and travel companies.

Again, our goal is to reduce youth unemployment by creating a direct pathway from training to employment. On Digital tourism and smart travel skills, we recognise the rise of digital tourism, NIHOTOUR provides training on how to leverage technology in travel and tourism. Young people can learn how to use digital marketing, artificial intelligence, and data analytics to grow businesses in the industry. We are also working with financial institutions and government agencies to provide access to startup capital for young entrepreneurs. This ensures that young tourism professionals can turn their innovative ideas into profitable ventures.

As a Nigerian who achieved a lot as a youth, what plans do you have to incorporate Nigerian youths into NIHOTOUR’s dream?

My experience as a young achiever taught me that the right opportunities can shape destinies. This is why I am personally committed to ensuring that Nigerian youths benefit from the vast potential of hospitality, tourism, and travel.

To incorporate young Nigerians into NIHOTOUR’s vision, we have launched several initiatives, including: Tourism, Hospitality & Travel for Youth Initiative. This is a program designed to train and mentor young Nigerians, preparing them for successful careers in the industry. This initiative also focuses on equipping them with leadership skills, financial intelligence, and customer service excellence.

We are also expanding NIHOTOUR Training Centers Nationwide as we are increasing the number of NIHOTOUR training centers across Nigeria, making it easier for youths in different regions to access world-class hospitality, tourism, and travel education. We are also working closely with hotels, airlines, resorts, and other tourism establishments to secure internship and job placement opportunities for young personnel and practitioners. We are encouraging young Nigerians to embrace digital tools in tourism while promoting tech-based tourism startups and online tourism platforms.

In the same vein, we have a NYSC Partnership that is empowering Corps members through tourism and hospitality training. NIHOTOUR is collaborating with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to integrate hospitality, tourism, and travel training into the NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) program. This initiative ensures that corps members are equipped with skills that enhance their employability and empower them to start their businesses after service. 

By implementing these strategies, NIHOTOUR is actively incorporating young Nigerians into our national tourism development agenda.

You had set out plans before getting into office. Now that you are in office, what have you done differently? Are those set-out plans still working for you, or have you had to change your previous plans?

Leadership comes with a responsibility to adapt to challenges and realities. While my initial vision for NIHOTOUR remains strong, I have had to expand, refine, and reinforce some of my plans to align with current industry demands.

Currently, we are securing intervention funds for permanent structures, modern training facilities, and digital learning resources to improve our training capacity. Again, NIHOTOUR is now enforcing higher standards in the hospitality, tourism, and travel industry to improve service quality, professionalism, and global competitiveness. Our youth programs, including the NYSC collaboration, have been expanded to ensure greater participation.

 Rather than relying solely on government funding, NIHOTOUR is creating innovative projects that will drive internal revenue generation to sustain our long-term operations. These adjustments have made our vision more practical, sustainable, and impactful.

When NIHOTOUR is mentioned, many think of a regulator. Beyond regulation, what does the Act that created the Institute also allow it to do?

NIHOTOUR is much more than a regulator; we are an engine for growth in Nigeria’s hospitality, tourism, and travel sectors. The Act that established NIHOTOUR empowers us to train and certify personnel and practitioners. We are the official body responsible for training and certifying professionals in Nigeria’s hospitality, tourism, and travel industry.

We ensure that Nigeria’s hospitality, tourism, and travel services meet global best practices, we also provide training, mentorship, and startup funding opportunities to help Nigerian personnel and practitioners turn tourism and travel into profitable businesses.

At NIHOTOUR, we also conduct studies and provide data to guide government decisions on tourism, travel, and hospitality development. We are also promoting Nigeria’s hospitality, tourism, and travel potential on the global stage.

At NIHOTOUR, we believe that tourism is not just an industry; it is a national asset that can drive economic growth, create jobs, and position Nigeria as a top destination for business and leisure. Through our commitment to training, regulation, and innovation, we are bringing the Renewed Hope Agenda to life in the hospitality, tourism, and travel sector, empowering personnel and practitioners, especially the youth, and ensuring sustainable growth for the industry.

You were a technocrat that became a politician as a young Nigerian. What inspired you to join politics in the first instance?

All of us are politicians, we play politics every day at home, in offices, in our boardroom, churches, mosques among other places. Life itself is politics. I’m only transferring that into getting involved in making policies that will better the life of our citizens in Oyo state and Nigeria as a whole. So, I’ve always been a technocratic politician. More importantly, the passion to see a better Nigeria as a whole inspired me to join politics. To encourage the best of us as Nigerians to come forward and get involved in the day to day running of our beloved country.

What is your take on politics being described as a dirty game?

Politics is like a muddy brown glass cup of water, if you add a few drops of clean water, it will never have any effect but the more you pour clean water the clearer it will become. At some point, it will become crystal clear if you were able to get out all the muddy water from the cup. What I’m trying to say here is simple, politics will remain dirty as long as we continue to allow the worst of us to rule over the best of us. Good people need to stop staying aloof… I urge every competent and passionate patriot to be ready to take the battle to the doorsteps of dirty players in the political turf and challenge the status quo. We should get involved and show the stuff we are made up of if we want to have a better society.