Bolaji Seun, one of the team leaders of Naija Explorers, has identified inadequate accommodation, poor security and transportation challenges as some of the biggest obstacles preventing Nigeria’s festivals from reaching their full tourism potential.
Speaking at the Naija7Wonders Zoom Conference themed “Festivals & Tourism in Nigeria: A New Pathway,” Bolaji shared his personal experiences attending some of Nigeria’s leading cultural festivals, including the Osun-Osogbo Festival and Ojude Oba Festival. He recalled that during one visit to Osun-Osogbo, hotels were completely booked, leaving many visitors with nowhere to stay.
“Most of the hotels were fully booked. There was no space for tourists and some of us had to sleep inside our bus because there wasn’t enough accommodation,” he said. Bolaji also expressed concern over security challenges associated with festival travel, recounting reports of kidnappings along routes leading to major festivals and incidents where foreign visitors were robbed during cultural events. He stressed that such incidents damage Nigeria’s image as a tourism destination and discourage both domestic and international visitors.
“The government needs to provide adequate security for everyone attending these festivals. We cannot promote festivals successfully if visitors don’t feel safe,” he said. He urged state governments to improve policing, road security and emergency response during festival periods while encouraging local communities to provide additional accommodation through guest houses and home-stay initiatives to address shortages.
Despite these challenges, Bolaji maintained that Nigeria’s festivals remain among the country’s strongest tourism assets. He encouraged tourism promoters and content creators to focus on showcasing the positive stories surrounding Nigerian festivals through platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, rather than allowing negative narratives to dominate public perception.
According to him, effective digital storytelling, combined with improved infrastructure and security, can position Nigeria’s festivals as globally competitive tourism products capable of attracting thousands of international visitors annually.
