Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika and the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Captain Muhtar Usman who were represented by the Director of Air Transport Regulations of NCAA, Edem Oyo-Ita stated that the introduction of the industry ID card is a step in the right direction. The NCAA advised the airlines to restrict their patronage to only members on the NTPIC database.

Captain Muktar Usman said that the launch of the NTPIC comes at a time of high fraudulent activity in Nigeria. He explained the NCAA has received a series of complaints with regards to agencies or agents defrauding unexpecting customers of their hard-earned money through various means, including cybercrime.

The Director-General emphasised the role of Travel Agencies as the first ambassadors of a nation. They are the first to be contacted by foreigners and citizens who intend to travel in and out of the country. They are the image of the country. “The NTPIC is, therefore, a step in the right direction to bring sanity to the downstream sector of the aviation industry,” he said.

Captain Usman further highlighted that in view of the increased criminal activity, a task force had been inaugurated by the Director, Air Transport Regulation, DATR on the 27 of November 2017. The task force, which comprises representatives of airlines, travel agencies, GDS and the Civil Aviation Authority, has vowed to determine modalities for best practices in the travel agency sub-sector.

At the launch of the NTPIC in Lagos, NANTA National President Bankole Bernard said: “The travel business in Nigeria has become one for all and sundry with absolute disregard for professionalism. The global nature of the business has been adulterated by fraudulent people who have little or no regard for the business and has thus become worrisome with the level of default to the airlines as well as passengers losing their hard-earned money to duplicitous travel agents.”

“This appalling act of unguided practitioners has continued for several years and has undermined the professionalism of serious-minded consultants within the industry and threatened the existence of a business whose primary focus is to distribute inventories on behalf of the principals which are the airlines.”

In knowing the anomalies in the industry, the Executive Council of NANTA, the umbrella body responsible for all travel agencies in Nigeria, decided to think of a lasting solution to the industry that contributes billions of Naira to Nigeria’s economy.

Said Bankole Bernard: “We are of the strong belief that NTPIC will help in identifying all the practitioners in the travel industry and put a check on them by ensuring that there is a proper database of all the agents in the industry as well as keeping statistical data to help the government plan for the industry.”

“I am very optimistic that the NTPIC is a stepping stone for the eradication of fraudsters and fraudulent acts within the downstream sector of the Aviation industry,” said Adeshola Kayode, Director Capstone Travels, and Vice President NANTA-Abuja Zone. He added the NTPIC will also help in facilitating the NANTA Bill movement before the National Assembly and will encourage and motivate members.

The unveiling of the NTPIC was done in the present of the Nigeria Immigration, Nigeria police, FAAN, NCAA and other major stakeholders of the industry.

The National Executive Council comprising the Board of trustees, National Executives and All Zonal Vice-President were present as well as airlines like South African Airways, British Airways, RwandAir, Emirates, Lufthansa, Kenya Airways, EgyptAir, and the GDS (Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport). The IATA Nigeria Team led by Mr. Fatokun was also present.

The ID card project is powered and produced by VAPO AFRICA led by Mrs. Funmi Ogidan who gave a short presentation on the security features on the card. The deadline for compliance will be announced soon

The travel industry in Nigeria does currently not have a legislative backing as it partly falls under the Nigeria Civil Aviation Act.

However, the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA) has drafted a travel-industry specific Act to ensure the industry receives the legislative backing it needs. 

Reading out the Bill in the House of Assembly, Hon. Nkiruka Onyejeocha said that there are currently over 6 000 travel agents in Nigeria without an officially recongised body.

Although the industry is overseen by NANTA, which has been in existence since 1973, the organization has not sufficiently been able to sanitize the industry due to the lack of a legal framework. 

The NANTA Bill clearly outlines conditions under which travel agents can practice as well as the specific disciplinary actions in case of professional misconduct. 

The regulation of travel agents is common practice all over the world and can be seen as international best practice, Hon. Nkiruka Onyejeocha continued.

Having read the Bill for the 2nd time, the Speaker of the House, RT. Hon. Yakubu Dogara after consent of the majority legislators, refer the Bill to the “House Committee on Aviation” for further proceedings.

Bernard Bankole, NANTA President, told Inside Travel previously, that although travel trade associations in other countries, such as South Africa and Kenya, prefer to remain voluntary instead of regulated by the government, in Nigeria the situation is different. 

“Where there are strong laws governing travel such as consumer protection and trade protection, it is possible to have a voluntary association. In Nigeria, this is not the case. We see airlines in Nigeria coming to hotels and opening kiosks to sell tickets, or opening kiosks in banks; there is simply no trade protection. If we don’t protect our industry – nobody will protect it for us,” he said.

Bankole explained Nigeria currently struggles with ticketing schools that are not even IATA registered. He says: “They take people’s money but they teach them nothing. We are trying to regulate all these things, but currently, we are not empowered to regulate it because we don’t’ have a law.”

The legislative backing will empower NANTA in curbing fraudulent practices in the industry as erring members and the unguided agents can be prosecuted at the court of law if found guilty of any fraudulent act. It will sanitize and foster professionalism in the travel and tourism industry in Nigeria. Due to the peculiarity of the Bill in salvaging the industry, I believe the House will proffer an accelerated passage as soon as possible.

The second reading comes as NANTA is on the brink of rolling out the travel practitioner ID Card on 26 June. 

Bankole explained the ID Card means that every travel agency in Nigeria will need to be registered.

“The NANTA Abuja Zone is ready for the launch and has put mechanisms in place to enlighten the public and create awareness about who is a genuine and authentic travel agent,” said the Vice President Abuja Zone, Amb. Kayode Adeshola.

Lagos state government has recently commended the strategic efforts of NANTA to rid the travel trade sector of fraudsters and has mentioned that NANTA is the most serious and organized travel and tourism trade body in Nigeria.

Steve Ayorinde, Commissioner of Tourism, Lagos state said: “In the many associations in the tourism industry, NANTA to me stands out and we are going to encourage and work with NANTA to build and create a new Lagos tourism. Indeed, we were once on course in this direction but the relationship nosedived but am happy today that we are back on the same page