Lagos loses N4.5bn to FG over regulation of hotels

[Mirror]

The Lagos State Government yesterday said that it lost over N4.5 billion from hotel licensing in the last six years to the Federal Government.

This is even as the state government commended last Friday's judgement of the Supreme Court which declared that only a state House of Assembly could make laws on tourism, describing it as a vindication of the principle of federalism.

The Federal Government had instituted a suit against state governments, barring them from regulating hotel operations in their domains.

The Lagos State government said that levies that would have accrued to it from hotel registration and grading fee by over 3,000 hotels yet to register was stalled by the court action.

Addressing journalists, the state Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-Governmental Relations, Mr. Oladisun Holloway, said the state government now has full control of tourism and hotel regulation.

By the Supreme Court judgment, according to him, the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) had been stripped of its powers to regulate, register, licence and grade the hospitality industry.

Holloway, was flanked by his information counterpart, Mr. Aderemi Ibirogba, said the judgement had laid to rest the six years court battle and thus paved the way for state governments to take charge of tourism regulations and development within their respective jurisdiction.

National Mirror