The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the Federal Government’s Visa-On-Arrival Policy has started yielding fruits, especially in the tourism sector which has been boosted by the policy. The Minister made the assertion in Abuja on Monday, when he received members of the Latin America Motorcyclists Association (LAMA), who are in Nigeria for a tour of heritage sites and other tourist attractions in the country. ”All our visitors here today got visa on arrival. That shows that the Federal Government’s visa-on-arrival policy is working,” he said. Alhaji Mohammed said the presence of the international bikers in Nigeria is a testimony to the fact that the Administration’s quest to promote the country’s cultural heritage and tourism sites is yielding fruits. ”As you tour Nigeria, under the ‘Rediscover Heritage Bikers Tour of Nigeria’, and visit historical heritage sites, you beam the searchlight on those sites for the world to see. “You will see these heritage sites for yourselves as you travel through our culturally-rich and diverse nation. These sites include museums, monuments, homes of national heroes and other tourist sites,” he said. The Minister therefore enlisted the support of the bikers to become Nigeria’s heritage ambassadors by spreading the news of the country’s hidden treasures and their experiences while in the country. In his remarks, the President of LAMA, Mr. Mario Nieves, said the group, which consists of members from 24 countries, is in Nigeria to rediscover the country’s culture and heritage as well as promote unity among the human race. “We are just a group of humble motorcyclists that decided to arrange and create some type of impact in our society. We believe that it is more important to be human than it is to be black or white or oriental or Indian, because we belong to the human race and we believe that we are all one people,” he said. Mr. Nieves said Nigeria has set a good example for them in humility, respect and hospitality, and that when they return to their respective countries, they will spread the good news about Nigeria. While giving a background on the tour, the Acting Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Mr. Abdulkarim Kadiri, said the bikers, from Brazil, US and Mexico, among others, and their Nigerian counterparts will tour 11 states of the Federation in order to rediscover Nigeria and its rich cultural heritage.
