Mr. Yinka Folami, VP NANTA Lagos zone
To this end, the zone has inaugurated three standing committees to achieve this feat.
The Committees are the Travel Policy and Standards, Code of Conduct and Disciplinary and Advocacy and Outreach Committees.
At a zoom meeting today to inaugurate the three Committees, the Vice President, Lagos zone of NANTA, Mr. Yinka Folami said through these Committees, NANTA was poised to let the world and Nigeria travel market understand that they ware competent professionals and are capable of self organizing and are capable of engaging stakeholders.
“I want to tell the world that we are self organizing, when we self organize and when we tell out story, the different stakeholders will come to us.”
He said among the responsibilities of one of the Committees was to kick out touts or those he referred to as pot mantle and briefcase travel agents who have wreck havoc on innocent travelers.
“The primary essence is to eradicate touting from our chain and we want to eradicate unevenness from our practices, we want to take care of imbalance in the chain.”
Mr. Folami confirmed that during the past 7 months, the Executive Council of the Lagos Zone had received several complaints from unsuspecting travelers that had fallen scam-victims to imposters (touts) that parade as Travel Agents.
His adviced to travelers was ‘’before you make that payment for your travel ticket, confirm that the agent is NANTA certified.
To the faceless Briefcase Agents, his advice was to sign up with NANTA for disciplined practice or get out of the travel trade, ‘’your time is up and our committees are coming after you’’.
“Come under the umbrella of NANTA, otherwise there will be no space for any port mantle agent or any briefcase agent any more because we will advocate that before you make that payment confirm that your agent is NANTA certified.”
After the formal declarations, Mr. Yinka Folami went on to acknowledge the activities led by the National President of NANTA, Mrs. Susan Akporiaye, to train, renew, adapt, and embrace the challenges of Covid 19 and its severe impact on the Travel Trade.
According to him, NANTA was set to further engage disciplined professional practices of its members, recognition by regulators, and connection with stakeholders, particularly the Nigerian traveling publics.
The three Committees, the members and their responsibilities are:
TRAVEL POLICY AND STANDARDS COMMITTEE
Responsible for monitoring and advising approaches, travel policies, and practices to achieve balance in the travel trade in the Lagos market:
Mr. Chudi Aligwekwe
Mrs. Omonike Adesokan
Mrs. Chinwe Eluchie
Mrs. Funmilayo Oriola
Mrs. Yinka Eniayekan
Mr. Nwankwo Ifeanyi
Ms. Bukola Aliu (Exco Observer)
CODE OF CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE
Responsible for interpreting the Code of Conduct as stipulated in the NANTA Constitution and administer standards which NANTA Members must comply with.
Mrs Arit Tunde-Imoyo
Mrs. Olubunmi Lawal
Mrs Folakemi Fatade
Mr. Alabi Kazeem Ishola
Mrs. Adetunji Farinu
Mrs. Lola Adefope
Mr. Oluwasanmi Shobayo
Mrs. Lola Adewole (Exco Observer)
ADVOCACY & OUTREACH COMMITTEE
Mrs. Abimbola Abiona
Mrs. Elohor Kagho
Mrs. Eke Stella
For Legal Compliance and enforcements, Mr. Folami announced Mrs. Tinuke Nwakohu, a Legal Practitioner and travel industry veteran, to provide supervisory oversights for Legal compliance of decisions and action plans generated by all four committees.
The VP NANTA Lagos zone, appealed to members to ensure their attendance is 80%-90%.
“We expect members to attend 80% or 90% it is a selfless service and we will appreciate that.”
