Hotel owners across the country have appealed to the government to address the challenges facing the hospitality industry, particularly issues of multiple taxation, poor electricity supply, and the high cost of staff training.
The hotel owners, drawn from states including Kwara, Lagos, Oyo, and Osun, met in Ilorin to renew calls for stronger collaboration between the hospitality sector and government agencies in order to create a more conducive environment for business growth and job creation.
Speaking at the event, the President of the Kwara State Hoteliers Association, Engineer Amos Ajanaku, said hotel operators contribute significantly to the state’s development but are burdened by excessive levies and poor infrastructure.
Ajanaku noted that the hospitality business requires constant electricity, saying, ‘We are battling with epileptic power supply and spending heavily on fuel.’
He further urged the government to address the water supply issue, adding, ‘Many hotels, including mine, supply water to nearby houses, yet we are still taxed for water revenue.’
The Kwara State president also called for a review of the government’s approach to staff training levies, explaining that many hotel workers are short-term employees. ‘We can’t keep paying for training every two months when most of our staff leave shortly after. There should be a more flexible system,’ he said.
Also speaking, the President of the Oyo State Hoteliers Association, Otunba Ayodele Ogundele, commended the unity among hoteliers in Kwara State, describing it as uncommon.
‘It is rare in other states to see so many hoteliers come together. The government doesn’t realize the level of social responsibility hotels carry; we employ people and still bear huge costs,’ he said.
The Lagos State President of the association, Oluomo Talabi Jamiu, emphasized that unity remains the only way to tackle overlapping taxes and policies imposed by government agencies.
‘Unity is key so that government doesn’t turn us into a table tennis hub. About four agencies are doing the same job, and some even help you calculate your gain,’ he said, urging members to support their president both morally and financially.
The Osun State President, Baale Abiodun Ilusanmi, lamented the decline in vocational training, noting that staffing was not a problem decades ago. ‘Twenty to 30 years ago, we had vocational schools and youths who were ready to learn and acquire knowledge. Today, everyone wants quick money,’ he said.
He also defended the hospitality sector’s reputation regarding safety, stating, ‘Hotels remain the safest places to stay because guests are properly registered-unlike some unregulated short-let apartments.’
Former Kwara president, Alhaji Dauda Adebayo Akande, appealed to the government to involve hoteliers when drafting policies affecting the sector.
‘Government should take us into confidence before enforcing rules. Going around locking hotels for issues they don’t understand is unfair,’ he said.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the association, Chief Emmanuel Ojo, also raised concerns over multiple taxation. ‘A hotel with several branches should not be charged for each outlet separately as if they are different entities,’ he said.