RELIGIOUS TOURISM: Nigeria’s Fastest Growing Tourism Sector

By Emeka Umejei,

Religious obligations has become a fashionable trend all over the world as a means of expressing beliefs and faith in the ability of God to protect and guide man kind. It would amount to stating the most obvious that Religious practices both under the auspices of Christianity, Islam and traditional practices have in no small way contributed to the development tourism in the world.
It is a known fact the Christian pilgrimages to Israel has formed an economic platform for the empowerment of the localities and contributed to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. Also, in the Saudi Arabia, where many Islamic faithful converge twice every year for religious rituals, has been of tremendous economic benefit to the country and her people. With these scenarios and many others around the world, it has become valid that religious tourism can become a source of economic revival to a country and its people.
However, in Nigeria, beyond several allusions by government on the promotion of tourism, Religion has a continued to play a pivotal role in the development of tourism in the country .Many dignitaries have in recent time found Nigeria the essential balm to many of their spiritual problems, with many heads of government visiting Nigeria to seek solution.
The growth of religious tourism in Nigeria has been pivoted by Christians, Islam and Traditional believers, through various festivals, programmes that have become tourism attractions for many, both within and outside Nigeria.
However, the Christian fold appears to be taken the lead in contributing to tourism development in Nigeria, thanks to the upsurge of evangelical activities in the Pentecostal fold.
The many Christian crusades, seminars and festivals that are held in every nook and cranny of Nigeria have become an avenue for the development of tourism, especially with the crowd that normally throngs these venues.
Among the many mega churches in Nigeria, the Synagogue Church of All Nation(SCOAN) has contributed immensely to the tourism profile of Nigeria,with the influx of several heads of government from various African government to seek spiritual restoration and advise from the leader of the church .The list of the numerous high profile visitors include King Godwill Zwelithini of the Zulus ,who came calling all the way from South Africa in 2007,with his daughter Princess Sibusile Zulu ,who was suffering from partial epilepsy ;in 2006,King Moloto Solomon of the Limpopo Kingdom, South Africa was in Synagogue to seek good tidings for his kingdom; In 1999,Frederick Chiluba,former president of Zambia visited Joshua in his church to seek solution to an undisclosed ailment ;President Omar Bongo of Gabon had also been at the Synagogue; Professor Pasal Lissouba,one time president of Congo Brazzaville had been at the synagogue.
Other high profile personality, include Justice Ralph Beisner from New York , South African Rugby player ,Jacob Westhurzen;Prince Yormie Johnson, Liberia former warlord and a senator and the new president of Ghana, John Atta Mills, who had to hold his thanksgiving service at the Synagogue church in Nigeria, in company with his vice president, John Mahama.
Mahama was said to have confessed at the thanksgiving that what he saw was marvelous thus: “I have been inspired in terms of how you must consolidate the spiritual in order to achieve success in the physical”.
But beyond synagogue is a list of various Christian crusades, festivals and seminars that have contributed in no small way in positioning Nigeria as the preferred destination for religious tourism ,hence giving fillip to tourism development in the country .
Living Faith Chapel ,aka Winners Chapel through its annual festival ,tagged Shiloh brought Nigerians from home and abroad , and foreigners alike, to Otta ,Ogun state headquarters of the church to seek the face of God and divine embellishments for their lives.
Though, statistics of participants may be a snag but it is put at hundreds of thousand, with many high profile preachers of the gospel coming from all over the world to add verve to the event.
The Redeemed Christian Church of God(RCCG),one of the leading Pentecostal churches in Nigeria has contributed to the phenomenal growth of religious tourism through its monthly Holy ghost service and yearly holy ghost congress.
The number of people, both Nigerians, and foreigners that throng these festivals is said to be in excess of five hundred thousand, a boost for tourism.
House on the Rock, another Pentecostal group hold its yearly festival tagged The Experience in Lagos, with high profile international gospel artistes in attendance, thus boasting the confidence of foreigners that Nigeria is not a haven for kidnapping and scam as it is being bandied in foreign media.
The Deeper Life Bible Church(DLBC) also holds yearly Christian festival tagged Retreat ,which is also known to attract Nigerians from home and abroad, including foreigners who throng the venue of the retreat seeking one form of spiritual restoration or the other.
However, Islam also accounts for many of the festivals that have helped in no small measure in developing religious tourism in Nigeria. OJude Oba, a festival held by the Ijebu Ode people of Ogun state in the South West of Nigeria has garnered international reputation, with various corporate endorsements. The festival, with roots in Islam takes place on the third day of Id –El Kabir but it is celebrated by all the natives, both Christian and Muslims. OJude Oba according to history has been celebrated for over hundred years .It commenced when the first converted Muslims thought it fit to visit their king, the Awujale t5o thank and felicitate with him for cooperating with them in allowing them practice their religion .The festival takes off with prayers by the chief Imam of Ijebu Ode.
The history of durbar festival is said to date back to hundreds of years ago ,when it was fashionable in the northern Nigeria to use horse in warfare. But in recent times ,Durbar has been staged to honour visiting heads of states and very important dignitaries . Some of the popular Durbars are those of Kano and Katsina states.
In traditional religion, the numerous festivals held by adherents have added to make religious tourism a beautiful bride that may become a platform for the explosion of tourism in Nigeria.
The Osun Osogbo festival has garnered huge international following with faithful coming from various part of the world to pay obeisance to their god. The Osun river goddess is believed to hold the power to wealth and fertility, which many have found potent, hence the euphoria it has garnered among faithful. The Osun Osogbo festival is regarded as one of the prime cultural fiesta that most foreigners keep a tab on.
The Argungu Fishing festival is no doubt one of Nigeria’s greatest cultural festivals , attracting over one million participants and having held since 1934.It has become a focal platform for the marketing and projection of Nigeria .Argungu fishing festival has also garnered enormous corporate endorsement that have positioned it as a the flagship of cultural heritage in Nigeria.
In the Niger Delta, the Udju Iwhurie Festival, popularly known as Agbasa Juju Festival is a colourful display of heritage celebrated by the Agbarha People of Warri, in Delta state. The festival has roots in Iwhurie, the god of war, reputed for its war prowess. It has been celebrated since time immemorial, with a display of machetes and regalia. The razzmatazz and display of valour by the locals make Agbasa juju festival a festival to watch.
The Iriji Festival, celebrated by the Igbo people of Nigeria to w certify the new yam for consumption has become a cultural heritage that has garnered international reputation ,that even foreigners participate and corporate organizations struggle to endorse , in a bid to identify with the pride of the Igbos.
With these religious festivals, it is believed that Nigeria can match boldly into achieving economic goal from tourism using religious as a plat form,especillay if given the right atmosphere and infrastructural development .
Bunmi Solanke, a lawyer and tourism practitioner says that for Nigeria to begin to reap economic benefit from religious tourism, it had to encourage people to participate.
“ It is a rapidly growing industry that should be encourage by the government .The government has a large role to play by encouraging people from outside the country to come for such events and do more publicity for it ,” Solanke stated.
The statistics of participants at these religious festivals must be known, so that it can be factored into the Tourism Satellite Account,(TSA)which will make it easy for the country to measure the contribution of tourism to national economy
It is also believed by many that what Nigeria needs to become a Jerusalem or Mecca is to develop the infrastructures on ground to acceptable standard and provide of adequate security for would be religious tourists to Nigeria.
Industry practitioners argue that if Israel and Saudi Arabia can garner enough economic benefit from religious tourism, Nigeria can achieve same with the level of patronage that most Nigeria churches have gained over the years .
It is argued that beyond the alleged image problem of Nigeria, if these foreign heads of government,technoicrats and citizenry can come to Nigeria on religious pilgrimage ,it means the country can comfortably use it as a platform for economic revival.
Segun Runsewe,Director –General of Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation agrees that Nigeria is doing well in the area of religious tourism but adds that work needs to be done to strengthen the infrastructures on ground.
“we are doing well in religious tourism in the sense that we have started making some huge impact and most of our religious leaders are being respected .Alot of tourists come to worship, which I can tell you if we get the right atmosphere, get the right accommodation at those camps ,we will make huge returns in religious tourism. I believe it is one of our strong points,”Runsewe supported.