The National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA),has said categorically that the alleged travel agent paraded by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission ( EFCC) is not its member and should not be addressed as a travel agent.
The President, National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA),Mrs Susan Akporiaye, made the clarification while speaking on the status of the Kaduna based agency.
She noted that all available verifiable information at the disposal of the association, shows that the purported travel agent has no relationship with the association and therefore, should not be so addressed.
Speaking at the sidelines of the official Opening of Travel Hub, a collaborative and one bus stop facilities outfit geared towards providing operational environment for upcoming and registered operators who may not afford the high cost of office space, Akporiaye, stated that NANTA has invested time and money to address the various challenges posed by touts in the industry and warned members of the traveling public to circumspect when planning their trips and who to engage.
“Before COVID-19, NANTA launched its membership identity card with security features that cannot be cloned and it behooves on the traveler to request for the identity profile of the travel professional before doing business. We frown hard at fraud in the sector and have taken critical measures to address it.” She further explained.
On measures to further check fake and fraudulent operators, Akporiaye disclosed that efforts are ongoing to educate and create awareness among security agencies on the measures put in place to muscle touts out of the system, adding that a recent visit to the office of the National law Drug Agency ( NDLEA) was rewarding while a visit to EFCC, will be initiated in earnest.
“It kills and demoralises the efforts of registered and genuine travel professionals, when touts are labeled as travel agents. It is demeaning and we pray that the security agencies and the media should reach out to NANTA to verify such purported agent(s) before going public. We are ready to even disown our members, who may run foul of the law and be seen to have defrauded any member of travelling public,” she said.