The Federal Government has spent $9 billion on infrastructure in two years, Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed said yesterday.
He also said the nation attracted over $6 billion capital investment and that the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) is rated as one of the best six in the world.
According to the minister, Nigeria is safe for for tourism and investment.
Mohammed spoke at a news conference in Abuja on the 61st meeting of the UNWTO-CAF which begins today in Abuja.
The news conference was attended by Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili.
Expected at the conference will be attended by 26 ministers and 498 delegates from across the world.
He said: “The government has spent about $9 billion on infrastructure in the last two years.
This has never been done before.
“Please permit me to most sincerely thank President Muhammadu Buhari for his invaluable support, without which this event would not have been possible. Thanks to the successes recorded by this administration in fighting insecurity, we are holding this global meeting here.
“Four years ago, hosting this event in Abuja would have been a pipe dream, considering the level of insecurity. Remember that Boko Haram carried out many deadly attacks in this capital city. That is now history.
“Nigeria is safe and secure for its citizens and for foreign tourists and investors. Whatever pockets of criminal acts that exist are being addressed squarely.
“All the ingredients of tourism are here. This administration will promote tourism religiously.
“It is common knowledge that culture drives tourism. We will, therefore, use the occasion of this meeting to showcase the rich and diverse culture of Nigeria. Some spectacular cultural events have thus been lined up for the meeting.”
The minister confirmed that 26 ministers and 498 delegates from the country and abroad will attend the meeting in Abuja.
He added: “We are all set to host the best UNWTO-CAF Meeting ever! All the necessary preparations have been made to ensure this. The main committee, as well as the many sub-committees, have worked tirelessly to make this event a huge success. We also expect an impressive attendance.
“As at Sunday, we have confirmation from 166 foreign delegates, 26 ministers and 332 Nigerian delegates, excluding the gentlemen of the press. Several delegates have arrived and many more are expected in today.
“As you must be aware by now, the theme of the meeting is ‘’Tourism Statistics: A catalyst for development’’. That theme fits very well into our quest to improve on our tourism statistics for planning purposes and the ultimate development of our tourism.”
Pololikashvili said: “We will use tourism for peace and creation of jobs.
“We are working towards seamless travel, investment, innovation, sustainable development worldwide, and security.
“As the new Secretary-General, I am not a magician, but I know we need to sit down and work out how to promote seamless travel in Africa.”