ATTAHIRU, Hamza
Federal College of Wildlife Management New Bussa, Niger State, Nigeria
hamzahborgu@gmail.com
SA’ADU, Adamu Abdullahi
Federal College of Wildlife Management New Bussa, Niger State, Nigeria
MOHAMMED, Aminu,
Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Abuja
MEDUNA, Patience Ndidi
Federal College of Wildlife Management New Bussa, Niger State, Nigeria
AWAL, Adamu Bussa
Federal College of Wildlife Management New Bussa, Niger State, Nigeria
ABSTRACT
This study was designed to identify available event centres in Ilorin metropolis, ascertain the type of
activities hosted in these event centres, to determine the socio-economic importance of event centres as
and to document challenges facing the operations of event centres in the study area. Primary data was
collected through personal observation and structured questionnaire. The study found that common events
hosted in event centres in Ilorin metropolis include wedding ceremonies, celebrations, burial receptions,
and meetings. The study revealed that event centres contribute to socio-economic development of Ilorin
metropolis by generating income and creating markets for local products, attracting investment and
providing a source of foreign exchange. The challenges facing operations of event centres are poor policy
implementation, lack of branding, dearth of qualified manpower, lack of government support and lack of
adequate funding. The study concludes that event centres have significant economic impact on host
communities; and recommends that government at all level should venture into event centre business to
be able to provide service for less privilege citizens who might not have the fund required by the most
private event centers.
Keywords: Events, event centres, event tourism, socio-economic importance.