The National President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies, Yinka Folami, has declared criminal and sinful the act of cross-border ticket sales.

Folami also announced that five travel agencies scattered around African countries have also been placed under investigation by the government for engaging in such acts.

NANTA, at its 49th Annual General Meeting in Lagos on Monday, unanimously declared war against such trading, lamenting that local agents had lost 40 per cent of their market to cross-border traders.

Cross-border trading happens when a foreign-registered travel agent sells tickets emanating from Nigeria, and funds emanating from the transaction are domiciled in another country. This mostly happens when a passenger books a round-trip (to and from Nigeria) ticket.

The foreign agent mostly connives with some local agents to carry out this act.

Folami, who was obviously unhappy about the development, said the body of agents across Nigeria, NANTA, has secured the buy-in of the Federal Government to fight these unlawful traders.

NANTA president declared cross-border trading as a sin and disrespectful to Nigeria, threatening to delist any member found conniving with the foreign perpetrators.

He added that the government has also requested the list of agents engaging in such trades.

He said, “Cross-border ticket sales are a sin and disrespectful to our economy. The government has asked us to present the names of the culprits. We have five names that have been mentioned. The country is investigating them for money laundering. We will stop it. We should also stop buying from them.”

He said the tickets sold by these cross-border traders are often cheaper, adding that NANTA is investigating how these agents from other countries get cheap tickets from the Nigerian market.

He stressed the need for the association to come together to build a robust constitution, engage in self-regulation, and heed advice from NANTA founders on tackling the issue.

Speaking on some of the achievements of NANTA under his leadership, Folami said the body has shown conduct, respect, and knowledge, as well as ensured that its point of sale does not shift as it distributes wealth and engages in self-regulation.

“We made airlines confirm to us that they are principals to us, and so the airlines should not be seen to be in competition with us. The airlines are very responsive to us. What we have done in the last six years is that we have set up committees, and a key committee is the constitution review committee. The training committee is also doing very well. We are relaunching the ID cards and website today. We are also launching our NANTA mobile app,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said the theme for this year’s AGM, ‘Collective Prosperity Through Market Protection’, is both timely and relevant, particularly as Nigeria continues to navigate a rapidly evolving global travel landscape.

Keyamo, who was represented by the Director of Special Duty, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Henry Agbebire, called for regulation and shared responsibility in safeguarding the integrity and sustainability of Nigeria’s travel and tourism ecosystem.

“We recognise the role of travel agencies as critical partners in the air travel value chain and remain committed to creating an enabling environment for your operations to thrive,” he added.

During his keynote address, Kemi Pinheiro, Founding Partner, Pinheiro LP, said in the travel and tourism industry, where trust, service quality, and reliability are paramount, maintaining high standards of professional conduct is not just desirable but indispensable.

His words, “This principle has helped uphold the integrity of the legal profession in Nigeria. Likewise, NANTA stands to benefit greatly by embedding exacting professional standards within its own constitutional framework, thereby reinforcing its standing as a credible and principled industry body.”

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