‘Delegates spent N91bn at Shiloh, Holy Ghost Congress’

By Wale Ojo Lanre - 03.01.2008

ABOUT N90.94 billion was spent by delegates who attended the two yearly Christian international religious conferences of the Living Faith Church known as Shiloh 2007 and the Holy Ghost Congress of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) held in December.

According to a statistical summary report of questionaires administered on delegates to these conferences by the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), 7,526,966 delegates attended the two conference with 10,268 foreign delegates.

The report revealed that Shiloh 2007 attracted three million delegates with 9,000 from 34 countries of which 14 are from Africa and 20 from Europe, America and Asia.

The statistics also showed that the foreign delegates spent $10.7million (N1.345 billion) on accommodation and feeding at $170 per day in seven days at Shiloh while $1.52 million (N190 million) was recorded at the Holy Ghost Congress at $150 per day for eight days.

The report also revealed the average expenditure of the domestic delegates on accomodation at Shiloh 2007 for those who were not accommodated inside the camp was N12.5 billion at N5,000 per night for five days for 500,000 delegates, as N4.5 billion was expended on three square meals at N150 for five days by the two million local delegates, while N1.5billion was spent on fabrics, olive oil, books, cassettes, discs and whistles.

Other analysis of the report showed that N3 billion was spent on transportation at N10 for bus within the camp, N50 for bus outside the camp and N3,000 each for chartered helicopter service from airport to the camp all which include transportation from respective destinations to Shiloh 2007 camp.

At the Holy Ghost Congress, the report put the average expenditure of two million domestic delegates quartered inside the camp at N500 per day for six days at N6 billion while those who sought accomodation outside the camp spent N36billion at N3,000 per night for six days, while all the 4.5 million delegates spent N20.4 billion on feeding at N250 a meal for six days and a sum of N2.3 billion was expended on purchase of souvenir.

Also, the Holy Ghost Congress also boosted the transportation sector with N3.2 billion expended on chartered cabs buses, motor-cycles to the camp at an average of N700 by the 4.5 million adherents.

The report put the total expenditure at Shiloh 2007 at N22.84billion, and that of the Holy Ghost congress N68.1 billion making a gross total at N90.94 billion.

According to Chief Olusegun Runsewe, the Director General of the NTDC, “this is the first time in the history of Nigeria for the NTDC to statistically show the economic import of the religious tourism events taking place in Nigeria.

“Apart from the fact that these events satisfy spiritual desire, the analysis shows that they are of great economic importance to the nation.

“If these events were not organised in the country, Nigeria would have been deprived of the N90.6 billion which they pumped into the economy. It is now cystal clear the essence and import of tourism activities in a country.”