The Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN) is calling for a new approach to the popular end-of-year festivities known as Detty December. The President of the association, Femi Fadina, has urged Nigerians in the diaspora to transform their annual festive homecomings into strategic investment opportunities that will strengthen and sustain the nation’s creative and tourism economy.
Speaking in Lagos ahead of the 2025 celebrations, Fadina said every concert, curated experience, and cultural homecoming should serve as a platform for investment engagement, not just entertainment. According to him, while Detty December 2024 generated about ₦1.5 trillion in domestic spending across hospitality, logistics, nightlife, and entertainment, less than 10 per cent of that amount was reinvested into creative infrastructure or destination development.
“The challenge isn’t the volume of diaspora spending; it’s the direction of spending,” Fadina said. He noted that much of the money spent by Nigerians abroad goes into family support, leisure, and short-term consumption. To change this trend, he called for intentional efforts to channel diaspora capital into long-term development and equity investments that would build sustainable value.
Fadina explained that ATPN aims to reposition Detty December “from fun to fund,” by encouraging the diaspora to increase their participation in Nigeria’s creative economy from the current 15 per cent to 25 per cent. “Don’t just come home to party. Come home to partner,” he urged.
He also unveiled a calendar of events for the 2025 festive season, which includes Creative Capital Week, the EWA Experience Series, and a Cultural Economy Roundtable—initiatives designed to measure and promote the economic impact of the celebrations.
Fadina emphasized that a shift in mindset is crucial to transforming Nigeria’s soft power into tangible economic growth. “We must move from consumerism to capital formation, from temporary spectacle to sustainable structure, from cultural excitement to cultural enterprise. Detty December is not just a party—it’s a platform for prosperity. Fun must now fund the future,” he said.
