From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
Mujidat Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, daughter of President Bola Tinubu, has drummed up support for the Calabar Carnival, saying the festivity is no longer just a Calabar event.
Tinubu-Ojo disclosed this over the weekend in Calabar during the flag-off of the second dry run for the December 27 festival, which will have the theme: “Our Shared Prosperity.”
She emphasised that Cross Riverians and Nigerians who value culture and heritage, and who hope to uplift the tourism sector, should encourage the carnival.
According to her, the carnival “speaks volumes of us as individuals and the society at large,” adding that “we need to commit whatever we can to encourage this Carnival as it is no longer a Calabar thing.”
Also speaking, the Cross River Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, assured intending tourists and visitors of a better experience in 2024.
The governor, who was represented by the Speaker of the State Assembly, Rt Hon Elvert Ayambem, described the annual fiesta as a global tourism phenomenon.
“Today, it’s yet another one. We are noted for this. This is our speciality. In sub-Saharan Africa, we have sold carnival to the world. Cross River is known to be a model state for the carnival.
“With the kind of government we have now, I can assure you that this year’s edition will be bolder and better,” the governor added.
The European Union Cultural Centre Ambassador, Sunny Onuoha, in his speech, applauded the government and people of the state for sustaining the event and introducing more aesthetics using local costumes that have also helped to interpret the yearly theme and its entire coordination.
Onuoha assured that the European Cultural Centre, Abuja, would support the carnival in the area of technical training and promotion as part of an exchange programme.