December 26, (THEWILL) – No fewer than 15 States are participating in the 2023 cultural carnival in Calabar.
The states include Enugu, Kebbi, Edo, Ondo, Kaduna Ebonyi, Kwara and Yobe among others.
The cultural carnival is one of the activities lined up for the Christmas festivities in the state.
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Speaking while flagging off the festival, Peter Odey, the State Deputy Governor, said the festival shows the State is ready to host the world.
He said there has been improved security and this year’s celebration is going to be one of the best carnivals witnessed in the State.
“I’m honoured to flag off another beautiful show put together by the carnival commission. This shows that we are ready to host the world in Calabar.
“Today, we will be displaying our cultures and it’s going to be one of the best carnivals we have witnessed in the State,” he said.
Also speaking, Gab Onah, the Chairman of the Cross River Carnival Commission, said of the 22 states they were expecting, fifteen are already present alongside the eighteen local government areas of the state.
Besides this, he said the Igbo and Hausa communities are all on the route to showcase their culture.
Onah, who described culture as one of those things that have united us in the country, said our strength is in our diversity.
He said culture is a bedrock of our tomorrow and it underscores why a dedicated day has been identified for it.
THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.