Oguta Beckons Nigeria To Njiko Carnival 2015

Oguta Beckons Nigeria To Njiko Carnival 2015 Uzo Chikere From December 28 to 30, 2015 a convivial crowd will converge on Oguta the lake side town of Imo State to savour the splendor of the first ever Njiko Carnival holding there. Themed” Uniting The People Through Arts and Culture”, the carnival which had in the past years been staged in low key, according to its chairman/national co-ordinator, Charles Oputa aka Charly Boy, was borne out of a strong desire to showcase the very rich cultural heritage of Nigeria which overtime undoubtedly, is being eroded and lost.

Interestingly, the venue of the event which is making its debut as an elaborate affair in the nation’s cultural Calender this year, said Charly Boy, “is the beautiful environment of the Blue Lake of Oguta…the second largest of its kind in Nigeria and chosen for its potential as a perfect tourist location.” He explains further: “It is the only carnival site in Nigeria with this feature which could mark the beginning of a major tourist destination able to become one of the biggest carnivals in West Africa.”

Featuring such component as boat regatta, cultural display from member neighbouring states from the South-East geo-political zone, musical concerts from notable Igbo artistes, traditional wrestling, cultural dances; Atilogwu, Nkpokiti Ohafia war dance as well as popular faces of Nollywood, comedians and sports personalities, Njiko Carnival has as its objectives, to use the rich cultural heritage of Nigeria to foster peace and unity amongst Nigeran by building bridges across the different ethnic regions in the nation. Others include, to give the youth a new narrative that preaches self-reliance and economic empowerment by using the carnival as a machinery for replacing apathy with vision, focus and determination to excel in their endeavours, to imbibe the traditional arts and culture of regions into contemporary Nigeria, to pop culture in reaching the youth whose cultural values are almost lost, and offer the opportunity to lay the foundation for commercial and industrial development in the South-East as well as attract business located outside the zone. Parading 14 events spread across three days, some of them are Igwurube Dance, Mgbakota Ndi Egwu, Igbos Must Laugh, Ndi Igbo Nwere Talent, Fireworks, sky writing and sky lanterns and Christmass Tree Lighting among others, Njiko Carnival has so far been endorsed by two South-Eastern states governors. Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano who recently hosted the Njiko Carnival team led by Charly Boy in Awka described the project as the first South Eastern Nigeria carnival for the lovers of arts and culture, urging the organisers to ensure the sustainability of the Igbo Cultural project, which will serve as an plank to restoring the Igbo cultural pride that is gradually giving in to the adopted western culture. For Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, the Njiko Carnival is a unique way of unifying and promoting the Igbo identity through culture. According to him, Abia will participate and Aba entrepreneurial assets will be showcased alongside the Abia culture and heritage. Says he: “Culture is the unique thing among people. For us in Igboland, it’s time for us to rediscover us; we cannot wait for externals to showcase our culture for us. It’s time to make strong statement about our values and identity. We will like to drive enterprise through culture, therefore we support Njiko Carnival”. With all the thrills and frills lined up for the Njiko Carnival this December in Oguta and being looked forward to by would-be participants and revelers alike, what must not be lost on the entire populace of Nigerians is the essence of promoting business and income revenue through culture and art as typified in the theme of the 2015 edition which is the flood gate to future editions.