The Chairman of Calabar Carnival Commission, Sir Gabe Onah has called on Nigerians, Africans to register so as to become members of carnival bands organically, like they register for premeirship clubs.
Speaking on the sidelines of the recently concluded Akwaaba African Travel Market in Lagos, Sir Onah pointed out that apart from registering to become members of carnival bands, people can also participate in online voting and scoring.
He said for this this year, there will be deliberate digital streaming and online voting.
Onah stated that the Commission want the public to have a say like the Big Brother framework.
“We are encouraging Nigerians, Africans, to register to become members of carnival bands organically, like they register for premiership clubs. Here we’ve discovered that the artistic scoring by our adjudicators that come from the artistic field, architects, engineers may not be the same with that of voters because the ambulatory float you see on the road, they have mechanical production. So the spectacle is good, but based on the elements of theatre”.
Onah explained further that: “We now want the public to have a say, like the Big Brother framework. Because by the time you say Seagul won but they will say, for me I saw passion 4. But the bottom line is the IGR, we are planning for rainy day. As you are voting, you are saying hello back to us.
So far we have been blessed all Governors have adopted the carnival” Onah explained.
He commiserated with travel media and the entire cross-River state over the loss of that great soul, the late Managing Director of Cross River State Tourism Bureau, Ojoi Ekpeyoung, whom he described as a brother, friend, colleague and son in the sector.
He said: “Ojoi was a quick learner. He was truly our last man standing on many fronts. You realize that. I’m just doing extra time. And he understood the frameworks under me. Only the unwise will refuse to learn and unlearn. He was a wise man.He learned very well. Today, when the cultural troupe arrived at the stage at Akwaaba, I became emotional because he reintroduced the Epe cultural exposé when he got them equipped last year. And even won admiration of our international guests where we received an invitation to the Nottihill Carnival for the coming year. But I recall that he was your desk officer, the media desk officer from 2008 to 2003. He received all our tourism writers to Carnival and Calabar Festivals. So I also commiserate with you guys”.
The Chairman Carnival Calabar Commission expressed happiness over 22 years of collarboration with Akwaaba.
We are learning new tricks on the travel trade he said, stressing that only an unwise will not want to learn from a wise brother or a neighbour.
Onah added that the Minister of Culture, Art, Tourism and Creative Economy Hannatu Musawa who attended Akwaaba charged them to improve on their collaboration not competition.
He emphasised that the globalists have christened the tourism sector as orange economy, “which butresses what you have always called it, a low-hanging fruit, which means in an orchard with oranges or any kind of fruit, the moment you can harvest from your ankle or your knee or your hip, it’s a low-hanging fruit.And that is tourism. For us, our most tangible product is Calabar Festival”.
While thanking the travel media for their support over the years for all they ‘ve been pushing out for them, Onah said what they bring to Akwaaba this year is big, deliberate digital streaming and online voting.
Onah pointed out that this sector should manage itself like experiencing more public sector funding, private sector funding and people’s funding, like crowdfunding.
He maintained that: “But the participation in the eventual band of the year, all the activities, because all the activities are in-game-fied. The pagents competitions, the bikers and all that, some people will say oh, I prefer Goliath bikers. That is what we always have. By the time we finish our presentation here, we can share more. I owe a lot of gratitude to you guys for staying with us, building this building”.
Onah said they are are really working hard to reintroduce the international segment, because the Carnival is global, and has received a lot of offerings on that even here in Akwaaba.
A couple of years ago, we received a lot of parties, so we are working on it. We will soon unveil our headline arts, Onah said.
