Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the governor of Ekiti State has said that the State would host this year’s National Festival for Arts and Culture (NAFEST) to showcase the State’s cultural heritage to the whole world and exhibit the abundant economic potentials for investors to tap into.
Dr. Fayemi who spoke through the Deputy Governor, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, on Tuesday while addressing delegates at the 52nd National Technical Stakeholders’ Meeting of the Chief Executives of Culture in Nigeria, also said that his administration accepted to host the national cultural fiesta to further encourage creativity in the tourism sector as well as create a viable platform and market for young people in creative enterprises.
According to a statement by the Special Assistant (Media), Odunayo Ogunmola, NAFEST 2021 with the theme “Celebrating National Unity in Diversity” will hold in Ado Ekiti between 13th and 20th November.
Delegates at the 4-day event held at the Adetiloye Hall, Trade Fair Complex, Ado Ekiti included the Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, State Directors of Culture as well as representatives of the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory.
Describing the state as the most suitable place to host a national programme of such magnitude, Dr. Fayemi noted that Ekiti was awarded the hosting right because of its reputation as one of the most serene states in the country with the most hospitable people in the world.
The Governor who stressed that his administration always gives priority attention to culture and tourism, described NAFEST as an opportunity to make use of culture to promote national unity and integration.
He charged stakeholders to fashion out how the festival could be used to investment opportunities for economic growth of not only Ekiti State but Nigeria as a whole.
He said “As a nation, we need to appreciate the dynamic nature of our cultures and acknowledge NAFEST as veritable platform to further celebrate our unity in diversity.
“I therefore urge you to focus more on how we can redirect cultural activities towards revenue generation. We need to effectively tap into the economic potential of our cultural heritage and improve our grassroots development.
“It is important to say at this juncture, that our government is encouraging creativity in the tourism sector of the state. We now have young people in tourism businesses as well as creative enterprises.”
Apparently impressed by the amazing performance of the Ekiti State Cultural Troupe, the NCAC DG, Otunba Runsewe, pledged that the National Council for Arts and Culture would sponsor the Troupe to international cultural events outside the country.
Otunba Runsewe noted that Ekiti State has proven its readiness to offer something remarkable to the national and global audience with the level of preparation to host the NAFEST.
He described the festival as one of the measures to cement the unity and harmony of the country as it is an avenue to showcase cultures and traditions of the various ethnic groups spread across the 36 states of the federation.
NCAC boss said: “In Brazil for example, people pay for what we have seen in Ekiti State today. We will take Ekiti Cultural Troupe to sell our culture outside our country. We should market our cultural heritage to the world; we must value what we have.
“Our country can be great again and culture is one of the platforms we can use to make it great again.”
The Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism in Ekiti State, Prof. Rasaki Ojo Bakare, showered encomiums on Governor Kayode Fayemi for investing heavily in the sector which has launched the state on the global cultural map.
Prof. Bakare assured the delegates that “Ekiti State is 100 per cent ready to play host to both the nation as well as the tourism and culture publics across the world.”
He disclosed that the Governor and his wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, have fully thrown their weight behind hosting the national cultural fiesta noting that the state stands to reap bountiful benefits from NAFEST 2021.
Packaged by Emmanuel Adeniran
