Cross River State Governor, Prince Bassey Otu, has described the 20th anniversary of Carnival Calabar as a major tourism event with the potential to project the state onto the global stage.
According to a statement issued on Monday, the governor spoke while flagging off the event at Millennium Park in Calabar, the state capital.
Dignitaries at the colourful event included the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma; the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, and his wife; the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Enoh, and his wife; retired military officers; and Nollywood actors, among others.
Addressing participants, Otu charged the various bands to creatively interpret the theme of the carnival in a way that would leave a lasting impression on the global audience.
“The Carnival you see today, what we are going to unveil is going to be of some very explosive outcome, and of course, we want all the bands to understand the theme of this year’s Carnival, which happens to be the traces of time.
“We want to see it practicalised and come in a perfect way and manner that the world is going to remember Cross River,” the governor said.
