Enugu State has been awarded the hosting rights for the 2025 National Festival of Arts and Culture with the theme, “Connected Culture”.
The Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Mr Obi Asika, said the choice of Enugu was based on the city’s rich history, cultural heritage, potentials, and recent developments which he described as ‘great things happening’ in the state.
THE WHISTLER reports that the hosting rights were handed over to Gov Peter Mbah at the Government House, Enugu, weekend.
According to Asika, “Enugu has been on the news for great things. We see what is happening, and we are proud of what you are doing and we want to be part of it. My supervising minister – the Honourable Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy – is happy about NAFEST coming to Enugu.
“Enugu is one of the best cities in Nigeria. It will interest you to note that NAFEST was established by the Federal Government as a platform to unite Nigeria after the civil war, and interestingly, the first edition was hosted in Lagos after the civil war and the East Central State won it. Since then, the only time the event was held in Enugu was 2008. That was 17 years ago.
“But it is coming back. We see what Enugu is doing and I want to commend it. We also see especially some of the investments that you are putting in the Awhum Water fall, the Nsude Pyramid Canopy Walkway and other great things.”
The DG said the event, which would attract over 30 states of the federation and over 5,000 competitors and foreign participants, would contribute to the economic growth of the state and empower the youth.
In his words, “Enugu has a lot of limitless possibilities. I watched the Enugu Tech Festival and I love it. Enugu has a lot of schools than many states in Nigeria and NAFEST has a capacity-building side that will empower and upscale the capacity of these young ones to give them opportunities into the future.
“There are opportunities in NAFEST for the creative people, digital people, the content creators, the poetry people. Enugu has a strong background in masquerade and wrestling. These are some of the elements that are part of NAFEST.”
Gov Mbah said the hosting rights had furthered his administration’s agenda to bring three million visitors to the state annually, adding that Enugu was purposely built for such events, given the aesthetic, landscape, and the topography, and infrastructural transformations going on.
According to him, “Enugu lends itself to arts and culture. So, this is a situation where opportunity meets preparation. I can assure you that you are going to have one of the most memorable NAFEST events because we are ready and we are hungry for it.
“One of the major transformational agenda of this government is to make here one of the top three economies and the premier destination for business, leisure, living and tourism. We have set a target to attract 3 million visitors every year. So, this is already like a marriage made in heaven. We are going to do everything to ensure that the objective of the NAFEST is achieved and we provide you with the environment.”
He assured the organisers of adequate security in the state, adding that, “we have built infrastructure to ensure that we nip crimes in the bud”.
