BY UBON EKANEM, CALABAR – The Cross River State Tourism programme has enjoyed a tremendous boost with the unveiling of Diaspora Carnival Competitive Band that will feature in this year’s Calabar Carnival.
The Cross River State Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon Peter Odey, who flagged off the 2025 Calabar Carnival second dry run as part of activities to usher in the upcoming carnival concert, said the arrival of the Diaspora Band demonstrates the tourism impact of Africa’s biggest street party has been generating on the international scene.
He praised the State indigenes abroad for identifying with the government’s efforts at drawing global attention to the tourism potentials of Cross River State using the Calabar Carnival as the epitome of elegance and good taste to showcase the cultural heritage of the black race.
According to him, with the Diaspora Carnival Band’s unveiling, the number of participating bands has swelled to seven, noting that the economic benefits of such expansion and partnership would no doubt be huge on the State and its peace-loving people.
He explained that the arrangement would also boost the hospitality industry, sale of cultural artefacts and open up employment opportunities in the fashion design industries for the State teeming youths.
In his remarks, Chairman of the Cross River State Carnival Commission (CRSCC), Chief Gabe Onah lauded the State government for granting approval for the decentralization of the Carnival hosting, with Ikom LGA in the Central Senatorial District and Ogoja in the Northern Senatorial District.
For the Commission Chairman, this spread out arrangements would enable greater number of Cross Riverians and residents in different parts of the state to have a feeling of what the Carnival entails.
He also noted that the planned decentralisation would equally boost the economic potentials of the hospitality industry across the three senatorial districts.
The Diaspora Band will be debuting at the 2025 Calabar Carnival, a new initiative to connect the global Cross River family to the cultural event through a sub-theme of “Traces of Time”.
