Carnival Calabar returns after 2-yrs  break as Ayade flags off 2022 dry run

 From Judex Okoro, Calabar

Activities marking the rerurn of  Calabar Carnival have commensed as Governor Ben Ayade has flagged off the first dry run for the 2022  fiesta.

The Calabar Carnival, the biggest street party, was suspended following the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.

However, the state government after due consultations, decided  to host the annual Calabar festival this year’ with the theme, “Agro-Industrialization.”

Inauguratinf the dry run in Calabar on Sunday, Ayade said the theme of the carnival was carefully chosen with a view to sending a message to the global community that Africans can depend on themselves for food.

He decried the high dependence for food by African countries on Western nations in-spite of the vast arable land God has blessed the continent with, saying “Agro-Industrialization was indeed the way to go.

“Today, we have great reasons to celebrate because Cross River is gathered yet again, to invent the charm that characterizes creativity. The theme for this year is agro-industrilization and indeed, agro-industrialization is the way to go.

“For any nation that is committed and serious, that is the way to go. The greatest insecurity is hunger. There is no insecurity more threatening to man than the insecurity of hunger.

“The war between Ukraine and Russia led to scarcity of grains, this means that by the unset of 2023, the nation will be in big trouble.

“Therefore, I see a harbinger of scarcity, hunger and pain, grinding people to their zenith in terms of criminality and animalism,” he said.

He used to occasion to restate his support and commitment towards the return of power to the southern senatorial district of the state in 2023.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of Calabar Carnival Commission, Mr Austin Cobham, described the dry run as the mother of all dry run due the additional bands in the carnival making It seven.

He said the presence of the service commanders in the state indicated that Cross River was ready to host the world, adding that the theme could not have come at any other time than now when the world was going through a period of war and growing insecurities after being ravaged by COVID-19.

There were more than 4,000 revelers on the 12 kilometre routes, which attracted hundreds of spectators.

At the events were lawmakers from the Cross River House of Assembly, Mr Edem Duke, a former Minister of Culture and Tourism, Sen. Florence Ita-Giwa amongst others.