By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
Lagos State Governor Sanwo- Olu has promised that the State Government has concluded plans to host the most colourful National Festival of Arts and Culture, NAFEST 2022.
Sanwo- Olu gave this assurance when the Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, NCAC, Otunba Segun Runsewe led a delegation on a visit to the governor’s office to formally present a Blueprint of the festival and to know the level of preparedness of the state in hosting the festival.
Governor Sanwo- Olu disclosed that that a delegation from the state had visited the NCAC for a Pre-NAFEST maiden meeting to interact and obtain details of hosting the festival which will bring together contingents from the 36 States of the federation and the FCT to Lagos State.
He said from the report, the State government had to improve on their facilities to meet all criteria set by the NCAC that will enable the state not only to host the biggest and most colourful festival but also emerge the overall winner of the fiesta.
He revealed that as a prelude to the festival, Lagos State will hold a Pre-NAFEST event for seven days which is aimed at showcasing the rich cultural heritage of all the local government areas in the state which will therefore herald the Eko NAFEST 2022.
NCAC Director General, Otunba Segun Runsewe congratulated the Lagos State Government for winning the hosting right for NAFEST 2022 which was keenly contested by three other states, adding that the festival which is the foremost cultural event in Nigeria has become a platform to unite the nation through Arts and Culture.
Runsewe said, “the essence of the visit is to interact and brief you on details of hosting the festival which will converge contingents from the 36 States of the federation and the FCT to Lagos state for seven days.”
He further reiterated his commitment to fine-tune the festival into richer, bigger and better platform for Lagos State, the centre of excellence by making the EKO NAFEST 2022 the best of its kind in the history of Nigeria.
He explained that the festival would have far reaching benefits to Lagosian with a positive impact on the economy of the state in the areas of hotel accommodation, transportation, small scale businesses and vendors.
Runsewe also expressed the need for the State Local Organizing Committee (LOC) to to work in close partnership with the National Organizing Committee (NOC) for effective coordination.
According to the Director General, the wife of the Governor , Mrs Ibijoke Sonwo- Olu will be crowned the mother of NAFEST ” (Mama Nafest 22) during the National Technical Stakeholders meeting coming up later this month. This will also afford her the platform to host the children during the Eko Nafest 2022.
There was exchange of cultural gifts between the Lagos State Governor and the Director General of the NCAC.
