Ekiti Government says it will partner with the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), in its bid to host the National Festival of Arts, Culture and Tourism (NAFEST) in November.
The Chairman, Local Organising Committee (LOC), Prof. Rasaki Bakare, also the State Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism, made this known on Thursday when he led Committee members on a Support and Advocacy visit to FUOYE management.
The National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) and the Federal Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, had approved Ekiti as the state to host the 34th edition of NAFEST.
“The NAFEST and National Sports Festival were the two national assets Nigeria created in 1968, as the civil war raged, as internal mechanisms to bring all the warring factions together,” Bakare said.
The LOC chairman, also the pioneer Dean, Post Graduate Studies in FUOYE, however, said that the move was for Nigeria to be and remain one again.
He said that in the last 53 years, 33 editions of the festival had been held, making the 2021, which Ekiti is hosting, the 34th edition.
“This is the first time the state is hosting a national event of this magnitude.
“The narration has always been that the state has no facility and has no population to host such an event.
“But, because of the tremendous job that Gov. Kayode Fayemi administration has done, this was evident in our successful outing in the last lnternational Arts and Crafts contest.
“Ekiti beat all other contestants, both local and foreign, to emerge the best and the state also emerged the second best in NAFEST in Jos in 2020,” he said.
This feat, according to the LOC chairman, impressed the National Council for Arts and Culture and the Federal Ministry of lnformation, Culture and Tourism to give Ekiti the hosting right.
He said that the festival was not just a one man’s job, but for every institution that occupies space in Ekiti to be involved to ensure a successful NAFEST.
Bakare said the state was expecting to host no fewer than 75, 000 guests and tourists from both foreign and domestic destinations.
“We are here to inform you that FUOYE is a critical stakeholder in the successful hosting of the festival. There are activities that would come to the campus.
“We are, particularly, raising two thousand volunteers of young men and women to work with us in different aspects of the festival hosting.
“Out of them, one thousand will perform; we are hoping that out of these, we would raise 300 from FUOYE, particularly from the Departments of Theatre and Media Arts and Mass Communication.
“They will learn a great deal and acquire practical knowledge that cannot be obtained in the classrooms,” he said.
Bakare said the committee would bring its auditioning and recruitment to the campus next week, assuring them of great benefit from the partnership.
He, also said that the committee would need the university for some other assistance such as: accommodation and transport facilities.
“We want to make Ekiti proud and want to make history to ensure that the state hosts the best NAFEST so far,” LOC chairman said.
He, then congratulated the university Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, on his appointment, praying that his tenure would be beginning of the realisation of God’s visions for FUOYE.
Responding, Fasina assured Bakare and his team of FUOYE’s support, urging stakeholders in Ekiti project to join hands to develop the state.
The university vice-chancellor said that Ekiti was blessed to have one of the best in medical tourism, the best consultant in Medicine, noting that the opportunities were huge.
He said: “We need to open up more spaces, we have passion for the state to develop and the people should allow it to develop.
“Culture brings change, development and unity. It will always bring development for those who are receptive; so, we thank God that the state has someone like Prof. Bakare.
“Whatever you are seeing in the Department of Theatre and Media Arts, Prof. Bakare is the brain behind it.”
According to him, we will support you in everyway, we will collaborate with you. Your success is our success.
“We are glad that FUOYE has emerged the fifth position, out of 176 universities with regards to the Most-Sought-After University in Nigeria.
“We are becoming popular, because we are achieving greatly. We are bringing development into the towns around us. We are relevant in terms of population.
“We also have resources, as well as qualitative education. If we have industries in the state, we would have been more vibrant, dynamic to effect change,” the vice-chancellor said. (NAN)
