The Executive Governor of Cross River State Professor Ben Ayade has suspended the Chairman of Carnival Calabar Commission Sir Gabe Onah.
No reason was given for the suspension but sources in Calabar say it is in connection with the first Carnival Calabar Awards that held on Easter Saturday in Calabar.
The awards were held without the official consent of the Governor who is the executive producer of the carnival.
Gabe Onah the Chairman of the Commission has been on sick leave since November 2020 and had not been seen in public since then.
It is believed that he had travelled abroad for his health Challenge.
The commission had planned to honour 150 people who had contributed to the success of the 17 year Old Carnival. The award winners included Band Leaders, Revellers, Media and many support staff. But it is said that the Organisers did not get a written approval from the Governor.
Many thought leaders have since appealed to the Governor to rescind the suspension for the sake of the brand.
Carnival Calabar is the biggest tourism event in Nigeria and the 3rd largest in the world. It has put Calabar on the Global Map.
It is tagged as Africa’s biggest Street Party attracting millions of visitors to Calabar every year.
It was suspended last Year because of Covid19.
1 comment
Considering the fact that the chairman of the comisson was on medical leave his excellency the governor would would have tempered justice with mercy to spear him, the chairman had done very well in his capacity as the chairman of carnival comisson, the governor should on medical and compassionate grounds rescind his decision