The Chairman of the Cross River State Carnival Commission, Gabe Onah, has announced plans to digitise major components of Carnival Calabar as part of efforts to transform the festival into a sustainable creative economy capable of generating opportunities for future generations.
Onah spoke in Lagos at the Eko Hotel and Suites ahead of the unveiling of the 2026 Carnival Calabar theme, “Rethinking Our Collective Destiny,” by the Governor of Cross River State, Senator Bassey Otu.
Speaking before tourism stakeholders, band leaders, travel operators, and members of the media, Onah described Carnival Calabar as an intellectual property owned collectively by the band leaders and the people behind its success over the years.
“The band leaders are the owners of this intellectual property. We are so blessed with policy direction and drive. Otherwise, how come at this point in time that we need this change to change things for us,” he said.
He commended Governor Otu for bringing fresh ideas and renewed energy into the carnival since assuming office in 2023, noting that the governor has remained deeply involved in the planning and execution process.
“This morning when he was calling to get updates, I told him that maybe you are actually the production manager and we are just your staff,” Onah stated humorously.
According to him, the state government is repositioning Carnival Calabar to become more commercially viable through technology, digital engagement, and broader community participation.
Onah disclosed that the carnival would fully embrace online voting systems — a feature already adopted by leading carnivals around the world — to allow audiences to participate more actively in the festival beyond physical attendance.
“Ten years ago, one of the strong band leaders encouraged us to introduce online voting. Carnival Calabar, having been adjudged as one of the best carnivals by the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD), is rated as one of the best,” he said.
He revealed that the state government had already begun restructuring the carnival route and expanding VIP viewing infrastructure to enhance the overall experience for visitors and investors.
“When the governor came on board, he said we must change the narrative. This business must create an ecosystem for itself. We have seen how the route itself has been re-strategised, up to a point where the first layered VIP stand could sit 500 people,” he added.
Onah said the Commission had also resolved to digitise carnival products and merchandise through its technical partner, Nogi Technologies, a London-based firm engaged to support the carnival’s modernization efforts.
According to him, the digital transformation initiative is designed to empower young people economically while creating long-term commercial value around the carnival brand.
“We discovered that our young boys and girls must eke a living and the only way that will happen is through the soft entry. We have decided to digitise all the products and articles of Carnival Calabar,” he said.
He further disclosed that international partnerships were being explored to adapt Carnival Calabar into movies and other creative productions capable of projecting the event globally.
“Carnival remains one of the only products that you must travel to a destination if you must get to it. So the beginning of this new thing is that we want to change the way we think and create the economy and commercialise this sector for unborn generations,” he said.
Onah also called on band leaders to embrace transparency as the new digital systems are introduced, revealing that the Cross River State Internal Revenue Service and financial institutions would be integrated into the process to ensure accountability.
“The governor has directed that the Internal Revenue Service will be involved. All the banks will have a dashboard and those who clap for you on the route, who vote for you, will show workings through their phones by voting,” he stated.
The unveiling event drew key stakeholders from Nigeria’s tourism and creative industries as Cross River State intensified preparations for the 2026 edition of Carnival Calabar, widely regarded as Africa’s biggest street carnival.
