Nanna Yakubu Dashe, CEO of Caskada Integrated Ltd, has called for a major shift in the way Nigeria approaches festivals, urging stakeholders to transform cultural celebrations from seasonal events into sustainable economic engines capable of generating year-round tourism revenue.
Dashe made the call while speaking as a guest speaker during the Naija7Wonders Zoom Conference themed: “Festivals & Tourism in Nigeria: A New Pathway.”
Drawing from her experience working with several major festivals across Nigeria’s North Central region, Dashe said many cultural festivals have evolved from local community gatherings into internationally recognized tourism attractions through professionalism, visibility and strategic planning. She highlighted the Nawai Festival as one of the success stories where community participation, cultural preservation, and professional tourism input helped elevate the event to global recognition.
According to her, the festival is now developing a cultural village designed to extend tourism activities beyond the festival period and eliminate seasonality. “It is not enough for tourists to come for three days and leave. Communities must continue to benefit all year round,” she said. Dashe explained that cultural villages provide visitors with opportunities to experience indigenous lifestyles, local cuisines, crafts, storytelling traditions, and heritage tourism throughout the year. She emphasized that Nigeria must begin packaging festivals as businesses rather than temporary celebrations.
“We are treating festivals as events, not as economic engines. Festivals should generate revenue, create jobs, and stimulate local economies,” she stated. The tourism expert noted that cultural tourism could significantly diversify Nigeria’s economy if properly harnessed, especially given the country’s vast cultural diversity and over 300 community festivals. She also stressed the importance of building value chains around festivals through skills development, youth empowerment, craft production, and tourism entrepreneurship.
According to her, communities should develop tourism experiences linked to traditional occupations such as fishing, boat-making, craft production, drumming and storytelling. Dashe cited the Argungu Fishing Festival as an example of how festivals can be expanded beyond competitions into immersive tourism experiences rooted in culture and heritage. She added that festivals also stimulate infrastructural development, pointing to improved roads and renovated fishing communities around Argungu as examples of tourism-driven growth.
“If we harness our cultural festivals properly, Nigeria can become a global melting point for culture,” she added. Dashe concluded by urging governments and festival organizers to engage professionals rather than relying solely on local committees or family networks in festival planning and management.
