Plans are underway for this year’s edition of Argungu International Festival, News Agency of Nigeria reports.
Kebbi State Government disclosed that it will gulp about N650 million of which the funds will be used to prepare the states infrastructures .According to NAN sources, the fisherman with the biggest catch gets $7500 (N2,726,250) .It was further disclosed that the event has been tentatively scheduled for March.
The state’s Commissioner for Works, Alhaji Abubakar Chika-Ladan spoke on the planned works ahead of the event “Over N650 million has been earmarked for the Argungu international fishing and cultural festival scheduled to hold early March.
“This money is for rehabilitation of the dilapidated structures, roads, pavilions, culverts, motels and grand -fishing hotel, among others. “The works on these places have commenced already, and we will meet the deadline“ The committee had commenced activities in collaboration with the Local Organising Committee of Argungu Emirate Council and over 20 sub -committees, to handle all aspects of the festival activities.
“They have been working to meet the deadline, and we are satisfied with their arrangements and optimistic that we will deliver our mandate by the end of this month,” he said. Argungu is an agrarian community in Kebbi State in North-west Nigeria and has been known to attract tourists during the event. The city is estimated to be about 47,064 as at 2007.
The festival is an annual event which marks the end of the growing season and the harvest. The fishing area is a 1.6 kilometer stretch of the Argungu River restricted from fishing throughout the year to enable the fish multiply enough in population and size for the festival.
It would be recalled that this year’s event is coming 10 years after it was suspended with observers lamenting the huge loss in revenue Punch reports that the Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Samaria Mohammed Merra, while announcing the return of the festival in Abuja on Tuesday, said it was founded to encourage peaceful coexistence among the people of Sokoto and Kebbi, after a prolonged war of 100 years.
Source: NAN, Punch
