Tag: feast

Taraba has a lot to wow its beholder. The wildlife on the Mambilla plateau in Gembu, Sardauna Local Government Area, is breathtaking. Another attraction is Nwonyo Lake, which produces Nigeria’s biggest fish in Nigeria.

The fishing festival is a tourism product that has put the country in world reckoning. It is the essence of the state, the identity and heritage of Taraba people. But something is missing: it is not making any money for the state. It needs branding.

Nwonyo is in Ibi Local Government Area, south of the state. A tributary of River Benue flows into it, covering a distance of about 10km. Most of the aquatic creatures from the main river course take asylum at Nwonyo due to its cool and serene habitat and the fact that the lake is a reserve.

The state’s tourism board organises the Nwonyo fishing festival, with support from the federal government and donor agencies.

The main business of the festival is the fishing expedition. But there is also the search for turtles and crocodiles. Boat regatta, horse race, traditional wrestling, masquerades and cultural dances are other exhilarating attractions that herald the day.

The atmosphere is generally that of a carnival. Hordes of people mill around, interacting with a bevy of traders who make brisk business by selling sundry items. The main stand is cordoned off to protect the peace of dignitaries. Senate President David Mark, the wife of the president, Patience Jonathan, governors Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Muazu Babangida (Niger) are among high profile dignitaries who have graced previous editions of the festival at different times.

In fact, there are many fantastic things to thrill every visitor at the festival. The sights, gulls, sounds and rhythms of the lake water and birds alone can dazzle your senses and soothe your mind.

Usually, the governor leaves the podium to the lake’s bank to declare the festival open. Then the fishing competition would commence at the blow of a whistle by the custodian of the lake. The custodian is usually the Sarkin Ibi, who claims to be in consultation with the goddess of the water during the festival.

The fishing competition is done traditionally, using small canoes. On the canoe, there are two paddlers and a third man who throws the net for the catch. The thrower is seen as the team leader. He often jumps into the water to probe dexterously for fish, not just fish but the biggest.

Any big fish caught by a competitor attracts a thunder of applause and yelling from the fun-seeking audience.

The densities of the fish are assessed with a scale, usually by officials of the Taraba State Tourism Board.

The catcher of the biggest fish is usually rewarded with a car prize. The first and second runners-up are given other prizes for their efforts.

The heftiest catches of the festival are usually the Nile Porch species of fish, known in Hausa as Giwa Ruwa. The biggest catch last year, by Hudu Yakubu weighed 280kg. Shehu Umar came second with a 215kg catch, while Likiti Aboshi came third with a 214kg fish. Thus, Yakubu cruised home with a Hilux Pick-up truck. He was engulfed with joy, raising his hands and acknowledging cheers from the crowd.

In 2009, Senate President David Mark, who represented President Umaru Yar’Adua, described the biggest catch of 230kg as thrice his weight.

Having put the state in such an enviable world map of reckoning, Nwonyo, as a tourism-based product, ought to be a revenue generating enterprise. But it is not.

Despite the fact that the lake breeds the weightiest fish in the country, it is Argungu in Kebbi State that commands the patronage of the world. The Taraba’s fishing festival is not organised in such a way it could coax hard currency from the pockets of tourists. The state pitiably hangs on to what the government hands out every year for the festival.

That is why Governor Danbaba Suntai, in his usual bluntness, has described the festival as a mere “jamboree” that is yet to impact on the state economically. This was during the last edition in April last year –before his plane crash in October in which he was the pilot.

“We are yet to see a blueprint that can turn tourism into a revenue generating enterprise in Taraba State,” he stated.

The governor grimaced at a situation where the festival is looked at as only a ritual where government spends funds yearly for people to come and watch without the state profiteering from it.

Suntai said Taraba was yet to start the “journey of tourism,” adding that any money sunk by government for the purpose of holding the fishing festival was a waste.

“In two years, if I don’t see a difference I will withdraw myself from this journey of nothing,” he threatened, challenging the state Tourism Development Board to turn tourism into a revenue-earning business that would impact positively and directly on the lives of Tarabans, particularly those domiciled within the tourist sites.

Suntai is not the only one in this school of thought. Dr. Joseph Rishante who was the guest speaker at last year’s edition, had earlier described tourism as a “naira and kobo making business.”

This means Nwonyo fishing festival must be transformed and rebranded into an economic viable sector. And according to Rishante, “you don’t need to start with Five Star Hotels; you can start small but let us see that you have started something.”

In 2010, the Taraba State government said it spent N45m in hosting the fishing festival, with counterpart funding of N20m by the federal government. Last year, donors like the MTN service provider, also sank millions of naira in the fishing fiesta.

In rebranding Nwonyo, the people also have to be conscious of maintaining the right balance in the eco-system. As such, Suntai turned the annual festival into a biennial event, to allow the fish to mature. That is why the festival was only observed by the locals but would not hold in full swing this year.

But preparations to hold the fishing fiesta in style next year are building up. By then, the great lake would be 100 years! It is important to note that Nwonyo fishing festival began in 1914 but was brought to public eye by former Governor Jolly Nyame, who upgraded its process to a national and international status to have economic benefits.

By next year, the tourism site must have been transformed into an industry where Taraba’s teeming youths will find jobs and the state itself will no longer regret the fact that it does not have oil.

For instance, the socio-economic lifestyle of more than half of the natives in Ibi and other towns in the state, contrasts sharply with the nature’s benevolence. Signs of decay, hunger and disease are manifest even as the people battle with the vicious cycle of poverty.

A scrutiny of the standard of living of residents along the Wukari-Ibi Road that lead to the fishing site reveals poverty and bliss spiting at each other. It is a paradox of a place richly blessed with natural endowments, but its people wallowing in misery.

The road to the area (beginning from Wukari) yearns for development. Infrastructural facilities must be built, not only at the tourism site, but in Ibi town, to speed up massive development. That has not been done yet.

In the 2010 edition, the wife of the president, Patience Jonathan, noted that “tourism is important for the development of the people and potentialities of the nation and must not be under-utilised”.

“Tourism unifies the people and bridges them closer to their cultures. And it is an effervescent industry that creates wealth,” she said, adding: “The business of tourism is capital intensive, I therefore call on the private sector to help rebrand and promote the nation’s tourism to obtain an enviable position on the world tourism map.”