Over 200,000 persons, some from neighbouring countries, attended a carnival in Obehie, Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State conceived to tap the rich cultural endowments of the communities rather than depend on their crude oil deposits. SUNNY NNWANKWO reports
Guests came from far and wide: Ghana, Cameroon, and Cote D’Ivoire, among other countries. Apart from the surging crowd of locals, other visitors streamed in from virtually every part of the Nigeria. In all, there were over 200,000 persons at the Ukwa carnival initiated to draw attention to the rich cultural endowments of the Ukwa people in Abia State.
It was a delight for tourists. There were enough peculiar costumes to enthrall the onlooker, as were cultural ensembles, including dance groups.
Ukwa area is blessed with huge crude oil and gas deposits, but the people are much aware that oil is finite, while their culture is inexhaustible. They want to celebrate the infinite above the finite, a theme that resonates with the Buhari administration which preaches diversification away from oil.
Ukwa Land is made up of two local government areas in Abia State; Ukwa East and Ukwa West.
The Ukwa people, according to researchers, are generally said to have migrated from the riverine parts of the Niger Delta.
Ukwa East is said to be occupied by the Ndoki clan while Ukwa West is inhabited by the Asa Clan. History has it that the two brothers also have their kith and kin in Obigbo (Oyigbo) in Rivers State which were together with them before the Justice Mamman Nasir Boundary adjustment in 1976 carved out part of Ukwa Division and placed it in present Rivers State.
One of the unique features of the Ukwa and Oyigbo indigenes is that they speak the same language and have the same cultural ties despite being in different states as a result the 1976 boundary adjustment.
Ukwa people are agrarian in nature. They have oil palms in large quantity which many have opined to be the largest in the entire Southern Nigeria.
Apart from the abundance of food, the Ukwa people who also share boundaries with some parts of Rivers and Akwa Ibom states is immensely blessed with natural resources, which the state is enjoying today. This is because the Ukwa people like their neighbouring Niger Delta communities also have crude oil deposits, which is why Abia State is as an oil-producing state.
The large oil and gas deposits in Owaza-Asa, Ukwa West LGA, the largest centre of operation of SPDC on land in the entire OML 11 with over 158 oil wells, accounts for the presence of various oil companies in the area.
Apart from Abia Palm at Ohambele in Ukwa East, where major cooking oil consumed within and outside the state is produced, the Industrial sand at Asa-Ugbo Bekee is also another economic generating deposit in the area. The Akwaette weaving which has surpass generations remains one of the trades bequeathed to the people by their fore-fathers that still thrive.
There is also the Rubber Research Institute located in the Ukwa region because of the quantity of rubber deposit in the area.
Research has also shown that Ukwa area has the potential of erasing the status of land-locked region away from the Southeast because the confluence town of Obeaku-Ndoki where Imo River joins the Blue River is only about 40 nautical miles to the Atlantic Ocean.
The two cities recently attracted the interest of the federal government with the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the state governments for the establishment of an Economic City in the area comprising Ukwa East, Ukwa West and Ugwunagbo LGAs respectively.
No wonder the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari seeing the economic importance of the area approved the Enyimba Economic City when it was brought to his tables for approval.
Just as the Buhari government is preaching diversification of the economy from dependency on crude oil, a group of like-minds from the oil-rich region of the state are already planning ahead for the two agrarian communities.
These Ukwa West and East entrepreneurs, worried about the untapped natural and economic resources lying waste, have embraced cultural festival to tap the tourist potentials of the people. The plan is to change the narrative from being oil-dependent communities to cultural oriented communities.
They want to replicate and domesticate what many Nigerians including their sons and daughters travel as far as Brazil and Calabar to watch.
They said that they intend to use the cultural fiesta to boost the economy of the state and to also showcase the rich cultural value of the people which the visitors may not have had the opportunity to come across. This is even as the event would create opportunities for the locals and others to meet and discuss with potential investors on how they can take their businesses further, and make Abia State a tourist hub.
In an interview, the organisers who stated that the last edition of the carnival with the theme; Destination Uncommon, featured among other things: Royal Procession which was undertaken by the traditional rulers of Ukwa as well as their Niger-Delta counterparts, Community Cultural Procession, Carnival Band Procession, Display from various Cultural Groups from neighbouring states of Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi including Reggae, Jazz, Hip-hop, R&B, Comedy, Talent shows and pageantry.
The organizers added that the concert was used in the unveiling of ‘Eres Hermosa’ one of the biggest Spanish costumes that have never been seen in Africa.
The carnival director, Mr. Emeka Don Alasoro said in as much they are not in any way trying to compare the Ukwa Carnival with any other one pre-existing it, they have already created an identity which they will like to sustain.
“Ukwa Carnival is a worthwhile initiative borne out of the passion to promote our culture and tourism and at the same time, uplift the economic status of our people. It is expected that the event will create an enabling environment for prospective investors, both indigenous and international to visit Abia State and Ukwa land in particular to explore business opportunities and other investments.
“This will help to facilitate our economic well-being and ignite speedy development of Ukwa land and Abia State in general.
“In this connection, we are therefore optimistic that we are going to make Ukwa
land an envy of Igbo land before a decade. Hence, our mantra remains; Connect, Celebrate, Relate and Showcase.
“We are not in any way trying to compare Ukwa Carnival with the likes of Calabar Carnival. That’s never the motive. Our vision is different and likewise the aims. Cross River State is far older than Abia and Calabar Carnival is far older than Ukwa Carnival as well. If you have seen what we did in our maiden edition last year, you will agree with me that this year’s own will be more glamorous.
Mr. Obum Mao Azunna, the Chairman of Grand Council of Niger Delta Youths Leaders who doubles as the Public Relations Officer of Ukwa Royal Heritage, while speaking on the choice of Obehie said it was due to the town’s equidistance to both Aba in Abia state and Port Harcourt in Rivers state, stressing that the town is also at the centre of the whole Ukwa area.
Azunna who opined that the maiden edition last year recorded over 60, 000 participants expressed happiness that well over 200,000 persons attended the just concluded edition.
On the opportunities and business potentials the carnival can bring to Abia State, Azunna said, “The carnival can open a huge channel for investors to see the potentials in Ukwa Land and Abia in general. The Obeaku Confluence which is just forty-nautical miles to the Atlantic Ocean is there waiting to be seen and developed, the Azumini Blue River is yearning for investors and tourists. The Asa-Ugbo Bekee which is the largest centre for industrial sand is here and need to be put into better use. Our oil palm produce and methods of production can be
improved upon. A lot of people with several business interests will come here and they shall visit a lot of places and explanations will be made. We are hoping to shift attention away from the oil in Ukwa to other things that put youths out of the streets and gainfully keep them busy.
“The carnival will promote what Ukwa is all about. Our land does not just produce oil and gas alone. We are not looking at that anymore. Ukwa people are agrarian people. This is why today; the robber research institute of the federal government is here and very fruitful. There in Ohambele where we have the Abia Palm Plantation.
“Our Akwete clothes which the Igbo race has been known for back in the early days are still been produced here in Akwete. It is among the paramount things we are going to showcase.
On insecurity, one of the organisers, Precious Ogbuji said, “Yes, it is true this is Niger Delta region, but it is the most peaceful and secure oil producing area in Nigeria. There has never been any reported case of security lapse in Ukwa Land for so many years notwithstanding that our people have been neglected over the years despite the weight of wealth in the land. We have great synergy with the military and the police. Here in Ukwa Land, Asa to be precise, we have one of Nigeria’s military bases, the 144 battalion which is just a stone’s throw from Obehie”.
He re-emphasised that the event is nonpolitical, stating, “As you can see, the organisation that is championing this event is non-political and non-dependent on any company or organisation. The whole idea behind the Ukwa carnival was borne out of the passion to promote our cultural heritage. We made it that way because we want to sustain it and wouldn’t want a situation where one or group of individuals and even one company will see this event as theirs.
“Major oil companies in Ukwa may have their social responsibilities to the communities, the state government may be there, but we don’t use our carnival as a prior mandate for anyone of them. The carnival has come to stay and Ukwa Royal Heritage will ensure that. We are not leaving the burden on anyone, but whoever identifies with us is welcomed”, he said.
The Founder and Chairman of Ukwa Royal Heritage Limited, Mr. Ezinwanne O. Adiele who could not hide his joy over the attendance of the just concluded edition disclosed that they have started making plans for another edition that would be holding later this year, December to be precise.
Adiele called on the state government, corporate organisations, agencies, manufacturers, industrialists, business people and investors to identify with this all important annual event to facilitate a speedy development of Abia State through Culture and Tourism.
A situation he said, will ignite a laudable economic growth and balance, foster bilateral relationships and enhance local and international business connections.
Adiele reiterated that a country like Brazil, which is today a known emerging economy in the world had leveraged immensely from her yearly Carnival to attract tourists from various parts of the world and as such boosting the economy of Brazil.
He also named Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Cuba, Barbados, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, among others, who rely on their cultural and tourist potentials as an alternative means of boosting its economy.
The Ukwa Cultural Carnival founder while stating that Abia State could achieve lofty goals within her socio-cultural and economic index if proper attention would be given to this passionate and fascinating project said that the ‘Ukwa Carnival Expo’ has all it takes to attract both national and international attention to Abia State tourism industry.