Attendees call for commissioner’s sack
The Nwonyo fishing and cultural festival, a yearly event that promised excitement and celebration has turned into a debacle as participants resorted to displaying rotten fishes to win prizes designated for the winners.
Once a vibrant tradition, the festival had fallen into obscurity in recent years, only to resurface amid controversy and disappointment. It was gathered that participants fraudulently presented fishes allegedly brought in by commercial motorcyclists from a nearby village.
These fishes were then clandestinely handed over to fishermen towards the end of the competition. Adding to the controversy was the revelation that the car awarded to the first-place winner was procured by a petroleum dealer and subsequently refurbished.
This discovery raised serious questions about the management of funds earmarked for the festival, leading to accusations of greed against the organisers. A source within the festival’s ranks, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, bemoaned the mismanagement, attributed it to the organisers’ greed and their eagerness to impress the governor, who had allocated a significant budget for the occasion.
Attempts to extract words from the commissioner failed as he did not pick up calls or reply to WhatsApp messages sent to him. Dissatisfied with the situation, some spectators have called on Governor Agbu Kefas to, as a matter of urgency, sack the commissioner for Tourism, Rev. Joseph Nagombe, for organising such an event.
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Those who spoke with The Guardian expressed dismay at the alleged manner the event was handled by both the commissioner and the organisers. Despite the turmoil, Samaila Yakubu emerged as the first-place winner and received a refurbished car in exchange for his 170 kg rotten fish.
Yusuf Abubarkar claimed second place with a 150 kg fish, earning a new motorcycle, while Hudu Yakubu secured the third place with a 120 kg fish and was awarded a grinding mill.
