Argungu fishing: An end to insurgency, says Lawan

• As Abubakar Yaro Emerges Winner With 78k Catch
The Grand Finale of the 2020 Argungu International Fishing and Cultural festival ended yesterday in a funfair. The event, which brought the five-day cultural fiesta to a close, was attended by various traditional rulers, political office holders, representatives of multinational companies and local and international tourists.

Among those present are the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adewusi Ogunwusi; Sokoto State Governor, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sanni Bello; Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalung; the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan and the host Governor, Senator Atiku Bagudu, among others.

At the end of the fishing exercise that lasted about two hours, prizes were given to winners of different competitive events that took place in the course of the four-day cultural fiesta.

For the grand fishing, six fishes were selected among numerous sizes and weights caught by indigenes of both Kebbi and Sokoto States. And after thoroughly examining the giant fishes to ensure they were caught alive, Abubakar Yaro emerged winner of the contest, with his 78kg catch.

He was closely followed by Bala Yahaya with 75kg catch, while the third place went to Sani S, whose fish weighed 70kg.

More than 5,000 fishermen from Kebbi emirates and beyond had dived into the Matan Fada River in search of the golden fish that would rewrite their history.

While some succeeded in catching big fishes, others who were less fortunate, made brisk business from the smaller fishes. Some of the programmes during the period include Royal Durbar, Agric Fair, Archery, Swimming, traditional wrestling and boxing, as well as Motor Rally. About 21 vehicles participated in the rally.

In his remarks, Lawan stated that the festival’s success signalled the end of insecurity in the North, and that the manner the fishes were caught was a clear indication that Nigeria is blessed with abundant natural resources.

The governor described the festival as a unifying factor for the people of Kebbi and their neighbours. He was excited that the festival returned after 10 years, stressing that with the successful outing, insurgency has, indeed, been defeated.