Festivals

Cross River to upgrade Nkum Okpame fishing festival for greater gains

Published

3 years ago

October 28, 2023

The Cross River State government has said it will harness the potential of the newly discovered Nkum Okpemae community fishing festival because it will boost the tourism activities of the state.

The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism Development, Eric Anderson, said the festival was upgraded to make it bigger and better.

He spoke at this year’s Okpambe Fishing and Cultural Festival (OCAFFEST), marked annually by the Nkum Okpambe Community in Obubra Local Government Area of the State.

Anderson said that the festival has great potential and is a good tourism product which can contribute to further development of culture and tourism.

“Going by what has been witnessed here, this festival provides the warmth of the Yala-Obubra hospitality.

According to history, the annual one week fishing festival is as old as the community itself, dating back to the early 16th century.

It is observed in the first quarter of every year between January and April.

Each of the lakes has the capacity to accommodate a crowd of 10,000 to 20,000 participants.

Natives said besides these lakes, there are other tourism sites like the “Wonder slab of stone’, the presence of ancient monoliths spread across the villages of Okpambe town, mainly located in Omindom, Ukpochi and Ogana ancestral playgrounds, beautiful sand beaches, waterfalls, a mysterious secret bush, a beautiful traditional palace and others.

The Chairman, Obubra Local Government Area, Dr. Bassey Agara Tom, pledged that the council will continue to collaborate with the ministry and Coneri Magazine to enhance the festival.

Related Topics:Cross River Featured Festivals fishing festival

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Culture

OLOJO….Ile Ife’s September Gift To Culture

Published

2 hours ago

October 5, 2026

Mariam Balogun

By Halima Adaba,

It was a featubal if the people. It was for the anciebt town of Ile Ife, which the Yoruba race refards as the Source.

Also read: Olojo Festival 2026: Ooni Urges Leaders to Prioritise Citizens

And ut was a festivsl for the King, Arole Oduduwa, Oonirisa, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.

And so between September 24 and 28th 2026, the annual featuval dazzjed in all its white glory.

Tge Monarch paid the traditional ancestral homage and offered propitiation as part of the sacred rites of the Olojo Festival.
It was a powerful expression of Yoruba heritage, spirituality, and enduring tradition.

Call it a collection of beautiful moments, faces, colours and cultural expressions.

Every frame tells a story.

Every face carries the energy.

Every moment keeps the heritage alive.

Undoubtedly one of the most sacred cultural celebrations in Ilé-Ifẹ̀. It marked a day associated with creation, thanksgiving, ancestral heritage, and the sacred appearance of the Ooni of Ife wearing the revered Aàrẹ crown.

There were also the devotees of the famed god of thunder – Sàngó who were hardly conspicuous at the festival.

Many other traditional groups came out with candor, showing a powerful expression of Yoruba cultural identity, spiritual devotion, and respect for the ancient traditions of Ilé-Ifẹ̀.

Devotees of Sàngó bekieved the ‘appearance’ of the god of thunder on Seotember 26th could be understood as a symbolic meeting of ancestral heritage, spiritual devotion, and the celebration of creation.

It was a moment when the sounds of drums, chants, and traditional praise poetry brought the history of the Yoruba people to life.

Although Olojo is closely associated with Ogun, the god of iron, and the sacred traditions of Ile-Ife, the presence of Sàngó devotees reflected the rich diversity of Yoruba spiritual heritage.

Also read: Olojo Festival 2026: Ooni Urges Leaders to Prioritise Citizens

As a participant enthused at the festival, “To witness Sàngó Olúkòso emerge on Olojo Festival day is to witness a living expression of history, identity, and ancestral pride.”