Festivals

Historic Leadership Honour Marks Cross River Celebration

Published

10 months ago

November 28, 2025

Cross River announces a historic leadership honour for four former governors at the Christmas tree-lighting that opens Carnival Calabar 2025

Officials in Calabar said yesterday that a historic leadership honour will headline this year’s Christmas tree-lighting ceremony on 30 November 2025, formally opening the month-long Carnival Calabar celebrations.

Also read: Carnival Calabar 2025 Kicks Off with Spectacular Dry Run

The state government confirmed that four former civilian governors will be recognised in what authorities describe as an unprecedented gesture of unity.

The initiative, approved by Governor Bassey Otu, will honour Dr Clement Ebri, Mr Donald Duke, Senator Liyel Imoke and Professor Ben Ayade with the state’s highest Merit Honour for Leadership.

The ceremony also ushers in the 20th anniversary of Carnival Calabar, adding a powerful emotional note to an already significant event.

State organisers say each former governor will have his name and statue permanently mounted on the Walls of Heroes at Millennium Park.

They will also receive 24 carat gold Star Medals and other symbols of leadership excellence designed to reflect their influence on the state’s development.

Government sources note that the honourees represent distinct chapters of Cross River’s political evolution. Ebri is widely regarded for providing stabilising direction during the Third Republic.

Duke’s bold tourism drive transformed the state’s global visibility. Imoke’s tenure emphasised infrastructure renewal and social reforms. Ayade championed industrialisation in an effort to diversify the economy.

Observers say the decision to celebrate these legacies together is a powerful and unifying move, reinforcing a shared narrative of progress across administrations.

Also read: Bassey Otu Revives Calabar Carnival with Powerful Vision

For many residents, the historic leadership honour carries a sense of pride as Cross River prepares for one of its most symbolic Carnival seasons yet.

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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.”