Residents of Port Harcourt express concern about carnival’s cancellation

Some residents of Port Harcourt say the
cancellation of the annual carnival by
the Rivers Government has affected
recreational and tourist activities in the
state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
reports that a carnival — Carniriv —
used to hold every December in Port
Harcourt by the immediate past
administration in the state.
The residents observe that the event,
described as biggest after Carnival
Calabar, was cancelled by the present
administration of Gov. Nyesom Wike.
The residents, who spoke with NAN on
Monday, said that the importance of the
carnival in the life of the people should
have been considered before the
cancellation.
They said that the carnival attracted
many local and foreign tourists and
investors to the city which increased
economic activities.
According to them, the event, not only
showcases the state and the people’s
cultures to would-be investors.
A hotel owner, Mr Chris Tamuno, said
that he upgraded his hotel in
anticipation to accommodate many
tourists that would have visited the city
but was disappointed by the
cancellation.
“I never had the slightest premonition
that the annual event would be
cancelled, especially as the state
government is doing all it could to
impress the people.
“Instead of outright cancellation,
government ought to have reduced the
budget by trimming down the size of the
events,’’ he said.
Mr Nath Uwaifo, a commercial bus
driver, said that with the influx of
visitors in December during the period
of Carniriv, his daily income always
tripled, saying that the story had
changed negatively this season.
He said the authorities ought to have
considered the economic benefits the
festival impacted on both residents and
government.
“`Rather than featuring street parade
and freestyle parade among others,
government would have paid for only
cultural and musical shows for people to
have fun and relax,’’ he said.
Miss Esther Ebite, who sells recharge
cards, said she had purchased enough
cards in anticipation that the festival
would hold.
She said that she usually made more
sales as a result of high influx of people
and commercial activities in the city
during the festival.
Ebite, a student of the Rivers State
Polytechnic, Bori, explained that she
habitually used the money she made
during the carnival to pay her tuition
fees in the new semester but regretted
that the cancellation had caused her
hardship.
Dr Fyneface Briggs, a civil servant, said
that government decision to cancel the
festival was a right one, especially as the
economy could no longer accommodate
“frivolous spending.’’
According to him, such funds should be
used to pay salaries and in sustainable
ventures that would have direct and long
term impact on the people.