Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, says making the Carnival Calabar International Festival a bigger platform remains one of his campaign promises.
Governor Otu gave the assurance on Thursday, while flagging off the main event of the 2023 Carnival Calabar International Festival, where seven competing bands gave scintillating performances in competition for prizes.
“This is one of our campaign promises that we are definitely going to bring carnival back and on a bigger platform. What you have seen is the tip of the iceberg because we are going to move it to the next level,” the Governor remarked.
Commending sponsors for their immense support, he lauded tourists, visitors, and other fun seekers for gracing Calabar with their presence and savouring the spectacle.
Meanwhile, Calas Vegas Band, which is under the tutelage of former Minister of Culture and Tourism, High Chief Edem Duke, at the end of the show at the main bowl of the U. J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, clinched the coveted top position of N10m of the N55m on offer.
Passion 4, the festival’s most successful band, came second, while Seagull Band settled for the third position.
The Carnival Calabar was a display of innovation, theatre, ingenuity, culture, exhibition and interpretation of societal issues, as well as proffering of solutions.
