TOURISM- NIGERIA BECOMING A CARNIVAL HUB

The fever of organizing carnivals complete with pomp and glamour is spreading across Nigeria. From Calabar, Cross River State to Abuja, Lagos to Port Harcourt; the story is the same. These states and several others have openly embraced this trend which was largely foreign, in the early 80s and 90s.
  At the turn of the decade, carnival gradually became the norm even though it wasn't  a popular phenomenon . The explosion of hosting carnivals arrived with the Calabar Carnival which is the main highlight of a 32 day thrilling celebration in Cross River State.
  It kicked off in 2004 during the period of Governor Donald Duke and it is held annually in December. This carnival has grown over the years to include display from international dance and cultural troupes from Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, Ghana, São Tomé and principe etc.
  Other States have followed in the footsteps of Calabar. The Abuja carnival started in 2005; the Port Harcourt carnival was revamped in 2008, while the Lagos carnival made its derby in 2010. Notwithstanding this, there are other low- profile carnivals that are organized in streets and neighborhoods especially during the festive periods.
   Furthermore, the race to organize carnivals is not subsiding in Nigeria as various States have plans in the offing to launch a carnival. The reason for this may not be remote because of the unique benefits linked to carnival ranging from economic,social,political and the multiplier effect it has on the economy. The Calabar carnival which prides itself as Africa's biggest street party pulls 50,000 costumed revelers, 2 million spectators and an audience of over 50 million television viewers( Calabar carnival website). This is just a snippet of the benefits Nigeria can accrue from carnival and states like Cross River, Lagos and Rivers have tapped into this huge market to generate revenue. Many corporate and institutional sponsors have also keyed in.
   Therefore, as carnivals maneuvers its way into various states in Nigeria, it is believed that both the economic and social benefits will be explored. Perhaps, in years to come, a carnival organized in Nigeria will be ranked as one of the top rated in the world.