Abakaliki – Entertainment celebrities across the country will converge on Abakaliki on Thursday to showcase the state’s rich cultural, tourism and general arts endowments.
The Chairman of the Ebonyi Entertainment Carnival Committee, Mr Jerry Uhuo, announced the development in Abakaliki on Wednesday while briefing newsmen on the carnival scheduled to hold between Aug. 27 and Aug. 29.
“Top musicians like Pato Ranking, Techno, Flash and Nollywood stars such as Andy Chukwu, among others will participate in musical and cultural activities during the period.
“Ebonyi is hugely blessed with cultural and tourist endowments which if well-harnessed will make it depend less on allocation from the federation account.
“There are more than 30 tourist sites in the state which can attract N500 million annually through private sector investment,” he said.
Uhuo explained that the Amancho Cave in Afikpo South Local Government Area was a world-class tourist destination that could attract huge revenue.
“The cave is six kilometers underground and has spaces that can contain 4,000 people for occasions, concerts and other entertainment activities.
“In 2004, foreign tourists from Asia and other parts of the world toured the cave and made a case for its development to the then Federal Government.
“The Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism contacted Ebonyi and made some provisions though nothing concrete came out from it.
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“The state also has other tourist attractions such as the Ogboji Bone-Setting Clinic, Okpuruke cave and Enyigba Lake, among others. The artistes will tour these places during the carnival,” he said.
He noted that the committee would showcase the huge potentials to the world and that the celebrities, especially those from Ebonyi, could make the objective realisable.
“Some of the celebrities from Ebonyi do not know of the existence of such endowments. The carnival will serve as a homecoming for them and an eye-opener for the visitors.
“More than 90 per cent of the marketers in the entertainment industry are from Ebonyi so the carnival will be used to inaugurate the United Ebonyi Artistes Association,” he said.
A member of the committee and renowned Nollywood producer, Mr Steve-Rodstick Eze, noted that an endowment fund would also be inaugurated to assist upcoming artistes, especially those from the state.
“The fund known as the ‘Seed Fund’ will be used to produce and market film scripts and musical works of upcoming artistes to realise their aims of becoming celebrities,” he said. (NAN)
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