ECOFEST 2002

Ever since Nigeria played host to the Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) in 1977 under the leadership of General (Now Dr.) Yakubu Gowon, there has been nothing close to that extravaganza. But for the accommodative structures that housed the participants, all about that great poli-cultural event would have become a foot note in our country's annuals. It was within this long interregnum of cultural inactivity and obsession with traditional imperialism that Ide Ahaba of Asaba, the publisher The Post Express and chairman of Grand Hotel, Chief (Dr) Sonny Iwedike Odogwu, initiated, single-handed, a renaissance in this sphere that had an outlay of N500 million.

ECOFEST 2002 had several West African first ladies in attendance with our own mama Chief (Mrs) Stella Obasanjo at the helm of proceedings in Asaba, Delta State. The celebration of art, culture and fashion which took place at the Grand Hotel can only compare to FESTAC '77 as no other show has had such an assemblage of personalities of the sub-region's leaders' wives and other guests from various parts of the world.

The ECOWAS Culture, Tourism and Fashion Festival (ECOFEST) will be a yearly spectacle aimed at reintegration of Blacks here and in the diaspora through exchange of notions on arts, artefacts, crafts, fashion, tourism and copious lifestyles. According to Dr. Odogwu, the special gathering will reawaken our ancestral consciousness and the need to nourish it through a pool of experiences. Maybe as time goes on, the Federal Government via the Culture Ministry would find a role to play in this visionary exercise by the icon of Odogwu Group of companies. Government needs to make an input in subsequent editions as a boost to our national image. This should be a national heritage. There is no doubt that next year's outing has the prospects of being bigger and richer in terms of all organisational perspectives. Instead of being a cultural privacy that it was last week, the coming series signal an exponential dazz'.

Delta State Governor's address during the opening ceremony