2022 Carnival Calabar: Ayade seeks end to primitive agriculture
From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
The Cross River State Governor Professor Ben Ayade has called for an end to primitive way of processing agricultural products in Africa.
The governor said the true value of agricultural products is when it is processed stressing the theme of this year’s festival which is “Agro-Industralization is meant to draw this point home.
The governor further explained that the theme of the carnival was carefully chosen to enable Africans understand the import of Agro-industrialization and the processing of agro products.
“”Why do you grow cassava, take a tuber of it and process it into garri and make one thousand naira and somebody else takes it, processed it into pharmaceutical starch and makes one thousand dollars.
“So what Ayade is saying is time has come when Africans should put an end to this primitive way of processing their products.
“The true value of any agro produce is to take it to it’s end product.
“So, what we are expecting to see today is the interpretation of the theme during the float as we watch the revelers on the path.
“We will be looking at the storyline through the dance and procession on the interpretation of the theme Agro-industrialization; and that is the concept,” the governor said.
He urged spectators to enjoy the show and assimilate the core message of the theme to become productive.
The flag off ceremony took place at the Eleven Eleven Roundabout in Calabar and the governor was accompanied by the daughter of the President, Zahra Buhari Indimi.
The flag off ceremony was preceded by a one minute silence in honour of those who lost their lives during the Calabar Bikers Tragedy.
