A man must be known for something or suffer the prescription of a nondescript and so society. Economists in their reflections locate identifiable trait as comparative advantage. Every man and society has inherent potentials but not all identify and take advantage of them. And so such latent talents die and are interred without realization. It is why counselors insist that children should be led into identifying their aptitudes early to enable them cultivate and take full advantage of such talents.
Most societies trudge on without identifying its potentials. Every potential is a goldmine when properly harnessed. Societies that have become “Meccas” to the rest of the world engaged in deep reflections to identify its comparative advantage. Today the world moves in droves to Dubai because someone could perform the act of profound thinking which helped in turning the once arid land into a global economic hub. Jerusalem took advantage of its history to recreate itself into a hub of religious tourism. Saudi-Arabia also employed the trend of history and turned itself into a global worship centre.
The Akwa Ibom State Government’s routine Christmas Carol Night which comes up every December seems to be in sync with other historical trends which grow into global phenomena. In the last five-years, the event has cultivated itself into a momentous Christian fiesta of global attention. When it was first mounted in 2008, it indicated its readiness to break records and make history. For instance, it massed together a mass choir of 9,300 choristers to upset an earlier known record of a mass choir of 7,514 singers at Bob Jones University in South Carolina. The progenitor of the project, Governor Godswill Akpabio known for setting ambitious records moved the numerical value the following year to 9,999. This event has maintained this numerical template since then.
The idea of 9,999 choristers joining their voices in one location at the same time to praise God is a riveting event. Apart from its seeming task on the imagination of people who wonder how such feat can be achieved, it is a joyful festival for Christian faithful. And so if passion does not attract one to the event, doubt would as doubting “Thomases” would wish to see the feasibility of putting together such choir of grand scale. But suffice it to say that most people attend the event out of passion and desire to join their voices to praise God for his faithfulness which sees them course through the exiting year. It is always a memorable event with people traveling long distances to be part of the outpouring of God’s blessings.
Akwa Ibom Christmas Carol Night, a.k.a, 9,999 has joined to serve as one of the defining features of the new Akwa Ibom. It has become a brand complement as the State has come to be known and associated with this Christian festival. The event is gradually turning into a global fiesta which if sustained would earn a place on the global tourism map. After-all, the scale of the event is already phenomenal, the motive has universal appeal, the planning is in the hands of deft and competent personnel, funding is accessible since it is a government event and participants are accessible since they are drawn from the 31 local government areas of the State.
The benefits of evolving an agenda of such universal appeal to serve as the fulcrum of marketing the State are unquantifiable. Many lack what to use to attract people to their States. It is why many create all manners of festivals and attempt to weave their tourism around them. But thanks to the passion and genius of the executive governor Akwa Ibom whose thinking cap has produced an item that can be adjudged as a universal constant. And thanks to the imaginative director of Protocol AniekpenoMkpanang who has fine-tuned the event to meet classic trappings. It is the place of Akwa Ibom people to build their tourism potential around the event.
Tourism involves visit to places of interest oftentimes for holidays or any other kind of recreation. It is a potential boost to any economy. Tourists use accommodation facilities which generate revenue as well as other ancillary services. The service generates income which enhances the well being of the people of that society and even the society itself. Many countries have been known to depend entirely on tourism for its revenue generation. And such economies have also been known to be robust with very high per capita income. The Akpabio administration has built a State that has the potential of becoming a tourism hub. But we need core things that would help to consolidate the tourism potentials. We can turn Akwa Ibom State into the destination that all Christian faithful would long to visit every December for a Christmas Carol Night.
The 6th edition of Akwa Ibom State Government Christmas Carol Night which comes up on Saturday, December 21, 2013 holds great persuasion. The level of preparation, the passion of participants and commitment to training, rehearsals and sundry other details are proof that 9,999 belongs to the people of Akwa Ibom State. And it is not strange. Akwa Ibom people are noted for their effusive praise to God. The people of the State are knitted together into a quilt of praise. The 9,999 project provides for them a platform to ventilate their passion. Since government is said to exist for the service of the people, it must engage in things that bring joy to majority of the people. Given the trend of attendance in the five-past editions, one can conclude with reasonable comfort that 9,999 is well received by the people of the State and so should be converted from its ad-hoc status to a statutory State policy. Such position would help in building the requisite tourism complements around the event.
The 2013 edition of Akwa Ibom Christmas Carol is another novel edition to the Christmas mix which displays the core philosophy of sharing love with everyone in the State. The event for this year is robust in the quality of performing artistes drawn from within and without. The likes of South African award winning Lionel Peterson, United States gospel singing maestro, Israel Houghton, the Nigerian famous Frank Edward and the scintillating Sinach are billed to perform on this night of open Heavens. There would also be a performance by an ensemble of Akwa Ibom Voices featuring Aity Denis, Pastor Goody Goody, Fadabasi, Linda Etukudoh, Nathaniel Bassey, FrekeUmoh and FolakeUmosen. The Akwa Ibom Scotland-based artiste, El-Mafrex would lead the praise and worship session. Bongo Sikwe, a music maestro of the older generation would also be on hand to treat the audience to a worship song. Perhaps one of the persons featuring that would give extra verve to the edition is the guest preacher, Bishop David OlaniyiOyedepo of Living Faith Ministries (Winners Chapel). Getting him to be available on that day was almost an ambush. Thanks to the go-getting spirit of Governor Akpabio. The Bishop of the Sokoto Diocese, the cerebral and erudite, Matthew Hassan Kukah has also promised to grace the occasion.
With these qualities of men, women and artistes finding their ways to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State for a particular project, we must turn such a project into a national or international festival and develop strong complements that would help build our tourism policy around it. That way 9,999 would translate into more blessings that would benefit the State and its people
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