PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan and Akwa Ibom State governor Godswill Akpabio will be flag-off Nigeria's centenary celebrations in Park Lane in London next year by addressing a business forum.
Billed to mark a series of events that will involve a year-long celebration of Nigeria marking 100 years, the centenary festivities will also be designed to attract more British investment into Nigeria. Akwa Ibom State had been chosen as the face of Nigeria’s centenary celebrations because of the historical significance of the signing of the amalgamation treaty by Lord Lugard at Ikot Abasi, in the state.
Emmanuel Minimah, facilitator of the celebrations and the executive director of Dabbs International will be coordinating the London event. Yesterday, he visited the Akwa Ibom State governor in the company of Nigeria's minister of culture and tourism Chief Edem Duke, to brief him on how things were going.
Governor Akpabio said that the choice of Akwa Ibom as the face of Nigeria’s centenary celebration and key contributor to all events in London, would place Nigeria in the right historical perspective. He added that the event would afford Nigeria the opportunity to invite those in diaspora to visit the Centenary House where the southern and northern protectorates were amalgamated in Ikot Abasi.
“This is history rewritten. For the first time on behalf of the people of Akwa Ibom State, I now know that truly, Nigeria is interested in keeping the right history, as we had missed out on the aspect of telling others the truth," Governor Akpabio added.
He expressed optimism that the initiative would go a long way in showcasing some of the cultural monuments like the Mary Slessor Hall and the Bridge of No Return where many Africans were sold into slavery. According to the governor, even from the diaspora, hundreds of visitors came to the state to take pictures in front of cultural monuments as a prelude to the celebrations.
Governor Akpabio added that some visitors wanted to see where Mary Slessor abolished the killing of twins in the whole of West Africa. He pledged to partner with the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation to ensure a hitch-free celebration.
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