Jos Carnival 2018, themed ‘One People’, left Plateau State residents, tourists and visitors in awe.
Held at the Solomon Lar Amusement Park, Secretariat Junction and Rwang Pam Township Stadium in Jos, this second edition was organized with the aim of promoting peace and encourage harmonious living, irrespective of ethnicity or religion.
The carnival, no doubt, left an indelible mark on people, who appeared thrilled by the displays from power bikers, cultural troupes, street dancers and musicians. What was glaringly noticeable during the carnival was the colour, beauty and cultural display.
The three-day event, which began with music fiesta at Solomon Lar Amusement Park on Friday, May 11, attracted positive attention, accolades and commendation from attendees.
About 2200 dancers, 700 cultural troupes from the 17 local government areas of the state, and 150 bikers made the occasion colourful and breath-taking.
About 15 bikers from South Africa, Benin Republic, Senegal, Ghana and Togo also added colour to the carnival, setting the audience agog during their performance.
During the first day’s event, Plateau-born musicians such as Jeremiah Gyang, Dabs, Jah Device, Kelvin Mice and Skerry Jeyy thrilled thousands with their songs and dance steps.
The Music Fiesta ran from 6pm to 12pm, and stick meats, snacks and drinks were served.
On Saturday, the second day of the carnival, Plateau State’s Governor Simon Bako Lalong led a 5km carnival trekking and parade from Secretariat Junction to Rwang Pam Stadium, venue of the event.
Prior to the governor’s arrival, rain had created an atmosphere of uncertainty and anxiety, but participants defied its showers and came out to enjoy the carnival.
After the governor had led the street dancers and cultural troupes to the Rwang Pam Stadium, there were performances by Plateau State cultural troupe and power bikers.
The speech by the Commissioner for Tourism, Culture and Hospitality, Mrs. Tamwakat Weli was followed by displays by contingents from the local governments of the state, before the carnival train carrying the queen, king and maids were presented.
The event was wrapped up by performances from Don Achala with his song Jankara and Ice Prince Zamani, who sang popular songs such as ‘Particular’, ‘Mind Them’, and ‘Aboki’ among others.
The Children Fiesta was supposed to take place on Sunday, May 13, 2018, but was postponed to May 27, 2018 in order to mark the Children’s Day.
Governor Simon Lalong in a speech during the carnival said: “To me, today was like Christmas and with the wonderful performances of the musical groups and artistes I have seen, very soon Jos city would be the number one carnival city in the country and I will do everything humanly possible to make it happen,” he said.
Speaking with newsmen during the event, the Chairman Planning Committee of the carnival, Solomon Ejila, said that the about 1500 street dancers added glamour, glitz and excitement to the event.
He added that what made this year’s edition different from the last was the introduction of attires with multiple colours and inclusion of about 15 power bikers from Senegal, South Africa, Benin Republic, Ghana and Togo among others.
Mrs. Weli said the Jos carnival village would create massive business opportunities for youths, which would reduce nefarious acts.
She said, “As a result of Jos Carnival, in March this year, the Jos Polo Team was upgraded from a B rated team to an A rated team.”
Samuel Amadio, a South African power biker said that the experience was a memorable one.
“I just feel the love from Nigerians. I am proud to attend this carnival, because we don’t have any cultural event in South Africa,” Amadio said.
Loveth Diana, who led groups of street dancers, told Daily Trust that the carnival has enhanced her dancing talents, and from now on she would pursue her dream of becoming a musician.
Pam Dung, a 16-year-old boy who was part of the street dancers said that he made new friends during the carnival and learned how to be a team player.
