OPINION:Jos Carnival, A Reason To Clap For Lalong-CHAMZY

IF YOU ATTENDED ANY OF THE EVENTS OF THE 2018 JOS CARNIVAL, YOU WILL HAVE SOME REASONS TO CLAP FOR THE HONORABLE COMMISSIONER OF TOURISM, YOU WILL HAVE SOME REASONS TO CLAP FOR GOVERNOR LALONG, AND THE ORGANIZING TEAM... By; Chamzy, The Game Changer. THOSE WHO WANT TO OPPOSE SHOULD OPPOSE, BUT THE JOS CARNIVAL WAS INDEED WORTH IT. FOR EMPHASIS, EVEN DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR ADOLF HITLER DID NOT STOP THE CELEBRATION GERMANY'S BEER FESTIVAL/CARNIVAL. AMERICA DID NOT STOP THE CELEBRATIONS OF ITS CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY CAROLS AND CARNIVALS EVEN DURING THE VIETNAM WAR, HURRICANES, WILDFIRES ETC. AND NON OF THEIR CITIZENS SAW IT AS A WASTAGE OF RESOURCES ON LESS IMPORTANT VENTURES BECAUSE GOVERNMENT IS A COMPARTMENT. Amidst the euphoria in every part of the city as a result of the Jos carnival was a first timer monitoring the events for personal assessment. As a typical Plateau man, when one hears events as this, one do see it as a medium for the wastage of state's resources. Last year when I heard of the Carnival, I said to myself why will the state give attention to something of this nature while there are more critical sectors of governance that need exigent attention than Carnival forgetting that Government And Governance is a compartment and no sector should be halted at the expense of another except in situations of Emergency. Coming from such purview of understanding, I paid little to no interest in the Carnival held in 2017 and only monitored it from afar. Here it comes again, but this time with my full attention and glimpse of the whole event. Maybe because my friend who is an experienced Artist and who first launched the first Ngas Carnival was recently appointed as an SA to the Commissioner of Tourism, Hon. Mrs Tamwakat Weli or perhaps more interestingly the cabinet reshuffling that engulfed the State's ministries that got Hon. Tamwakat in the Tourism sector. The unveiling took place at Eliel event center Gold and Base, Rayfield. The advertorial kept playing on Radio and TV stations and the orchestra began beating more sonorous, yet it has not caught my attention as a Tourist venture, though closely monitoring it as some form of solidarity to a friend. The Carnival village was opened and launched by the Deputy Governor which opened the floodgates of event which would climaxed as one of the most entertaining show one has ever attended. Permit me to lay more emphasis on the penultimate and the ultimate days of the Jos Carnival in a respective sequence; The street Match and the Grand Finale at Solomon Lar Amusement park. The Street Match; The spring rains pouring down the streets of Jos while the battle fit troupes were gallantly displaying their different dances and talents. The fascinating thing that I observed was the unity amongst our people displayed during the match pass, then I concluded that this is it, this is the avenue that has been lacking in fostering the much needed unity in our land. I saw Christians, Traditionallists, Muslims all dancing and marching the streets with one song, with the Plateau song. I saw Ngas, Berom, Ngumai all displaying their culture in unity. The Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa were not left behind. Idoma, Efik, Tangale were all on ground. One wonders what other kind of event would bring people together like this than a Carnival. At Rwang Pam township stadium the multitudes of people present there were chanting praises and shouts in unison as though they the spectators had rehearsed what to do. At the arrival of of a renowned Plateau son who has been doing fantastically well in the music industry, the shouts that welcomed him was without sentiment of He is Ngas from a different ethnicity so I will not celebrate him. I said to myself, why was He welcomed by the sundry, I concluded that if only we could celebrate merit without sentiments of religion, ethnicity, tribalism we would be a great people. The eye catching decorated truck that had the beauty Queens and Kings, the little princess that was driven in a Toyota Corolla got everyone who saw her thrilled with her smiles and rains of kisses to the road side spectators, all these were eye catching and fun parked. The Grand Finale; it was the mother of the 13 fun filled days at the Carnival village at the Amusement Park, the village opened by 12 noon with different performances by Plateau upcoming artists. I now saw how the carnival that I initially thought over the years that it was an avenue for the diversion of funds is now becoming a panacea for the projection of young talents to the wider world. Businesses were going on while people got entertained, I think those people selling foods and drinks there will write better on the need to continue and sustain the carnival. At the felicitous moment the gloss was put by the guest artist who thrilled the crowd by his songs and thereby giving them some reasons to like and vote for the man who adopted the carnival idea and made it a Plateau thing. Clapping for the commissioner means clapping for Governor Lalong, clapping for Governor Lalong means getting the Governor reelected for the continuity of these kinds of events that foster unity and promote culture. There is a need for the sustenance of this great feat in reaffirming of the Plateau Slogan; Home Of Peace And Tourism, it is in our own hands to make Plateau the Home of Peace, it is in our hands to make Plateau a Tourist hub. We have to choose the kind of Plateau we want to bequeath to the next generation. By your mere and sentimental analysis, what's the place of Plateau amongst the 36 +1 States in Nigeria on the scale of Peace, what's your own rating of Plateau on the Tourism meter of the nation, will the next generation have to look for a different slogan besides the one we inherited?, hence the need for the continuity of programs as this. If Peace is not sustained and Tourism not enhanced and developed, our children may have to go on a town hall meeting to get a better slogan which may read PLATEAU; The Religious State or something else. From my fillers, I am told this year's Carnival was far better in all regards than the one held last year, no wonder the Governor ratified this claim in his Statement at the stadium. This is what you have when round pegs are put in a round hole and square pegs follow their framework, this is the super work of Hon. Tamwakat Weli the Honorable Commissioner for Tourism and Hospitality who is virtually three months in the ministry. If you have followed or attended any of the events, you will have many reasons to clap for the propitious Tourism Commissioner, you will have many reasons to clap for Governor Lalong, you will have some reasons to clap the the organizing team. Chamzy Bako, The Game Changer, chamzynathaniel@gmail.com 07039707458