Argungu: Return of the fishing festival

IT used to be the one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country, and obviously the most popular fishing festival in the nation and probably in the continent. Unfortunately for the past 11 years, the Argungu fishing festival has not been on the radar of the tourism industry in the country and definitely not on the agenda of Kebbi State government.

Since the 1930s when the festival was first held, it hardly experienced a break but by 2010 it was clear it was not going to continue given the rising cases of banditry ravaging parts of the North West and insurgency which was a general problem in the northern part of the country then.

It was not as if Kebbi State, host of the fishing festival, was a hotbed of any of the crises, but security issues were taken into consideration especially since international visitors had always been involved in the festival.

However, rumours about the festival making a return had been in the air for some time but it was finally laid to rest when the state government categorically announced that the festival would hold this month, precisely 11 years ago after a similar one was held precisely in 2009.

The festival traditionally attracts fishermen from neighbouring countries like Niger Republic, Chad, Benin and Cameroon including spectators from Nigeria and across the globe with its attendant fanfare. Infrastructure at the venue of the festival which hitherto had fallen into decay due to years of neglect began to wear a new look as the countdown to the festival began.

The Argungu Grand Fishing Hotel by the side of  the Matan Fada River, where the event normally takes place, also began to wear a new look as modern, state of the art facilities were added to the hotel to make it more attractive and comfortable for numerous dignitaries expected to grace the occasion.

The pavilion and its environs which have been overgrown with weeds due to long period of inactivity were also refurbished. Alhaji Hussaini Makwashi (Sarkin Ruwa), the chief of fishermen, in the area, who also overseers the Matan Fada fishing river and had pleaded long ago in an interview with newsmen that the festival should not be allowed to die, expressed his happiness over the return of the festival.

Makwashi, who recounted the history of the festival, said it dates back to 1935 at the side of the Matan Fada River during the reign of Muhammadu Sama, as Emir of Argungu who invited Sultan Hassan Dan-Muazu as a way of cementing relationship and fostering unity between the Fulani people and the Kabawa people.

Sultan Dan-Muazu according to him slept in Argungu, making him the first sultan to pass the night in the area as there was serious hostility between Fulani Jihadists and the Kabawas of that time. To this end, Emir Sama sought the opinion of his people (Kabawa) to know what to do in order to impress the sultan who was their guest and spiritual leader.

The people according to him came up with the idea of organising a grand fishing festival to entertain the sultan.

“That proposal resulted in stronger ties between the Fulani and Kabawa people and even gave birth to inter-ethnic marriages between the two ethnic groups who were once sworn enemies,” he said.

Speaking on the inability of the Kebbi State government to hold the festival for more than a decade, Makwashi said it has taken a financial toll on families of fishermen.

“It is disheartening that this colourful and wealth-generating event, which tourists from far and near used to attend, was abandoned. That was not too good for us. We were told some years back by the government that the event was put on hold because of the deteriorating security situation, occasioned by activities of Boko Haram.

”We reasoned with them at that point in time, but now we have overcome such security threats as we have no Boko Haram fear or attacks. The economic difficulties faced by the fishermen and their families had become unbearable as they depended on the festival to make money to feed their families and sponsor their children’s education,” he said, adding that the festival often hosts over 30,000 fishermen from different places and countries.

Another prominent fisherman in the area, Alhaji Musa Argungu, disclosed to Arewa live that fishermen in the area had faced difficult times financially in the past 10 years.

“Whenever the fishing event holds, we earn reasonable amount of money that will solve many financial challenges in our families. Put yourself in our shoes and imagine life without such an income for 10 years. Do you know that on a good day at the climax of the festival, we do make as much as between N50,000 and N70,000 in just one day?

“Argungu is now happy with the news that government was going to host the festival and restore the lost glory of the fishing festival,” he said.

The state’s Hotels Managers Association chairman, Muhammadu Aminu, also confined in Arewa Live that his members “had lost huge revenues due to failure to hold the festival, adding that if not for non-governmental organisations who host workshops, trainings and wedding events, hoteliers may have closed down their businesses before now.”

Alhaji Shu’aibu Aliero, ex Permanent Secretary, Kebbi Ministry of Information and Culture, confirmed that the festival was suspended largely due to security concerns adding that: “We are living witnesses to the deteriorating security situation in the country that ranged from Boko Haram to kidnapping, cattle rustling and banditry.

“Though Kebbi has been adjudged as one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria, the fact remains that the state has borders with others like Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna and Niger, that have serious security challenges.

“Furthermore, there is the issue of climate change; it is observed that the low water level of Matan Fada River cannot allow the climax of the festival to take place over the years, because fishes are believed to be no longer there due to the absence of free flow of water from its tributaries.”

According to him, the ex permanent secretary, government waited for security situation to improve and for the water level to rise to enable her make preparations for the festival and since all these were now in order, all were set for the return of the festival.

To show its seriousness and commitment to hold a befitting fishing festival, the Kebbi State Government inaugurated a 16-member committee for the 2020 festival. A former Director-General of the festival, Alhaji Abubakar  Chika Ladan, informed the committee that the festival had been self-funded before it was put on hold and that government stopped funding it because the festival had developed to a stage that it was generating huge revenue.

Finally the fishing festival made a grand return on Wednesday 11th with a quiz and essay writing competition among secondary school students in Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara and neighbouring states where the Waziri Sokoto, Professor Sambo Junaid, who represented the Sultan, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar said the sultanate was in full support of the festival because it was a historic event which cemented the relationship between the sultanate and the Argungu emirate.

On Thursday, it was the turn of President Muhammadu Buhari to flag off an agricultural show, another event which formed part of the festival where he said the hosting of the festival after a long while was a testimony to his government’s success in ensuring security of life across the nation.

Friday was the prelude to the major and grand finale of the fishing festival called Kabanchi in which fishermen swim around the river on their fishing calabashes, catching small fishes.

On Saturday the grand finale witnessed the major fishing competition in which the man with the biggest catch got a huge prize money. As usual, competitors with big fishes come out of the river with their catches and make their way to a weighing machine where the fishes are carefully weighed and the weight recorded until the competition ends and the fisherman with the heaviest fish is declared the winner.