Ibadan Countdown Festival honours music legends, ends with fireworks display

The Ibadan countdown festival 2016 has come and gone, but has made bold statements about the rise of entertainment in the city. The festival which lasted eight days, featured two major concerts which saw major acts like 2face Idibia, 9ice, Lafup, Saeon Moruda, the Remedies, Bash, Lamboginny among many others, take turns to thrill fun seekers. There were also themed days spanning a family day, food festivals, cultural, fashion, business, youth/sport days.
The event, which held at the Agodi Gardens, according to many who attended the event, was a testament of the ‘rise of a new generation’ in the city. The festival, which was funded by private individuals, sought to promote entertainment, vis-a-vis the rich heritage and touristic values in Ibadan and Oyo State as a whole.
According to one of the organisers, Ayo Orunmuyi, “the Countdown concert in Ibadan brings us to par with most entertainment hub/states in Nigeria and West Africa. We have put in place a standard event which residents in Ibadan can be proud of and will continue to celebrate every year. This maiden edition was a litmus test and we are glad to say the second edition will be bigger, better and even more entertaining”.
The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Toye Arulogun and the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Barrister Abayomi Oke, whose ministries were involved in producing activities of two of the days, gave glowing remarks about the concert stressing that its was necessary for the private sector to invest in various sector of the state’s economy, especially tourism and entertainment.