‘Oza carnival to curb rural-urban drift, promote agriculture’

THE initiator cum sponsor of Oza carnival, Mr. Festus Osagie Osaigbovo, has said that the carnival hosted by indigenes of Oza community in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State, will help to reduce rural-urban migration and boost agricultural production in the state.

He said this while outlining the activities for the four-day events, which will come up between December 28 and December 31 in the community.

Osaigbovo said the first edition of the carnival which was held in 2021 had over 5,000 in attendance and by implication had impacted on the economy of the community and the state at large.

Osaigbovo said this second edition of the carnival, featuring sports, farm produce exhibition, beauty pageant is to enable the youth to discover their talents and become useful to themselves and to the society.

“This Oza carnival, we are seeing beyond ourselves, we are seeing beyond this generation where the younger ones will come and take it over.

“We are trying to encourage the youth to be useful. Like in football, there is a lot the youth can participate in, food and crops, cultural display and beauty pageant, among others.

“There is a lot of concerts where youths can be discovered, discovered and encouraged by others,” he said.

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Osaigbovo said before now, there were a lot of dilapidated buildings in the community but for the sake of the yearly carnival, sons and daughters of the community abroad have taken it upon themselves to come home to renovate and also build new ones to accommodate tourists.

He said the community has vast and fertile lands to grow crops that can take care of the nation’s food challenges.

“Oza as people, have a very fertile soil, we are good in agriculture. We have a vast land for any kinds of investments. If you want to start a mechanised farming, we have a vast land for you,” he said.

Other activities lined up for the carnival are carnival procession, football match, music concert, fashion exhibition, cultural display, traditional wrestling, public lectures, comedy, prayer conference and awards.