Renowned Nigerian octogenarian highlife musician, Bongos Ikwe, from Benue State, has applauded the Akwa Ibom State Government for organising a month-long cultural fiesta to mark the Yuletide season. The music legend also commended the people of the state for their warmth and friendly disposition towards strangers, visitors, and guests.

Bongos Ikwe gave the commendation on Saturday at Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo, when the state Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Sir Charles Udoh, led the Christmas Unplugged Season 2.0 Team to welcome him to the state for a performance during the Old Skool Night that was held at the Amphitheatre, Christmas Park, Uyo.

The legendary music maestro expressed appreciation to the commissioner for the warm reception accorded him by the state government, emphasizing that Akwa Ibom State is excellent in its friendly disposition towards strangers and inclusive governance, describing himself as a living witness.

He further commended the Akwa Ibom State Government for Ibom Air, which flew him to the state, and for the beautiful Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, where he lodged, stressing that the state had seen extensive growth in infrastructural development.

Earlier, while welcoming Bongos Ikwue and his team, Udoh informed the highlife music icon that Akwa Ibom State had grown in leaps and bounds under successive governments, adding that the present government of Pastor Umo Eno had raised the bar in tourism development.

Udoh said the Old School Night was part of activities lined up in the daily schedule of Christmas Unplugged Season 2.0 to boost tourism in the state, adding that there were many beautiful and historical tourist sites in the state that the octogenarian music maestro would be taken to for sightseeing after his performance.

In a chat with Ikwe over dinner, Udoh intimated the Old Skool Night guest artist that Akwa Ibom is blessed with tourism potential, such as the 129km coastline sand beach, the longest in the region, and the Marina Resort waterfront, from where commuters can ferry to Calabar in Cross River in just 30 minutes. He disclosed that guest artists coming for the Old School Night from that axis would ferry through the Marina waterfront.

Speaking on Ibom Air, he said Akwa Ibom State was fast becoming the aviation hub of West Africa with the rapid growth in the fleets of Ibom Air, the three daily flight schedules of the airline, the constitution of the runway for international flights, the MRO, as well as the SMART permanent terminal building.

Accompanying the commissioner to the welcome dinner were his wife, Lady Regina Charles Udoh; the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mrs. Grace Akpan; the SSA to the Governor on Entertainment, Sergeant David; and the Stage Manager of Christmas Unplugged Season 2.0, Dr. Eyo Eminue, among others.