Ohafia Festival will boost Abia economic, says Runsewe

The Director-General, National Council of Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Segun Runsewe has described the Ohafia Heritage Festival and Slave Route Tour (OHFESRT) scheduled for January 2-3 2022 in Ohafia, Abia State, as cultural cum tourism event that would help in driving the economic agenda of the present administration.
  
Runsewe stated this while endorsing the tourism and culture event, adding that the festival would help in creating economic and business opportunities in Ohafia and the old Bende division area, thereby helping to drive the economic agenda of the government.
 

“In line with the current economic policy of the present administration, with particular emphasis on the economic diversification, the National Council for Arts and culture is working in close collaboration with state governments and key stakeholders in the arts, culture and tourism sector in developing, harnessing and promoting these cultural products as rich economic assets to drive the diversification agenda. It is in the light of the above that the council has given its full endorsement for the takeoff of OHFESRT.”

“Relics of the slave trade are some of the materials that could be developed as rich and riveting tourism attractions of economic benefit to the people of the region. The rich culture of Ohafia and the historical remains of the slave trade, including the Slave Trade route holds enormous potentials for a sustainable tourism industry with huge economic benefits to the people of Ohafia in particular, and Abia State in general.”

The NCAC boss also noted that the Ohafia war dance would headline the festival with aims to build a festival and tourism product that would drive traffic to Ohafia and Abia North whilst creating a tourism economy. “It also aims to create tourism content and develop a tourism economy for the people. This would be done through publicising natural and historical tourism endowments in this part of Igbo-land and build steady tourism traffic that could translate in wealth for the people.”