Reports reaching us have it that the 2014 edition of Imo State Carnival has been postponed until May 10, 2014.
The postponement came after a late night meeting between the governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha and the planning committee of the event led by Mr. Paddy Obinna and Miss Nkiru Sylvanus who are chairman and secretary respectively.
People had already rumoured the postponement two days earlier on the grounds that the governor had been advised to call off the event in solidarity with the abducted Chibok girls, because it would be wrong for him to be partying in his state while the innocent girls are suffering in the hands of Boko Haram.
Meanwhile, a proposed protest by a group of entertainers in the state was also called off because of the postponement. The group who are mainly artistes from the hip-hop genre, comedians, bloggers and producers were supposed to be addressed by Miss Nkiru Sylvanus, yesterday, May 7, 2014 at Bongo Square, but the meeting failed to hold because she ran off to Government House for the meeting that led to the postponement of the carnival.
The aggrieved entertainment wanted Miss Sylvanus to explain why no Imo State artiste has been contacted for the carnival even when their guest artistes have arrived town.
Acharaman who spoke to us yesterday, said the neglect on Imo State based artiste has been going on for three years and everyone is ready to see it end with the carnival.
“There is Rivers and Cross River States Carnivals, Enugu Road Block and other similar events, their governments consider home grown artistes first before any import, but in Imo State, the case is different and we have to stop this nonsense”
It was alleged that Mr. Paddy Obinna said he does not want Imo State based artistes at the event, while comedian, MC Yellow Mouth, who is the PA to the Deputy Governor on Entertainment, was also fingered in the allegation for not being able to reveal the names on the list the organizers claimed to have compiled.
No official comment had been made by Mr. Obinna, and some artistes believe the postponement will be an opportunity for them to see that the neglect is addressed, otherwise their threat to disrupt the event still holds.
Imo State Carnival is holding in a state with hundreds of artistes, dancers and bloggers, none of them is involved in the event. This is a shame on the organizers.
