A veteran of Carnival Calabar, Tikenob Osaji, has urged Cross River Government to leverage the city’s biggest cultural festival to brighten the lives of homeless children on the streets.
Osaji spoke with the on the sidelines of the ongoing 20th Carnival Calabar yesterday. He also urged government to create a special band for vulnerable children, as well as provide shelters to take them off the streets.
Osaji, who was part of the parade under the Etung Local Government Area group, said he had followed the carnival since it began in 2005, and has watched it evolve into a global event.
He described the carnival as a festival that keeps getting better, and commended the planning of the 2025 edition, for the steady improvements over the years.
He said:“The improvement that happens every new edition is what makes it interesting, makes it memorable, makes everyone want to return each year.”
Speaking on the 2025 theme, “‘Traces of Time”, Osaji said that it reflected traces of 20 years of impactful festivities, adding that the carnival now enjoyed broader participation from local governments across the state.
