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L-R: Mr. John Kennedy
Opara, Former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims
Commission; Mr. Godswill Akpabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom State; Mr. Udom
Emmanuel, current governor of the state, his wife, Martha and Deputy Governor,
Mr. Moses Frank Ekpo at the Akwa Ibom Carols Festival 2016, sponsored by
Globacom, at Uyo Township Stadium, on Saturday night.
Thousands of Akwa 'Ibomites' and other guests from all over the
world converged on the Uyo Township Stadium, Akwa Ibom State, on Saturday as
the state government held the ninth edition of its annual Christmas Carols
Festival, sponsored by Globacom.
It was a night of uncommon grandeur and celebration as the
people of Akwa Ibom rose in unison above the tragic event of the previous week,
which threatened to put a dampener on Christmas festivities in the 29-year-old
state.
The State Governor, Emmanuel Udom, in an emotional opening
speech called the Christmas Carols Festival an expression of perfect submission
to the will of God and a demonstration of the resilience of the state to pick
itself up and trudge on with faith and hope in a better future each time it is
beset by mind-numbing set-backs.
Udom declared to the capacity crowd including top government
officials, members of the diplomatic corps, clerics, international artistes,
tourists from across the world and citizens that in spite of the tragedy “our
love for God is sacrosanct.”
He said Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus
Christ, whose teachings made it clear that death is not the end of man, adding
that therefore, the state would not be cowed, and will not succumb to evil.
He thanked everyone who supported the state in its time of
tribulation and also the sponsors, including Globacom, who committed their
resources to ensuring that millions of Akwa Ibomites sing songs of joy again
through the carols.
He then ushered in the world renowned American gospel artiste,
Don Moen, whom he called adopted son of Akwa Ibom to lift up the spirits of
thousands of people gathered in the arena in worship of God. Moen launched into
a string of occasion-suiting numbers such as ‘Thank You, Lord’, ‘Father forgive
us’, ‘God will make a way’, among others.
The Uyo Girls Choir, consisting of girls under 10, joined
Moen on stage to give a beautiful rendition of ‘Lord, make us instrument of
your peace’ to wild applause. They were followed by the Kayamba African
Orchestra from South Africa who rendered ‘The Holly and the Ivy’ and ‘Noel’ in
quick succession. Earlier, the young girls had released a pigeon each to
represent all the local government areas in the state, signifying the flight of
peace and tranquility across Akwa Ibom State.
The arrival of Esther Edoho sent the arena into wild
excitement, underscoring her immense popularity among the local audience.
Actively supported by enthusiastic sing-along crowd, she delivered ‘Ukara
Jesus’ (Rain of Jesus), ‘Abasi afon ubok eno’ (God is good in giving) and
‘Emenere, emenere’ (Lift Him [Jesus] higher’ among others. A number of other
local artistes that were to later achieve similar or even higher level of
acclamation and appreciation from the crowd, also performed.
Other artistes who entertained the gathering at the event
that lasted till the small hours of Sunday include PRM Band from the
UK, Akwa Ibom Choir, who provided excellent back up to all the artistes
including Don Moen, Buchi, Elijah Oyelade, Julius Nglass, Fr. Patrick Edet,
Steve Crown, Perfecta Ekpo who rendered a flawless National Anthem, Sammy
Okposo and the Kenyan Boys, among others.
In the night's inaugural speech, Permanent secretary,
Special Services Department, Akwa Ibom, Aniekpeno Mkpanang, who coordinated the
event, had lauded Globacom and other sponsors for showing solid commitment to
the prosperity of the state. He implored them to continue to show support for
the project which will enter its tenth year in 2017.
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