The 2021 edition of the annual convention of the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) will hold in Ekiti State. The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, has approved the hosting of the convention which is scheduled take place from September 15th to 18th.
The idea is to further create an avenue to enrich the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) base against solely relying on the Federal Government for funds. Ekiti State Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism, Prof Rasaki Ojo Bakare, stated this at a joint media briefing held recently in Lagos after a crucial meeting between the officials of Ekiti State Ministry of Arts, Culture and Tourism and the national executive members of NANTAP. Speaking at the briefing, Prof. Bakare and the National President of NANTAP, Mr. Israel Eboh, lauded Dr. Fayemi for taking this “smart decision that will bring over 2000 tourists to Ekiti for a four-day convention.”
They assured NANTAP members of a highly successful convention in September 2021. Bakare, who is a Professor Performing Arts, said the convention is “a big event for us”, stressing that it has been approved by the State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. “Ekiti State Government, under the leadership of Gov. Fayemi, has endorsed hosting of the 2021 NANTAP convention, which will be held in September in Ado, and it’s a big event for us. “Over time, we have tried to come up with alternative means of raising money to enrich our IGR base in the state, beyond going to Abuja monthly to get money.
“One thing we have in abundance is culture, tourism, and arts; so, all we need to do is to strategize to see how we can make the best use of these commodities for proper marketing for the economic prosperity of the state,” Bakare said. He noted that one of the ways to achieve the goal is to make Ekiti State become a destination of choice, of preference in conferences, festivals, carnivals, annual general meetings (AGM) s, and other activities. According to him, such events would extensively increase the volume of tourists coming into the state, and place Ekiti on the right pedestal, hence the reason behind the intent to host NANTAP.
“Just recently, we hosted the mountain hike event. So, whatever can drive human traffic in Ekiti is good for us because that is what we need to build the hospitality, tourism, and the art industry and make them more economically viable,” he said. Also speaking at the media briefing, Mr. Eboh, commended Ekiti State government for the bid to host the convention.
He added that for the first time, the association would combine two events. He described the event as a “smart decision that will bring over 2000 tourists to Ekiti for a four-day convention”, assuring members that it would be a highly successful convention and first of its kind. According to him, the investiture of new Fellows of Theatre and “NANTAP at 30” celebration will also hold during the convention in Ekiti State.
