Creative Industry

NAFEST 2025 Postponed-Ministry Announces New Date Soon

Published

10 months ago

November 22, 2025

Joel Ajayi

The Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy regret to announce the postponement of the 2025 edition of the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST), earlier scheduled to commence on Saturday, 21st November 2025 in Enugu State.

In a statement issued by the Senior Assistant Media & Publicity Office of the Honourable Minister

Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy Nneka Ikem Anibeze, PhD on Friday in Abuja. Stated that, this decision follows a careful assessment of the national mood and the recent insecurity incidents that have caused pain and disruption across different parts of the country.

In solidarity with the affected families and communities, and out of deep respect for the lives lost, the Honourable Minister, Hannatu Musa Musawa, Esq., in consultation with stakeholders, has approved the postponement of the festival to a later date.

NAFEST has always played a powerful role in nation-building. It brings Nigerians together, strengthens social cohesion, and offers a platform for cultural diplomacy and soft power. In fact, NAFEST remains one of the rare national events capable of projecting a different and more accurate picture of Nigeria—a picture of unity, inclusiveness, hospitality, and national confidence.

With over 28 states already present in Enugu preparing for the festival, this year’s edition was poised to send a strong message that our country is open, resilient, and united. However, given the current national mood, the Federal Government believes it is more respectful and responsible to postpone the festival rather than proceed at a time when many citizens are grieving.

The decision reflects our values of empathy, national unity, and collective sensitivity. A new date for NAFEST 2025 will be announced after further consultations with state governments, cultural institutions, and security agencies to ensure that when the festival holds, it does so in an atmosphere befitting the spirit of national celebration.

The Ministry appreciates the understanding and support of participating states, cultural troupes, partners, and the Nigerian public. Our commitment to showcasing Nigeria’s rich cultural diversity remains unwavering, and we look forward to delivering an even stronger and more unifying NAFEST at the appropriate time.

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Creative Industry

FG Backs MyCityApp Launch of 100-Day Tourism Calendar to Drive $100bn Economic Growth

Published

2 weeks ago

September 15, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Federal Government has thrown its weight behind the launch of MyCityApp, a Nigerian city discovery and tourism platform designed to aggregate festivals, concerts, cultural events and lifestyle experiences into a single digital calendar.

The platform, which flags off the 100-Day Tourism Calendar, was unveiled on Monday at the Ember2Remember National Stakeholders’ Conference in Victoria Island, Lagos, with the initiative targeting Nigeria’s estimated $100 billion tourism and creative economy opportunity.

In a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by the Media and Publicity Adviser to the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Nneka Ikem Anibeze, the ministry said the conference was aimed at mobilising public and private stakeholders to transform the September-to-December festive period into jobs, investment and economic growth.

Speaking at the unveiling, the Minister, Hannatu Musa Musawa, said millions of visitors travel across Nigeria every year to celebrate, reconnect and experience the country’s diverse culture, stressing that the festive season could be deliberately organised and monetised to strengthen tourism’s contribution to the economy.

“This initiative is about moving beyond the traditional concept of a festive season. It is about deliberately organising, packaging, promoting, and monetising one of the most economically active periods in our national calendar,” Musawa said.

She noted that every visitor generates economic activity across several sectors, including aviation, transportation, hospitality, restaurants, entertainment, retail, technology, artisans and local communities.

The Minister commended MyCityApp Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Ifeoma Chukwu, for her vision and commitment to the initiative.

She urged state governments, event organisers, tourism operators, hospitality businesses and other stakeholders to list their festivals, concerts, exhibitions, food experiences, cultural celebrations, fashion and sporting events on the national calendar.

Musawa said the platform would enable Nigerians, members of the diaspora and international visitors to discover tourism and entertainment experiences across the country from a single, credible source.

Earlier, Chukwu said Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and creative sector provided enormous opportunities for tourism-driven economic growth.

She cited the contributions of tourism to the economies of countries such as Spain, France and the United States, arguing that Nigeria could equally build a $100 billion tourism economy.

Also present were Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka; Enugu State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Ugochi Madueke; NCAC Director-General, Obi Asika; National Gallery of Art Director-General, Ahmed Sodangi; ARCON Director-General, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo; and MTN Nigeria CEO, Dr Karl Toriola.

MyLagosApp and MyCityApp will serve as the digital engines of the calendar, distributing events through a 360-degree media ecosystem to audiences in Nigeria and the diaspora.

Stakeholders were encouraged to upload their events on MyCityApp to participate in the national tourism calendar urging them to upload events on http://www.MyCityApp.io.

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