Ogbuku stated this while speaking at the 66th celebration of the annual festival of his community, Ayakoro, in the Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, on Saturday.
He said creating such platforms was one of the surest ways to promote tourism in the region, stressing that the multiplier effect would go a long way in boosting the revenue profiles of the states.
Ogbuku, while noting that Bayelsa State was endowed with rich culture and tourism potential, said the celebration of the Ayakoro festival was a renewed and practical step towards showcasing the aesthetics and history of the community’s heritage.
He said, “Proper and sustained harnessing of these customs and traditions is a significant step towards exploring the community’s tourism potential, which is capable of attracting tourists from all walks of life thereby fostering socio-economic development of not only the community but the state as a whole.
“Therefore, the NDDC as an interventionist agency established to boost the socio-economic development of the Niger Delta states, would continue to provide workable machinery, platforms and frameworks purposely for the conservation of the customs and traditions of the Niger Delta people. It is one of the surest ways to promote tourism in these states as the multiplier effect would go a long way in shoring up the revenue profiles of the states.”
While thanking all the dignitaries who attended the festival, the NDDC MD said Ayakoro is a peaceful community and that peace is a major consideration for all-round societal development.
In his remarks, the chairman on the occasion and immediate-past governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Seriake Dickson, noted that the 66th celebration of the Ayakoro festival was a testimony of the people’s preparedness to continually work towards conserving and promoting their cultural property and identity.
Dickson, who represents Bayelsa West, urged them to maintain the peaceful co-existence for development and support the administration of the incumbent state Governor, Douye Diri, to move the state to a higher level of development.
The paramount ruler of the Ayakoro community, Righteous Inegbagha, said the annual festival started 66 years ago and had become a practical preservation of the artifacts, history, culture and traditions of the people.
He called on the government at all levels to show more commitment to sustaining cultural festivals and expressed appreciation to the NDDC MD for his support towards the successful celebration of the community’s festival this year.
A former chairman of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council and Amayanabo of Twon-Brass, Alfred Diete-Spiff, represented by Henry Micah, stated that cultural festivals usually provided a veritable connection by preserving the past and capturing the present while serving as a springboard for inspiring the future, projecting culture and promoting tourism.
