National Troupe of Nigeria (NTN) on Tuesday said that there would be no Christmas performance.
Personal Assistant to the Director General of the troupe, Mr Shaibu Husseini, said this was because the troupe would be participating in the Calabar Cultural Carnival.
Husseini told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the carnival would be coming up in Calabar on December 27.
“It will be too cumbersome for the NTN to perform in Lagos and travel down to Calabar.
“We regret not being able to entertain the Lagos audience but there are other packages the troupe will showcase in 2015 which are in the cooler,” he said.
NAN reports that at the advent of Festac ’77, the entries of different countries and their national dance ensembles or cultural troupes brought about Nigeria’s cultural troupe.
The objective is to enhance the cultural development and artistic creativity of the nation.
It was also to establish a national repertory system to satisfy the yearnings and aspirations of the professional theatre, dance and music practitioners.
The troupe is a parastatal established by Decree 47 of October 1991.
NAN report that Calabar Carnival festival tagged: “Africa’s Biggest Street Party”, was created as part of the vision of making the Cross River State in Nigeria, the number one tourist destination for Nigerians and tourists all over the world.
The carnival is hosted every December to boost the cultural mosaic of the people of Nigeria, while entertaining the millions of spectators within and outside the State, and boosting industry for all stakeholders.
The Calabar Carnival, which began in 2004, was inaugurated by former Cross River State governor, Donald Duke.
His vision was for the state to become the hub of tourism and hospitality in Nigeria and in Africa.
It is also to promote local heritage, culture and strengthen the capacity of the locals to participate in an economically beneficial way
The event has hosted top Nigerian musicians, Nollywood actors, politicians and international artists.
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