Coronavirus Forces Cancellation of Ogidi Day

The yearly Ogidi Day Festival, Nigeria’s biggest culture event in June, earlier scheduled for Saturday, June 27, this year has been cancelled.

The cancellation was announced yesterday by Mr. Kayode Eniolorunda, the President of the Ogidi Development Union (ODU), organizers of the show, after an emergency virtual meeting of the ODU’s National Executive Committee.

Eniolorunda said the decision was taken after consultations with the Ologidi of Ogidi, Oba Rabiu Oladimeji and other critical stakeholders within and outside Kogi State.

He said the community was of the view that with the dislocations as well as the monumental social and economic misery caused by the novel Coronavirus pandemic, it would not be in line with the mood of the nation to stage such an elaborate event even if the plague receded by the set date.

Similarly, he said the Ogidi Day Medical Outreach (MOT), sponsored this year by a non-governmental organization, Ogidi Ela Progressive Forum (OEF) in collaboration with the ODU has also been put off.

Eniolorunda said the cancellation did not in any way affect all other ongoing development activities in the community.

He expressed appreciation to individuals as well as agencies of the Federal, state and local governments which have always supported the festival for their contributions which he noted, had made the show the soar away event it has always been.