Ayade retains ‘Climate Change’ as 2016 Calabar Carnival theme

As part of his administration’s policy to develop and harness the tourism potentials in Cross River State, Governor Ben Ayade has unveiled the 2016 Carnival Calabar theme: ‘Climate Change’ which makes it the first time in the event’s 11 years history that a theme is retained and revealed almost a year to the carnival.
He also revealed plans to host what he called the maiden African love festival this year.
 According to him, there was need to lay emphasis on the issues of climate change adding that this year’s edition will see a proper interpretation of the theme.
The governor who noted that millions of people watched the carnival live via over 30 channels across the world, stressed the need why the business connection to the carnival must not be ignored to ensure the state benefits.
“As you know it is not a Calabar carnival, it is not a Nigerian carnival, it is indeed not an African carnival, it is a world carnival. Let us focus on this to ensure that we broaden the horizon of opportunities that will come and Cross River State will be better off for it.
“As a businessman, my own idea of play is that there is a business connection to it, so for me the carnival must also bring business. The World Bank has set aside 16 billion dollars to support climate change, the United Nations is setting aside 100 billion dollars annually to support climate change and therefore I think the right thing for us to do is to sustain that mantra and so the 2016 theme is climate change.”