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Speaker of the Kogi state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Umar Yusuf, has called on the state government to invest in the annual Lokoja boat regatta to unlock its economic potentials, create jobs and attract foreign investors.
Yusuf made the call at the seventh edition of the Lokoja Boat Regatta held on Saturday at the Kabawa Waterfront, along the Lokoja International Market in Lokoja, organised by the Lokoja Forum of Patriots in collaboration with Lokoja Traditional Council.
He said the annual event offered enormous opportunities for economic growth, tourism development and improved livelihoods for residents of Lokoja and its environs.
The speaker stressed the need to develop the regatta to international standards, noting that strategic investment by the state government could transform the festival into a major tourism attraction capable of drawing visitors and investors from within and outside Nigeria.
According to him, harnessing the economic opportunities associated with the event would create employment, stimulate commercial activities and improve the living conditions of the people.
He urged the government to give the regatta the necessary support and infrastructure to enable it to realise its potential as a driver of tourism, wealth creation and sustainable development in Kogi state.
The chairman of the occasion, Barr Ahmed Naseer, called for greater unity and preservation of the cultural heritage of the people, describing the annual boat regatta as a symbol of the city’s history, identity and shared aspirations.
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