Lagos to close roads for carnival
The Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs, Mr. Disun Holloway, said a number of roads on Lagos Island, Ikoyi and Victoria Island would be closed for the Lagos carnival procession.
Declaring the Heritage Week open, Holloway said a number of activities have been lined up for the eight-day event which will end on Easter Monday.
He said as part of the activities, children from qualified schools in the state will be given opportunities to showcase their talents in painting, while the winning entries will be mounted during the gala event sponsored by a bank and the winners rewarded with handsome prizes.
Holloway added that other activities include dance drama, displays by masquerades and water regatta.
The festival consultant, Professor Wole Soyinka, said this year edition of the Heritage Week was designed as an interactive test to stretch youthful creativity, even more than in previous editions.
He said the festival already envisages a more intensive contest, with a disciplinary repertory whose menu will change from edition to edition.
In an interview with Daily Trust, chairman of the Water Reggata Committee, Otunba Olusegun Jawando, said the festival is aimed at celebrating the rich cultural heritage of Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole, in an entertaining, competitive but relaxing manner.
Daily Trust gathered that five states from the South-west are also participating in the event.