The federal government through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has given former Super Eagles winger Folorunsho Okenla the mandate to run the biggest cultural festival in Africa, the Abuja Carnival, now known as the Nigeria National Carnival for the next three years.

The Marroc 88 star who is now an accomplished marketing expert has been told to change the face of the festival and take it back to the summit of cultural events celebrated across the world.

While revealing this in Abuja, Okenla who is renowned for his mesmerizing wing-plays in his playing days, says his new mandate is a national assignment that will be given optimum attention and insists that the Nigeria National Carnival should be the biggest carnival in Africa.

“The Nigeria National Carnival is an annual event that showcases the rich cultural values of the most populous country in Africa, reflects the diversity of ethnic expressions in Nigeria and by its name should be the biggest in Africa.

It is a carnival that is supported by the Nigerian Ministry of Culture and Tourism and this year’s event will take place between November 21 and 24.

Just like sports, the carnival seeks to unite Nigerians by bringing together young adults from different cultural divides and providing an atmosphere where cultural values could be appreciated, not only by Nigerians but by the world.

It will be a rich blend of cultural and ethnic events to show the wealthy heritage of the people of Nigeria. It features traditional music and dance, cultural parades, indigenous circus shows among others.

The former Birmingham City of England player said, “It is also important to note that corporate giants like Glo, Turkish Air, Dangote Group among others have signified interest to be part of the carnival.”

Okenla who was a roommate to late midfielder, Samuel Okwaraji, also gave his thoughts on Super Eagles 0-0 draw against Tanzania.

“I think Nigerians should give Oliseh a chance, the Super Eagles cannot be transformed in a day or with just one match. He needs the nation’s total support to succeed.

We need to focus on the assignments at hand because it will be unbearable to miss out of AFCON again.”

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