Ogun State Wins Best Overall Exhibitor at 14th International Arts Expo

Ogun state, southwest Nigeria, has emerged the overall winner at the just concluded International Arts and Crafts Expo (INAC), held at Sheraton hotel Abuja.

The Ogun state contingent which blazed through the sky of laudable outing at the global Cultural tourism and creative arts event, also bagged awards and prizes for other categories at the exhibition.

Apart from being the overall winner of the iconic showpiece, Ogun state also got 2nd position for best ornament decorations, 1st position for best exhibitor in e-marketing for creating an online website to market the state’s local fabric, Adire.

The state emerged the best in Special Day participation, took 1st position in best designed pavillion and best product design in textile.

The Ogun state Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture Mr Olusegun Olaotan said that the numerous prizes and award won would spur the state to improve on its crafts.

He appreciated Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun state for funding the ministry well enough to create beautiful arts and crafts.

“Adire is important to Ogun state. We realise that there is this need for us not to restrict the use and marketing the sale of Adire to our people alone. This led our state governor to come up with a platform to enable the state market its fabric to the world.

“We have what we tagged Adire Ogun marketplace you can visit our website on www.adireogun.com. This platform enables us market and sell our locally made fabric to the world,” he said.

Lagos state also set a beautiful record as it got the overall 3rd position, bagged 1st position in best product design in fashion and wood work, best designed interior pavillion and 1st in most innovative product packaging.

Bayelsa was another state that worked tirelessly to ensure the state’s crafts were well exhibited as it bagged the 5th overall winner, 1st position for ornament decorations, 2nd in rafia painting.

Katsina state got the 2nd position for overall winner, best exhibitor in networking strategy, 1st in product design for leather works and 2nd position in textile designs.

The Federal Capital Territory bagged the overall 4th position along with Kebbi state, 2nd position in most innovative product packaging, new invention, waste to wealth, 1st in product design in pottery work.

Ondo state emerged 1st in best product design in metal works and in rafia painting while Yobe state bagged 1st position in best product design in rafia calabash decorations.

Kebbi state got 2nd position for best exhibitor in e-marketing and 1st in new invention for waste to wealth.

Nasarawa state got 2nd position in product design, rafia calabash decorations, Zamfara state emerged 1st in product design in embroidery while Jigawa state bagged 2nd position in product design, Leather works.

The theme for the year’s expo is “Networking Nigerian Craft to the World” and had in attendance members of the diplomatic community from china, Venezuela, Cuba, India, and Iran, Thialand, Poland, Korea, Germany, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina and many others.

Hauwa Abu