The Central Planning Committee (CPC) of the Southern Kaduna Festival (SKFEST) has stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has rendered an excellent service to the people of the senatorial district.
Consequently, they are morally committed to reciprocating the gesture in 2027.
The committee announced that the annual cultural festival will not be held in December 2025, as expected, following a strategic review of the event's sustainability and timing.
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This was part of the issues revealed at a press briefing held at the SKAID Foundation Office in Barnawa, Kaduna.
It was addressed by Rear Admiral Ferguson Bobai (rtd), the chairman of the Central Planning Committee.
Bobai recalled that the maiden edition of SKFEST was held in December 2023 with the theme "Experience Unity, Celebrate Cultures," while the second edition took place in December 2024 under the theme "Preserving Heritage, Igniting Progress."
He said the festival has since grown into a significant platform for celebrating the rich and diverse cultures of the 57 ethnic communities that make up Southern Kaduna, and was initially conceived as an annual event.
According to him, after the second edition, the Southern Kaduna Leadership Council (SKLC), the main organisers of the festival, deemed it necessary to assess the long-term sustainability of the event and the suitability of hosting it every December.
He explained that a review committee set up by the SKLC recommended that SKFEST be moved from December to the first quarter of each year to decongest the festive calendar in Southern Kaduna and to enable residents to celebrate Christmas with ease.
"In view of this recommendation, the Central Planning Committee wishes to inform the general public in Kaduna State, across Nigeria and in the diaspora that SKFEST will not hold in December 2025," Bobai stated.
He assured that a new date for the festival in the first quarter of 2026 would be announced as soon as it is finalised, while expressing regret over any inconvenience the change in timing may cause.
The CPC chairman expressed gratitude to the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Governor of Kaduna State and the governors of Bayelsa and Plateau states for attending the previous editions of the festival.
He also thanked traditional rulers, dignitaries, cultural troupes, supporters and the media for their consistent support, assuring stakeholders of a more colourful and glamorous SKFEST in 2026.
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"President Tinubu has done us well in Southern Kaduna, and we will not hesitate to reciprocate his kind gesture at the appropriate time. Courtesy of President Tinubu, we now have Federal University, Federal Medical Centre, among others, and we sincerely thank him".
