The 2019 edition of Abuja cultural carnival will gulp N82.109 million, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said.
The yearly carnival meant to showcase the country’s rich cultural heritage is coordinated by the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.
The minister said that cultural centres established by Nigeria in China and Brazil were good for marketing the image of the country to further make the outside world appreciate Nigeria and Nigerians better.
Mohammed stated these in Abuja while making presentation on 2019 budget proposals of his Ministry.
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Apart from the presentation, the minister also defended the 2019 budget estimates before the Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism.
Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Fatimah Raji–Rasaki, had taken on the minister on the N82million proposed for the Abuja Cultural Carnival 2019 when the carnival did not hold last year despite N62 million appropriated for it.
The Minister responded that the N62million appropriated for the carnival in 2018 was not fully cash backed. (NAN)