•Governor Umo Eno at the event
Executive Choir christened the “Golden Voices”, a combination of choristers from the different government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, (MDA), made its debut at the recently held 2024 Akwa Ibom Christmas Carols Festival.
The Carols Festival, an annual event, organised by the Akwa Ibom State Government to mark the Christmas celebration of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ was held at the 25,000-capacity seater Amphitheatre of the Christmas Park along Udo Udoma Avenue in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.
Earlier in his welcome address at the event held on Friday, December 13, the State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism and Chairman of the Planning Committee, Sir Charles Udoh, had said the debut of the Executive Choir – Golden Voices, was a demonstration of the state government’s inclusivity of workers in planned Christmas programmes and activities.
Udoh stated that, the festival, which was the 17th edition of the Guinness World Record breaking Carols Festival in the state, would feature a line-up of A-list Gospel Artistes within the home grown circle and outside the State, including: Eno Michael, David G; Jimmy D’ Psalmist, David Magor, GUC, Steve Crown and Buchi, among others.
The Tourism Commissioner further hinted that, the audience would be thrilled by Classical Choir, which is a combo of Choirs from different Orthodox Churches and the Contemporary Choir, an amalgam of choirs from different Penteostal Churches.
Both the Classical and Contemporary Choral presented 1500 choristers each to render heavenly Christmas tunes to the listening pleasure of the audience.
Other notable features of the Carols Festival were rendition by the Harmonious Voices which earned the Soloist a N2 million gift by the state governor, Pastor Umo Eno, for her outstanding performance, the Ekukinam Choral, the International Worship Centre, IWC Choir, the Government House Divine Voices, the Catholic Mass Choir and the Government Brass Band.
What may have been described as the icing on the cake for the night’s performances was the opera on the visit to the new born child Jesus Christ displayed by the All Nations Christians Ministry and which put the audience in a frenzy of excitement and soul lifting applause.
The 2024 Christmas Carols Festival with the theme – “Peace and Holiness with all men”, drawn from Hebrew 12:14, also featured ministration from a son of the soil, Pastor (Dr) Dennis Inyang, the husband to the celebrated Gospel Singer, Pastor Ity Dennis Inyang, who spoke on the need for Christians to strive to live peaceably with all men.
It was an evening assemblage of the creme d’ la creme of Akwa Ibom people, ranging from government officials led by the governor who presented cheques to two deserving people at the occasion, the political class including members of the National and State Assemblies, stakeholders in the development processes of the state, the banking and financial industry, fathers-of-faith and the organised private sector, among others.
