Dana Air, a Nigerian carrier, has been announced as the official airline of Akwa Ibom Christmas Carols Festival 2017, slated for Friday, December 22 at Uyo Township Stadium, Akwa Ibom state.
The airline, which is one of Nigeria’s leading airlines with daily flights from Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Owerri to Uyo, has flown more 2.7 million passengers in the last nine years of its operations. The airline is reputed for its innovative online products, world-class in-flight service and unrivaled on-time performance.
Announcing this to journalists in Uyo, Mr. Aniekpeno Mkpanang, Permanent Secretary, Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Coordinator of the Festival, described the festival as one of the biggest and well-attended festivals in the world.
According to him, “we are expecting over 20,000 artistes and visitors to fly in from other parts of the country, Africa and the world, hence the need to join ranks and partner with one of the most consistent Airlines in Nigeria right now to ensure a hitch-free, hassle free, seamless, and on-time travel for all our guests and visitors.”
Mkpanang said, “As you may be aware, the Akwa Ibom Christmas Carols Festival is the largest assembly of carol singers in the world and this is a global achievement officially certified by Guinness World Records. We have a track record of hosting world-class events and we can’t afford to let the ball drop at this point when we are aiming to beat even our existing records. We are grateful to our Governor and Principal Host, His Excellency, Mr. Udom Emmanuel for the unbridled consistency of his full support.’’
Mr. Kingsley Ezenwa, the Communications Manager of Dana Air, remarked, “We have been flying to Uyo for over five years now, supporting the economic activities in the state and providing the best of air transport services with convenient fares to the good people of Akwa Ibom State. We are excited about the choice of Dana Air as the official airline of the Akwa Ibom Christmas Carols Festival 2017. We assure the organisers and the state government of our full commitment.’’
The Akwa Ibom Christmas Carols Festival has been holding since 2008. It is a gathering of worshipers to celebrate Christmas in a unique and spectacular way. It usually features a Grand Choir made up of thousands of Carol singers, singing Carols together in an awe-inspiring way alongside ministration from top Gospel Artistes from around the globe.
Gospel music legends like multiple Grammy Award winner Shirley Caeser, Ron Kenoly, Donnie McClurkin, Israel Houghton, Chevelle Franklyn, Alvin Slaughter, Lionel Petersen, Don Moen among the others, had ministered at this event over the years. The event has also featured top Nigerian Gospel artistes like Nathaniel Bassey, Sammy Okposo, Sinach, Frank Edwards, Steve Crown, Panam Percy Paul, Aity Dennis Inyang, Asu Ekiye, Freke, Buchi, Lara George, among the others.
In 2014, the event set a New Guinness World Record to officially become the “Largest Assembly of Carol Singers in the World.”
Source- Travelport
