The 2007 annual Koko end-of-the-year cultural festival (Ikompini) is bid to hold on Tuesday, December 25 through Monday, December 31, 2007 at Koko, headquarters of Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State.
According to a statement made available to Warri Mirror by the Project Coordinator, Toritseju Akiya Ejoh; and Project Administrator, Igien Tuoyo Ezekiel; the festival has a two-day pre-festival social carnival on December 25 and 26; and will end with a jamboree, which will be an avenue for discovering of talents by the youths.
The objectives of the carnival include: “to attract Koko indigenes in Diaspora, who have not been able to return home with their family to see and experience the state of development since the end of the Warri crisis and determine the contribution they can make to further developing the town; to provide a platform to build upon the improving relationship between Koko and her neighbours; to promote the Koko tradition of celebrating year-end communally; to showcase the economic and social benefits of a non-militant youth activity to a community; and to provide quality entertainment for citizens, indigenes and our neighbours.”
Berating the infrastructural state of Koko, the organisers maintained that Koko has been suffering a monumental setback, aggravated by the now rested Ijaw/Itsekiri crisis, noting, “the only bank present in Koko has stopped operation since the communal unrest, so members of the community have to travel far for banking transactions.”
The statement disclosed further that on day one of the programme, there would be boat race competition, while day two promises novelty football match, adding that award will be presented to winners.