Amidst exctitements in Kebbi State the 2020 edition of the Argungu Fishing Festival has caught its biggest with a mammoth fish weighing 78 kilograms.
The catch was witnessed by the who is who in Nigeria ranging from political figures to tranditional rulers from all parts of the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari had raised the attention to this year’s festival with a personal appearance in the state.
The final which was rounded up this afternoon was witnessed by the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi and a host of others royal fathers especially from the northern zone of the country.
The biggest catch was made by Abubakar Yau while the second biggest catch was made Bala Yahya whose catch weighed 75 kilogramms while the third place went to Maiwake Sani whose catch weighed 70 kilometres.
The feast tests the swimming prowess of participants at event where swimmers strive to outdo one another.
The event has many other dimensions to it.
All You Need to Know About Argungu Festival:
TheArgungu Fishing FestivalorArgungu Dance Festivalis an annual four-day festival in the state ofKebbi, in the north-western part ofNorthern Nigeria. The region is made up of fertile river areas of (matanfada, mala, gamj, with much irrigation and orchards (lambu in Hausa). The majority of fishermen are the followers of Islam and also predominantly farmers.Kanta museumis the main historical centre in Argungu for visitors across the globe. People from around the world travel toArgungujust to witness the occasion. The main purpose of the Argungu fishing festival is for fishing and unity.
The festival began in the year 1934, as a mark of the end of the centuries-old hostility between theSokoto Caliphateand the Kebbi Kingdom.
In 2005, the winning fish weighed 75 kg, and needed four men to hoist it onto the scales. In 2006 the festival banned fishing due to safety concerns relating to the low water levels.[1]The importance of the festival to the economy has led the government to conserve fish stock by prohibiting use ofgill netsandcast nets.[2]TheZauro polder project, an irrigation scheme in theRima Riverfloodplain to the south of Argungu, has been criticized because the reservoir threatens to flood the traditional site of the festival.[3] (Courtesy Wikipedia)