Bomba Dauda
Organisers of the Southern Kaduna Festival (SKFEST) have announced that the annual cultural event will not hold in December 2025, following a strategic review aimed at ensuring its sustainability and improved participation.
The announcement was made on Wednesday during a press briefing by the Chairman of the Central Planning Committee (CPC), Rear Admiral Ferguson Bobai (rtd), held at the Skaid Foundation Office in Barnawa, Kaduna.
Rear Admiral Bobai recalled that the maiden edition of SKFEST took place in December 2023 with the theme “Experience Unity, Celebrate Cultures,” while the second edition held in December 2024 under the theme “Preserving Heritage, Igniting Progress.” He said the festival has grown into a major platform for celebrating the rich and diverse cultures of the 57 ethnic communities in Southern Kaduna.
According to him, after the second edition, the Southern Kaduna Leadership Council (SKLC), the main organiser of the festival, constituted a review committee to assess the sustainability of the event and the appropriateness of hosting it every December.
“The committee recommended that SKFEST be moved from December to the first quarter of each year to decongest the festive calendar of Southern Kaduna communities and to allow residents to celebrate Christmas with ease,” he explained.
Based on the recommendation, the CPC announced that SKFEST would not hold in December 2025, assuring the public that a new date in the first quarter of 2026 would be announced in due course.
While expressing regret over any inconvenience the change in timing may cause, the committee assured stakeholders of a bigger and more glamorous edition in 2026.
Rear Admiral Bobai also expressed appreciation to dignitaries who supported the festival in its previous editions, including the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Governor of Kaduna State, as well as the Governors of Bayelsa and Plateau States.
He further thanked traditional rulers, cultural troupes, supporters, and the media for their continued support and positive reportage of SKFEST.
“The Central Planning Committee remains committed to delivering a better and more impactful SKFEST in 2026,” he said.
