The Impact of Nwonyo Fishing Festival on Stakeholders in Ibi Local Government Area, Taraba State Nigeria

The study assessed the socioeconomic impact of Nwonyo fishing festival on stakeholders (festival organisers, Ibi Local Government cultural/tourism staff and the local residents) in Ibi Local Government Area. Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Yamane’s formulae were used to obtained sample size of four hundred (400). Disproportionate stratified sampling was used to distribute the 400 questionnaires among stakeholdersin the ten (10) wards of Ibi Local Government Area (LGA) in Taraba State NigeriaThe instruments used for data collection are questionnaire, interview and field survey. The data analysed using descriptive statistics revealed that the socioeconomic impact of Nwonyo Fishing Festival includes Nwonyo Fishing Festival brought new business opportunities, generation of wealth and employments, increment in the volume of sales of fish, increase visitors’ stay, creating opportunities for recreation, increase in the standard of living, increase historical heritage, promotion of cultural integration, family reunion and maintenance of public facilities. The challenges militating against the festival identified are globalization, inadequate funds, infrastructural decay, inadequate awareness and publicity, poor coordination among stakeholders and security threats. The study suggested the following recommendations; promotion of cultural globalization, provision of budgetary allocation to cultural festival, construction of access roads to the festival venue, effective awareness and publicity, proper coordination among the stakeholders and improvement in the security services.

Key Words: Impacts, Socioeconomic, Nwonyo Festival, Ibi LGA