Argungu Fishing Festival

History

The festival began in the year 1934 as a mark of the end of the centuries-old hostility between the Sokoto Caliphate and the Kebbi Kingdom. This festival has brought huge progress to the development of the state as a whole.

It is usually called a Fishing-Frenzy Festival. The festival is celebrated to mark the beginning of the fishing season in Argungu, a river-side town in Kebbi State. It is celebrated between February and March every year.

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. The importance of the festival to the economy has led the government to conserve fish stock by prohibiting the use of gill nets and cast nets.{{cite web

Activities include:

• Craft showcases
• Canoe races
• Agricultural showcases
• Cultural activities
• Wrestling matches
• Musical performances
• A Grand Fishing conquest
• Swimming contest

Competition

On the final day of the festival a competition is held in which thousands of men line up along the river and at the sound of a gunshot, all of them jump into the river and have an hour to catch the largest fish. The winner can take home as much as US$7,500. Competitors are only allowed to use traditional fishing tools and many prefer to catch fish entirely by hand (a practice also popular elsewhere and known as "noodling") to demonstrate their prowess.

2020 Argungu Fishing Festival

In the 2020 Argungu Fishing Festival, the individual who caught the biggest fish weighing about 78 kilograms was awarded N10 million, two new cars and two seats for a Hajj trip. Second place and third place prizes were also awarded. Over 50,000 fishermen participated in the annual festival held in Kebbi State and the winners were graded based on the weight of the fish caught. The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari visited the 2020 Argungu Fishing Festival The festival in 2020 was the 60th edition after 10 years of being on hold according to the governor of the state Abubakar Bagudu. In addition, one of the festival's goals is to enrich community unity and encourage local fish farmers.

References

References

1. Shyllon, Folarin. (August 2007). "Argungu Fishing Festival in Tilted towers : Promoting the Idea of a Sustainable Cultural Fest". International Journal of Cultural Property.
2. Okafor, Chiamaka. (2022-12-17). "SPECIAL REPORT: How Kebbi farmers are fighting climate change".
3. Sobamiwa, Precious. (2023-09-14). "11 facts to know about Argungu fishing festival".
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5. (2017-08-30). "Argungu Fishing Festival: 5 Things You Should Know".
6. "Showcasing The Arugungu fishing festival at Northern Nigeria – Courtesy The Scout Association of Nigeria {{!}} World Scouting".
7. Jeremiah. (2018-02-11). "Argungu Fishing Festival To Hold A Decade After".
8. (2006-11-07). "Nigeria fish festival bans fish". [[BBC News]].
9. (2020-03-08). "What you need to know about Argungu international fishing festival {{!}} The Nation Newspaper".
10. (2017-08-30). "Argungu Fishing Festival: 5 Things You Should Know".
11. (2020-03-14). "Argungu fishing festival, breeding ground for future Olympians".
12. Emir. (17 April 2017). "Biggest fishing festival, Argungu set for March 2018".
13. (2020-03-14). "Argungu Fishing Festival: Man with biggest catch gets N10m, two cars, Hajj seats".
14. (2020-03-14). "Argungu Fishing Festival: man with biggest catch gets N10m, 2 cars, Hajj seats".
15. "Buhari Visits Kebbi For Argungu Fishing Festival".
16. (2020-03-14). "Argungu Festival: We must harness our resources to make Nigeria safe – Lawan".
17. (2020-03-12). "Return of Argungu festival proof of enhancedeSecurity – Buhari".
18. (2020-03-14). "Argungu fishing festival, breeding ground for future Olympians".
19. (8 September 2019). "Argungu fishing festival in troubled waters for 10 years".
20. Oladeyi, Oluwafikunayomi. (2024-01-14). "The Fascinating Argungu Fishing Festival: A Celebration of Culture and Tradition".