Rivers State on Saturday emerged the overall winner of the 32 nd National Festival of Arts and Culture , NAFEST 2019 held in Benin the Edo state capital .

Ogun State took the second position while Edo and Bayelsa States were joint third - place winners just as Delta State took the fourth place.
Oyo State , who was returning to the festival after a 17 - year break emerged fifth overall winner , a feat described as encouraging by the General Manager of the State Council for Arts and Culture , Mrs. Olayinka Adedeji.
Governor Godwin Obaseki while declaring the event closed thanked the participating states for showing the best of their cultural and artistic wealth .


Obaseki who spoke through his Deputy Mr . Philip Shaibu called on foreign countries with stolen Benin artefacts worth $ 13 billion dollars to return them to the state.

The Governor called on investors and stakeholders to see Edo State as a destination for businesses due to its conducive atmosphere .
The governor added that the successes recorded during the one - week cultural fiesta were a testimony to the peoples ’ respect for culture and tradition .
He commended the Director General of the National Council of Arts and Culture Otumba Olusegun Runsewe , his committee , security agencies and others for the hitch- free ceremony .
Meanwhile , the 2019 National Festival of Arts and Culture ( NAFEST) held in Benin City has broken the record for states ’ participation in the national event with 30 states taking part in different activities over the one - week event .


https://punchng.com/rivers-wins-2019-nafest/?fbclid=IwAR0jj01Vf2JLbdWqU2er2fFhP_ozYvMDcXMMcLODTLaRKAqQDYNkIETHOeU