Port Harcourt the Rivers state capital witnessed an austere celebration of the 55th Independence anniversary and there was not the usual fanfare previously associated such an important national celebration.
Enthusiastic celebrants, especially children and youths who went to Liberation stadium, the popular venue for such celebrations, found out that there was none this year.
Governor Nyesom Wike
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At the time of going to press there had been no official independent anniversary broadcast by Governor Nyesom Wike, who was said to be out of the state.
Items Made in Nigerian colors to Comemorate the Country.rsquo;s 55th Independence anniversary on display for sale at the Liberation Stadium, Elekahia Port Harcourt yesterday in Rivers State. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke
Worse hit by lack of official or flamboyant celebration in Port Harcourt were hawkers of independence anniversary costumes noticed at all major street junctions in search of buyers of green-white-green national colours; they recorded very poor sales.
At the Liberation stadium, some of the hawkers complained of poor sales as there was no celebration in the stadium where a lot of prospective buyers would otherwise have thronged the venue for celebration.
Some hawkers on the streets of Port Harcourt on Thursday, October 1
Traders of the wares in national colours were seen desperately making efforts to exhaust their stocks at busy road junctions.
The Rivers governor recently went to court to defend the case presented by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate in the last election, Dakuku Peterside.
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