FCT minister of state pledges support for Christmas village

The FCT Minister of State, Hajia Mariya Mahmoud, has pledged her support for the JAV Christmas Village, Abuja’s premiere family-oriented yuletide event.

This according to her is to ensure that the annual show becomes a tourism attraction in the FCT.

She made the pledge in an interview with our reporter on the sideline of an event to flag-off preparations for 2024 edition of JAV Christmas Village celebration on Thursday in Abuja.

According to the minister, the annual Christmas Village, with its iconic unveiling of the light tree, has become a flagship end-of-year event in the FCT, and, therefore, should be supported.

“I feel I must be here, because these JAV Christmas Village falls under the department we have in the social development sector.

“This is part of the Green Hope Agenda. We want to bring everybody together, so by giving support to these talented youths, definitely we are going to succeed.

“This is an initiative that will also improve our socio-economic development, and also increase the revenue generation for the FCT.

“This is some of the things that we have been doing, and that is basically why we are here to support the initiative and to make it a reality.

“I pray that by December, we are going make JAV Village a reality ,and I also congratulate them for their hard work,” she said.

Mrs Jennifer Fatorisa, Co-founder/Director of Jav Christmas Village, said the goal was to make the village an end-of-year tourist hub in Africa.

According to her, plans are in top gear to unveil Africa’s tallest Christmas light tree as part of activities for the 2024 Christmas celebration by the JAV village.

“Every year, we always add a little twist, and this year, we are setting up the tallest Christmas light tree in Africa. That is what makes the 2024 edition unique.

“We are expecting visitors from all over the world to come and visit Nigeria, Abuja, and experience this lights-up of the tallest tree in Africa.

“December 7 is the lights-up date, and it will run for a month to close on January 5, at the JAV Christmas Village here at the Abuja Continental Hotel,” he said.

Also, Princess Ajanah Atika, Seniour Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Events, commended the orgnisers and said the Tinubu’s administration was committed to supporting initiatives that will reposition the creative and tourism sectors.

She said that lifting the tallest Christmas light tree in Africa in the territory would be a milestone for tourism boost.

It was reported that the event had in attendance stakeholders in the creative and entertainment sectors, heads of organisations, top government functionaries and members of the Diplomatic community.

The highpoint of the event was the official flag-off by the FCT minister of state.