Ekiti government has announced a ban on a three-day kissing marathon event tagged “Kiss-a-Thon”, aimed to set the Guinness World Record in the state.

The ban came amid how Nigerians have been trivialising Guinness World Records after Hilda Baci broke set a new record for the longest cooking time by an individual.

In a letter issued by the Ekiti ministry of arts, culture and tourism,  the government described the “Kiss-a-Thon” as immoral and absurd, capable of denting the image of the state.

A copy of the letter addressed to the secretary of Ekiti State Hoteliers’ Association was signed by Adelusi A.L, for the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dele Ogunsemoyin.

“Kiss-A-Thon”, as an event is not only absurd, unhealthy, immoral and capable of denigrating the image of the state, it is a programme that runs counter to the values of the people of the state and therefore capable of plunging our youths morally backward,” an excerpt from the letter obtained by Peoples Gazette on Wednesday read.

In a copy of a flyer sighted by The Gazette, a group simply identified as Sugartee had scheduled July 7, 2023, for the commencement of the longest-world kissing marathon in a popular amusement park in Ado, the capital city of Ekiti.

But the government said that it was prohibiting the hosting of such events in any facility that wished to continue to operate lawfully in the state.

“The Ministry of Arts, Culture and Tourism hereby prohibits the hosting of such event or any other events like it in any facility that wishes to continue to operate lawfully in Ekiti State.

“You are hereby requested to convey the content of this notice to the members of Ekiti State Hoteliers’ Association to effectively monitor their outlets against being used negatively to cause embarrassment to the government and people of Ekiti State,” the letter added.

In 2013, a Thai couple broke the Guinness World Record for the longest kiss that lasted two and a half days.

Ekkachai and Lakasan Tiranarat both took the world’s longest kiss title with a record of 58 hours, 35 minutes, and 58 seconds at a Valentine’s Day in Thailand.