Portugal’s ambassador to Nigeria, Paulo Santos, has urged organisers of Carnival Calabar to start a global campaign to raise awareness of the festival and attract more international visitors.

The envoy made the call on Sunday during the flag-off of the Bikers Carnival, a major activity that features during the festival.

Earlier, Mr Santos told journalists that the carnival’s organisation and turnout made it look like a festival held for 200 or 2,000 years.

Mr Santos, however, said many people in Europe and Africa were unaware of the festival, despite its scale.

“I know that you have been doing this for 20 years, but it looks like you’ve been doing it for 200 or 2,000 because of the level of professionalism and the attendance that you have here. A lot of people are not aware that this festival exists and how good it is,” he said.

Recalling historical ties between Portugal and the area, the envoy said Portuguese sailors were in the region more than 550 years ago.

He said the major reason was that Calabar, which meant “the quiet harbour” in Portuguese, was a calming port of call for sailors during their travels. He praised the hospitality of the people and described Nigeria’s strength as its diversity.

“Whoever thinks that Nigeria is monolithic, that person is very wrong. There’s a huge variety,” he said.

The ambassador pledged to encourage other diplomats to visit the carnival during their vacations.

The chairman of the Carnival Commission, Gabe Onah, described the theme as a symbolic connection with history. Also, recalling the Portuguese presence in Calabar centuries ago, he praised the carnival as a bridge between the past and present.

“The coincidences are so unique, Traces of Time. “I wonder why it is this very year, at 20, that the Portuguese ambassador will decide to come back home to where they were years ago,” he said.

Introducing a Nigerian-UK octogenarian, who urged his son to bring him to the Calabar Carnival as a birthday gift, Mr Onah said the carnival had continued to reconnect African families and communities across the world.

The 87-year-old Nigerian who travelled from the UK with his son, Richard Nzerem, expressed his excitement after years abroad.

Mr Nzerem, who left Nigeria in 1961 and spent about four decades working with the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, praised the quality of the performances he had attended at the carnival.

“It really was fantastic. I was very happy with the standard of the performance,” he said.

He urged Nigerians and visitors to make the carnival an annual ritual.

The 2025 Biker’s Carnival featured an impressive procession of motorcycle clubs, including Tinapa Motorcycle Club, Diamond Bike Gang, Metallic Knights Motorcycle Club, Maxk Riders, and The Aviators Motorcycle Club.

Others are D’ D’Invincible M.C., D’ Scorpion MRC and Free Wheeler-Dealer.

The thunderous parade of heavy bikes, alongside occasional motorcycle and bicycle displays, thrilled spectators lining the streets, drawing massive cheers as riders showcased unity, discipline and showmanship.

(NAN)