ATPN South-East Withdraws from Umuahia South Cultural Festival, Cites Breach of Agreement
The Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN), South-East Zone, has officially withdrawn from its collaboration with the Umuahia South Local Government Area on the forthcoming Umuahia South Cultural Festival, originally scheduled under a partnership agreement reached on August 6, 2025.
In an official statement signed by the ATPN Vice President, South-East, Ambassador Onyekachi Atuloma Loveday, the association tendered an apology to its supporters, cultural stakeholders, and all who rely on its expertise in promoting tourism, arts, culture, and heritage.
ATPN explained that it was compelled to distance itself from the festival following what it described as a failure by the council to adhere to the established Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) guiding the project. According to the statement, personal interests had begun to overshadow the core purpose of showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Umuahia South.
“We had entrusted the council to work collaboratively to deliver an event that reflects professionalism and cultural pride, but the ongoing deviation from the original plan does not align with our values”, the statement read.
The association appealed to esteemed personalities from Umuahia South who had pledged their support, and to parents whose children were already participating in the festival’s beauty pageant competition. ATPN expressed regret that the festival no longer meets the standard of professionalism expected from such a cultural showcase.
Furthermore, ATPN directed the organizers to immediately remove its logo, name, articles, and designs from all festival publicity materials, warning that it would take necessary steps to protect its brand and reputation if the directive is not obeyed.
“As a reputable national association, we remain committed to promoting tourism development through structured, transparent, and professional processes,” Ambassador Loveday stated. “We will continue to support genuine efforts aimed at preserving and celebrating the cultural heritage of our people”.
The association thanked the public for their understanding and reaffirmed its dedication to sustainable cultural promotion across the South-East and Nigeria at large.
It could be recalled that the Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN), South East, on the 6th of August 2025, entered a partnership with the Umuahia South Local Government Area to host what would have been the first ever Umuahia South Cultural Festival for the basis of showcasing and projecting the rich cultural heritage, tourism, arts, and crafts of the people to the world.
Unfortunately, the event which would have taken place on the 28th and 29th of December, 2025, came to a halt after the ATPN noticed some unprofessional conduct and decided to pull itself out from the project.
