The 61st Argungu International Fishing Festival officially kicked off on Saturday at Mata Fada in Argungu town, Kebbi State, with a record-setting 59-kilogram catch emerging as the highlight of the opening day.
The Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, disclosed the feat in a statement on Saturday afternoon, underscoring the scale and excitement surrounding this year’s edition.
“61st Argungu fishing festival, biggest fish caught 59kg,” Dare announced.
Excitement peaked shortly after noon as thousands of fishermen, part of the estimated 40,000 participants surged into the river, moments before the formal commencement ceremony and ahead of the arrival of Bola Tinubu.
In the keenly contested fishing event, Abubakar Usman from Maiyama Local Government Area clinched the overall prize with the 59kg catch. Abdullahi Garba from Argungu secured second place with a 40kg fish, while Nasir Garba and another contestant jointly claimed third position after each landing a 33kg catch.
Announcing the winners, the Kebbi State Deputy Governor detailed the prize packages: the overall champion received two Toyota vehicles donated by the Sokoto State Government, bags of WACOT rice and a ₦1 million cash prize. The runner-up was awarded a car, a Hajj slot and ₦1 million, while the joint third-place finishers went home with two motorcycles each and ₦750,000.
Earlier in the day, President Tinubu arrived in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital, where he commissioned two major projects, the newly built State Secretariat and the upgraded Central Motor Park before proceeding to Argungu to formally declare the festival open.
First held in 1934 to commemorate peace between the Sokoto Caliphate and the Kebbi Kingdom, the Argungu Fishing Festival has grown into a globally recognised cultural showcase, blending competitive fishing with traditional music, dance, wrestling, arts and crafts, and other vibrant displays of heritage.
