A colossal 59-kilogramme catch by Nigerian fisherman Abubakar Usman was the highlight of the 61st Argungu Fishing and Cultural Festival, which concluded on Saturday, 14 February, in Kebbi State after a six-year hiatus.

The UNESCO-listed festival, one of West Africa’s largest cultural events, attracted more than 50,000 fishers from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, and Togo, all competing on the Matan Fada River amid cheering crowds of hundreds of thousands. Usman, from Maiyama in Kebbi, won two cars and one million naira ( for the record haul, while hundreds of smaller fish were sold in a nearby street market.

President Bola Tinubu, the event’s special guest, described the festival as “more than a festival,” praising it for promoting peace, culture, tourism, agriculture, and commerce. Performances by entertainers added color and glamour, reinforcing Argungu’s status as a global tourist attraction.

The festival, first organised in 1934 by the late traditional ruler Muhammad Sama to foster peace with the Sultan of Sokoto, has grown into a major cultural and educational event. Its inclusion in UNESCO’s List of Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2009 underscores its global significance and the need to preserve it for future generations.