The government of Ekiti under Governor Biodun Oyebanji has banned a planned 72-hour kissing marathon in the state.
Named kiss-a-thon, the kissing marathon, seeking to set a Guinness World Record (GWR), is slated for Friday, July 7 in Ekiti.
However, reacting to the planned event, the government through the Ministry of Arts and Culture in a letter addressed on Wednesday, July 6, to the Ekiti State Hoteliers Association, described it as “unhealthy, immoral”, adding that it is capable of soiling the state’s reputation.
The letter reads in part: “The attention of the state government has been drawn to a planned hosting of “Kiss-a- thon’ in Ekiti state.
“According to information at the disposal of this ministry, kiss-a-thon, a three-day kissing marathon event, has been scheduled to hold on 7th of July, 2023 at one of the hospitality outlets in the state.
“This event is said to be planned towards setting a Guinness World Record.
“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 backwards.
“In view of the foregoing, 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.”
Even more, the ministry urged the association to monitor the activities of its members to steer clear of causing embarrassment to the government and people of the southwest state.
“Sequel to the above, 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.”
