The 61st edition of the Argungu International Fishing Festival kicked off on Saturday at Mata Fada in Argungu, Kebbi State, with a massive 59-kilogram fish emerging as the biggest catch of the day.
Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, disclosed the milestone in a statement on Saturday afternoon, underscoring the scale of this year’s event.
“61st Argungu fishing festival, biggest fish caught 59Kg,” Dare said.
The annual spectacle attracted thousands of fishermen, tourists and cultural enthusiasts from across the country and beyond. Anticipation reached fever pitch as a large crowd of the estimated 40,000 participants plunged into the river shortly after noon — moments before the formal opening ceremony and ahead of President Bola Tinubu’s arrival.
In the keenly contested fishing event, “Abubakar Usman from Maiyama Local Government Area emerged overall winner with a 59kg catch.
“Abdullahi Garba from Argungu placed second with a 40kg fish, while third position was jointly claimed by Nasir Garba and another contestant, who each landed a 33kg catch.”
Announcing the winners, the Kebbi State Deputy Governor detailed the prizes for the top contestants. He said the overall winner would receive “two Toyota vehicles donated by the Sokoto State Government, bags of WACOT rice and a cash prize of N1 million.
“The second-place winner received a car, a Hajj slot and N1 million, while the joint third-place winners were awarded two motorcycles each and N750,000.”
Earlier in the day, President Tinubu arrived in Birnin Kebbi, where he commissioned two key infrastructure projects — the newly built State Secretariat and the refurbished Central Motor Park — before proceeding to Argungu to formally declare the festival open.
Established in 1934 to celebrate peace between the Sokoto Caliphate and the Kebbi Kingdom, the Argungu Fishing Festival has grown into a globally recognised cultural event. Beyond the iconic fishing contest, the festival showcases traditional music, dance, wrestling, arts and crafts, and other vibrant displays of heritage.
