THE Ekiti State government has stopped a planned three-day kissing marathon billed to take place in the state.
The event, organised by Sugartee, is scheduled to hold in a popular amusement park in the state capital.
Tagged ‘kiss-a-thon’, the event is aimed at breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest world kissing marathon.
However, the state government, according to a statement seen by The ICIR on the official Twitter account created to promote the state by the special adviser to the state governor on New Media, Tosin Adara, deemed the event as absurd, unhealthy and immoral.
The statement added that the event is potentially damaging to the state’s image.
In the statement issued by the Ministry of Arts, Culture, and Tourism on Wednesday, July 5, the government warned hotel owners in the state against lending out their facilities to host such an event or similar ones.
“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,” the statement read.
“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.
“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.”
Nigerians are currently in the fever of breaking Guinness World Records shortly after a chef, Hilda Baci, broke the record of the longest cooking marathon in the world in May.
There have been several entries from Nigerians who are trying to set world records since then.
Barely, two weeks after Baci set her record, a chief in Ekiti, Damilola Adeparusi, set tongues wagging on social media after she announced her attempt to set the same record with 120 hours while Baci waited for her attempt to be certified by GWR.
Although Adeparusi completed the cooking marathon, The ICIR cannot confirm if she submitted her evidence to GWR for confirmation.
Another chef in Ondo State, Adeola Adeyeye, is also currently cooking to break Baci’s record of 93 hours 11 minutes. Adeyeye is cooking for 150 hours to set a new record.
Meanwhile, a Nigerian lady, Joyce Ijeoma who attempted 72 hours of body massage on individuals reportedly collapsed.
Ijeoma collapsed at the venue of the event in the Lekki area of Lagos State.
The young lady who had done a total of 50 hours collapsed on Tuesday at 1:00 am.
The previous record was set in 2015 by Alastair Galpin in South Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Galpin currently holds the record for the longest full-body massage with 25 hours and four minutes.
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