The government of Ekiti State has issued a notice to prohibit a planned three-day kissing marathon event that aimed to break the Guinness World Record.
The event, organized by a group called Sugartee, was supposed to start on July 7 at a popular amusement park in the state capital.
The group had advertised the event on social media and invited participants to join the kissing challenge.
However, the Ministry of Arts and Culture, in a letter dated July 3, 2023, addressed to the Ekiti State Hoteliers Association, expressed its disapproval of the event and warned that any facility that hosted it would face severe sanctions.
The letter, signed by the Director of Tourism Adebanji Adelusi on behalf of the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dele Ogunsemoyin, stated that the event was “absurd, unhealthy, immoral and capable of denigrating the image of the state”.
“It also said that the event was contrary to the values of the people of Ekiti State and could have a negative impact on the moral standards of the youths.
The ministry urged the hoteliers to comply with the notice and prevent their outlets from being used for such events that could embarrass the government and people of Ekiti State.
The kissing marathon event was not the first attempt to set a world record in the state.
A few weeks ago, Damilola Adeparusi, also known as Chef Dammy, completed a 120-hour cooking marathon in Ilupeju-Ekiti, Oye Local Government Area of the state.
Currently, another chef, Adeola Adeyeye, also known as Chef DEO, is trying to set a new record for the longest world cooking marathon of 150 hours in Ile-Oluji, Ondo state.
