Kiss-a-thon: Ekiti bans planned 72-hour kissing marathon

Ekiti State Government has put an embargo on the planned three-day kissing marathon tagged kiss-a-thon by a group.

The event is meant to set a Guinness World Record. It was scheduled to hold at an undisclosed hospitality centre in Ekiti.

A statement by Adelusi A. L. on behalf of the permanent secretary, Ministry of Arts, Culture and Tourism, which was made available to journalists on Wednesday said such event was immoral and capable of denigrating the image of Ekiti.

The ministry called on members of Ekiti State Hoteliers’ Association to monitor their outlets against being used for such event.

The statement said,

“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 3-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 backward. 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.

“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.”