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Enchanting Plateau 2026: Artists Challenged to Imagine Plateau State at 100 as Exhibition Opens Call for Entries

Published

2 months ago

August 11, 2026

By Jos Events

The Enchanting Plateau Art Exhibition has unveiled its 2026 edition, challenging artists and creatives across disciplines to look beyond Plateau State’s present realities and imagine the kind of society future generations could inherit when the state clocks 100.

The 2026 edition, themed “100” (50 strong, 50 forward) was officially unveiled on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, during a press conference held in Rayfield, Jos, where organizers announced the opening of the call for entries and unveiled plans for an expanded celebration of Plateau’s culture, heritage, creativity, identity and future.

The exhibition, which coincides with Plateau State’s 50th anniversary, is designed to use art and creative expression as a tool for reflecting on the state’s journey over the past five decades while opening conversations about its next 50 years.

At the heart of this year’s edition is a question organisers are asking creatives to answer through their works:

“What story will we tell when Plateau State turns 100?”

Telling Plateau’s Story Through Art

Convener of Enchanting Plateau, Mr David Thomas, said the exhibition was established to tell the story of Plateau State through creative expression while creating meaningful platforms for artists and other creatives to gain visibility, develop their talents, build sustainable careers and connect with wider opportunities.

According to him, Enchanting Plateau has continued to grow beyond a conventional art exhibition, with the platform creating opportunities for young people through art competitions for secondary school students, masterclasses and other capacity-building programmes designed to identify and nurture emerging creative talents.

Thomas noted that the growth of the exhibition is a reflection of the enormous potential within Plateau State’s creative sector, particularly in the areas of cultural preservation, tourism, employment generation and economic development.

He said the broader vision is to contribute to positioning Plateau State as one of Nigeria and Africa’s leading cultural and creative destinations.

Artists Asked to Imagine Plateau at 100

The central focus of the 2026 edition is Plateau State’s 50-year journey and its future.

Participating artists are being encouraged to explore the state’s history, document its present realities and, most importantly, imagine what Plateau could become over the next five decades.

The organisers are calling on creatives to use their works to explore themes around identity, heritage, unity, development, innovation, environment, culture, tourism, technology and the aspirations of the people.

Rather than simply looking backwards, the exhibition seeks to encourage a forward-looking conversation about the Plateau State that residents want to build and leave behind for future generations.

More Than an Art Exhibition

Creative Director of Enchanting Plateau, Mr Jerry Jallo, explained that the initiative goes beyond the traditional concept of an art exhibition.

According to Jallo, Enchanting Plateau is designed as a multidisciplinary creative platform that brings together artists and creatives from different fields, allowing them to interact, collaborate and communicate through a shared creative experience.

He explained that the exhibition is built around three major components: the main visual art exhibition; seminars, workshops and masterclasses; and evening performance art exhibitions.

The evening performances, he said, will be carefully curated to create a unique and intimate experience for both artists and audiences, with activities expected to include acoustic presentations and opportunities for direct interaction between performers and attendees.

The concept, he added, is designed to bring different creative disciplines together and demonstrate how music, poetry, visual art, fashion, literature, performance and other forms of expression can tell a collective story.

“The Event Itself Is an Artwork”

Jallo described Enchanting Plateau as an experience in which the event environment itself becomes part of the creative expression.

He explained that the creative direction is inspired by the elements that connect people across Plateau State, with nature playing a significant role in the design and atmosphere of the exhibition.

Features such as rocks, vegetation and waterfalls are expected to influence the event’s set design, while other visual elements will be used to evoke emotions connected to happiness, childhood memories and shared experiences.

He summed up the creative philosophy by saying:

“The event itself is an artwork.”

The 2026 edition will bring together creatives from various fields, including musicians, poets, visual artists, writers, photographers, designers and other creative practitioners.

Art, Music, Fashion, Culture and Cuisine

Enchanting Plateau 2026 is expected to offer a broad range of activities beyond visual art.

The programme will feature curated art displays, competitions, music and performance, masterclasses, seminars, workshops, panel discussions and community engagement activities.

Visitors will also have opportunities to experience local crafts and enjoy homemade cuisines, further creating a platform where Plateau’s cultural identity can be experienced through multiple senses and creative disciplines.

The organisers are collaborating with Tin City Fashion Week and Experience Plateau to create what they describe as a unique and immersive creative experience that brings together art, fashion, culture, tourism, music and heritage.

Call for Entries Opens August 12

The official call for entries opens at midnight on August 12, 2026, and will close on October 25, 2026.

The call is open to a wide range of artists and creatives, including:

Painters
Sculptors
Photographers
Illustrators
Digital artists
Textile artists
Installation artists
Performance artists
Writers and other creative practitioners

Interested creatives are expected to submit their works through the official Enchanting Plateau website: www.enchantingplateau.com

The main exhibition is scheduled to take place in November 2026, with the exact dates expected to be announced by the organisers.

Seeking Wider Partnerships and Sponsorship

While the initiative has attracted government attention and support, organisers say there is still a need for stronger partnerships and sponsorship to expand the reach and impact of the 2026 edition.

They are therefore calling on individuals, organisations, businesses, cultural institutions, government agencies and other stakeholders who believe in the power of creativity to partner with the initiative.

The organisers believe that investing in creative platforms such as Enchanting Plateau can help create opportunities for artists, strengthen cultural tourism, preserve heritage and contribute to the growth of Plateau State’s creative economy.

Looking Beyond Plateau at 50

As Plateau State celebrates 50 years, Enchanting Plateau 2026 seeks to turn the milestone into more than a commemoration of the past.

Through the theme “100” (50 Strong, 50 Forward) the exhibition invites creatives to reflect on where Plateau has come from, examine where it stands today and, most importantly, imagine where it could be in another 50 years.

The initiative hopes to create a space where artists can ask difficult questions, celebrate the state’s identity, highlight its possibilities and present new visions for its future.

Ultimately, Enchanting Plateau 2026 is inviting artists to help paint a picture of Plateau at 100 — not just as it is today, but as they dream it could become.

For artists and creatives ready to tell that story, the journey begins with the call for entries opening August 12, 2026.

Related Topics:Artists Call Challenged Enchanting ENTRIES Exhibition Imagine opens plateau State

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2027: G-100 coalition reveals when opposition will pick single candidate to face Tinubu

Published

2 hours ago

October 17, 2026

PlateauReports

The G-100 Coalition says opposition parties seeking to unite against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election may unveil a single candidate just days or weeks before the poll.

The convener of the group, Salihu Lukman, disclosed this during an appearance on Channels Television’s Hard Copy programme.

Lukman, a former National Vice Chairman of the APC, said opposition parties were committed to picking a consensus candidate.

“I can tell you categorically, and my confidence about that comes from what I see in the leadership of the parties: they are committed and they are working, taking all the steps necessary.

“So it could be two months, some weeks to the election, or a few days to the election; they will come out and tell Nigerians this is the direction, and everybody will queue,” Lukman said.

The G-100 was set up to encourage opposition parties to rally behind one presidential candidate who could challenge the ruling APC in 2027.

The move followed an all-opposition summit held in Ibadan in April, where participants agreed to pursue a consensus candidate.

According to Lukman, the process has expanded beyond the six political parties that initially signed on, with efforts underway to bring more parties into the alliance.

He explained that political parties and their presidential candidates had taken over the process from the G-100 and were now negotiating directly to build the trust needed to reach an agreement.

“When the parties owned the process we had started and took it beyond, took it out of our hands and began to engage each other based on the need to develop the kind of confidence they need to trust one another,” Lukman said.

He said the lack of trust among opposition parties and their presidential candidates remained one of the biggest obstacles to forming a united front ahead of the 2027 election.

Lukman said a summit held on August 31 agreed to establish five working groups to handle different aspects of the proposed alliance, including the selection of a single presidential candidate.

According to him, each participating party would nominate members to the relevant working group through its presidential candidate or party leadership, and the representatives would operate under agreed terms of reference.

2027: G-100 coalition reveals when opposition will pick single candidate to face Tinubu

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Trouble for Tinubu as Makinde Camp Names Rivers, 11 Other States APM Will Win in 2027

Published

2 hours ago

October 17, 2026

PlateauReports

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The camp of Seyi Makinde has vowed that its candidate, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, will defeat President Bola Tinubu in 12 battleground states during the January 2027 presidential election.

The campaign organisation, which is promoting Makinde under the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), named Rivers, Oyo, Kaduna, Plateau, Borno, Enugu, Bauchi, Sokoto, Delta, Kano, Adamawa and Lagos states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, among the areas where it expects to defeat the President.

In a statement issued by its Director of Strategic Communications, Hon. Richard Nnanna Ihediwa, the organisation argued that Tinubu’s planned visits to the states would not change what it described as growing opposition to his re-election.

The campaign attributed the alleged resentment to the economic hardship facing Nigerians under the current administration, accusing the President’s policies and members of his inner circle of worsening public dissatisfaction through political arrogance.

The organisation also claimed that Makinde’s RESET NIGERIA agenda was gaining support across the country, particularly among young Nigerians seeking an alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

It challenged Tinubu to engage directly with Nigerians and assess their living conditions rather than rely on campaign rallies and political mobilisation ahead of the election.

“Mr. President should know that his visit to these states, if he eventually does, will not in any way change the direction or the determination of the people to vote him out,” the statement said.

The campaign organisation urged Tinubu to travel by road through the states to witness the condition of federal highways, public infrastructure and the living conditions of citizens.

“We challenge President Tinubu not to have a change of mind but visit the states to face the people. He should travel around the country by road and witness the decrepit state of federal highways, the squalor in which Nigerians live and the level of infrastructural decay across the country,” it added.

The organisation accused the Tinubu administration of spending trillions of naira on what it described as wasteful programmes and projects while ordinary Nigerians continue to face economic difficulties.

It also dismissed the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, arguing that Makinde’s RESET NIGERIA programme would provide a more practical response to the country’s economic, security and governance challenges.

According to the organisation, the proposed programme would be built around an inclusive, four-year transitional government of national unity, with education, the economy, security and socio-political reforms identified as its four priority areas.

The campaign said Makinde’s economic plan would focus on increasing production to address poverty, while his security strategy would combine intelligence gathering with social reorientation and both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches.

On education, the organisation said the agenda would seek to expand access to quality and functional education. Its proposed institutional reforms would also promote inclusive governance and responsible leadership.

The organisation maintained that feedback from its campaign activities indicated that the RESET NIGERIA message was gaining acceptance, especially among young people who, it claimed, were increasingly looking towards Makinde for an alternative to the current administration.

It also criticised members of Tinubu’s campaign machinery, urging the President not to commit national resources to what it called his “Nebuchadnezzar” campaign council.

The organisation described the council’s members as failed politicians and argued that neither the President’s campaign structure nor the advantages of incumbency would prevent his defeat in the states it had identified.

Recall that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had declared that he would take responsibility if Tinubu failed to win both the FCT and Rivers State.

In September, Wike vowed to resign from his position as FCT Minister if the President lost Rivers State and the FCT in the 2027 presidential election.

Wike made the declaration while addressing members and leaders of the Apo Mechanics and Traders Association in Abuja, where he discussed his commitment to Tinubu’s re-election and the political arrangements being developed to mobilise support for the President.

The former Rivers State governor said his position as FCT Minister carried a political responsibility to help secure victory for Tinubu, particularly in the territory where he currently serves.

“If I cannot deliver where I work, then I’m not worthy to be here,” Wike said.

“If I lose FCT, I’m not supposed to be FCT Minister. By January 17, 2027, I will announce my resignation as FCT Minister should the President lose in Rivers State and the FCT,” he added.