A viral social media post this week reported on the ‘Arsenal Day’ celebration in Okene, Nigeria, but the post was a little misleading.
A Twitter post from Africa Facts Zone this week reported that Arsenal fans from Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria celebrate ‘Arsenal Day’ annually, not missing a year since 2006. AFZ included a number of photos of the celebrations in the tweet.
Arsenal fans celebrate Arsenal Day in Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria every year.
They haven't missed a year since 2006. pic.twitter.com/mQtOpLL8Pv
— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) October 11, 2022
This led to a few articles on the subject, with MyNigeria and SNL24 reporting that Arsenal fans had celebrated the day this week. But that’s not the case.
Speaking to one of the fans who has regularly attended Arsenal Day, Daily Cannon learned that there are indeed plans to hold it again this year. But it hasn’t happened yet.
The day is held at the end of December, soon after Christmas. It has usually been between December 27th and December 29th in recent years.
Whilst Nigerian fans have continued to hold the celebration on an annual basis, even in 2020 when Arsenal were 15th in the table, this year’s event is yet to take place.
As for the photos in Africa Fact Zone’s tweet, they were mostly from the 2016 celebration, as can be seen below:
There Is Nowhere In Nigeria Where ARSENAL DAY Is Celebrated This Much Like They Do In Okene, Kogi State. They've Done This For 10years NOW. pic.twitter.com/mHL7T9G5rF
— Mustapha Ozo (@OzoMusty) December 29, 2016
The good news is that this means any local Nigerian Arsenal supporters still have a chance to attend the event in 2022. It certainly looks like a unique event bringing together the Gunners’ passionate overseas fans.
Just make sure to keep an eye out for details of the day in late December.