Introduction
On August 12, 2017 Motley travels
and logistics set out to achieve her first ever family summer vacation in
Nigeria. Three families came on board the tour, two from Portharcourt(The Peters
and Nwachukws) and one from Abuja (The Onuba’s) made a total of thirteen (13)
tourist, five (5)adults and eight (8) children. We also had two (2) armed
police escorts, three (3) crew members and a driver. Together we made a team of
19 people with different individuals and collective goals but and aim to foster
tourism within Nigeria. To say the least we were all ready to create history
and for plenty adventure.
Four states where selected,
Ekiti, Ondo, Osun and Lagos, all within the south west region of Nigeria. It
was a prefect pick as the stories about these destinations are closely related.
Personally it was an opportunity to be part of the crew that were to coordinate
the tour. I learnt a lot about the history of the people we visited, and then
the life styles and characteristics of the tourist that where on tour which
could be typical to tourist, how to always satisfy and relate with tourist
(clients), being proactive and always a step ahead of them. I must admit I was
not fully disposed as I felt sick five (5) day out of the 8 days we spent on
the tour. So some of the locations I didn’t even exit the bus. But I did my
best to relate with the tourist and their experience on each site visited, the
tourist on the other hand did very well to relate their turn off and on. The
tour lasted a period of 8 days and 9 nights. From the 12th of August
to the 20th of August 2017.
Ekiti
State
Ekiti state the land of honour
and integrity was the first state on our list which was the best start off
point. Ekiti State was carved out of the former Ondo State, which itself came
out of the old Western State in 1967 and Ekiti State is now made up of Ekiti
Central, Ekiti North, Ekiti South and Ekiti West Divisions. Ekiti which is one
of the many Yoruba states in Nigeria was an independent state prior to the
British conquest and the introduction of Indirect Rule. Ekiti as a nation and
districts of Yoruba race had her progeny in Oduduwa, the father and progenitor
of Yoruba race. The Ekitis, whose ancestors migrated from Ile-Ife as a people,
form one of the largest ethnic groups in Yoruba land. The Ekitis are culturally
homogenous and they speak dialect of the Yoruba language known as Ekiti.
On our arrival in Ekitistate, our
first stop was at Ado-Ekitiwere we met we other tourist and crew from Abuja.
From there we took a 30 minutes’ drive to Ikogosi town located in Ekiti West
LGA. This town housed the Ikogosi warm water spring resort.The warm spring rolls
down over a hilly landscape and later forms a confluence with another cold
spring from an adjoining hill and merges into one continuous stream. The
evergreen tall trees which surround the spring provide the canopy under which
tourist relaxed and enjoyed the scenery. Here we lodged for 3 nights that
period was filled with non-stop fun and excitements for the tourist.
The first night tourist and crew
members settled in to their comfortable rooms, and got a brief on the
itineraries of the vacation through the souvenir that was distributed. Feeding
was late that night because our orders came late,at around 9:05pm and as soon
as tourist ate they all retired to their room. Before they ate, while we waited
for their meal we use the opportunity to celebrate with the family of Mr and Mrs
Peter Agonu on their 17th wedding anniversary. They were so happy,
prayers and thanksgiving was offered too. The next day which was the 13th
of August as early as 8am the tourist were all suited up for sporting and some
adventure. So we headed to the sporting arena of the resort where we all played
basketball together while some others dancedbefore we all moved down to the
confluences point of the hot and cold water spring. The tour guide narrated to
the tourists the story of the stream, tourists where happy and took snap shots
and short videos. As soon as we were through we headed for Arinta water fall
also called Ipole-Iloro waterfall located on the other side of the Effon Ridge,
away from the better-known Erin-Ijesha, the Ipole-Iloro waterfall is another
scenic cascade set in forested hills. It’s worth stopping by, it has some
recreational facilities. After exploring the fall we came down to meet with the
attendant and tourist talked on their experience and on how the site could be
developed to attract more tourists. We later returned to the resort, backed to
our rooms to cool off and later that evening tourist headed for the pool at
same time some other slept the afternoon. Dinner was served quite early that
day but tourist complained about the very rigid food menu.
On the 14th we headed
out to Ado-Ekiti, the palace of the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti. The palace which is an
epitome of traditional architectural edifice, offers an opportunity for the
tourists and visitors alike to learn more about cultural heritage of Ekiti
people. The palace houses a large number of historical artefacts relating to
the establishment of Ekiti. During our visit we were opportune to have the
governor of Ekiti state his excellency governor Ayo Fayose came on a visit to
the palace to inspect the renovation works going on, tourists were honoured to
see him and didn’t let him go without lots of pictures. On our way back to the
resort through the help of a bike man we stopped at a local eatery where we had
lunch, local delicacies of the Ekiti people. We also made a stop at Erin
Ayonigba sacred fish river, Erinjiyan-Ekiti this is a river that contains a
colony of sacred catfish, not consumable and highly forbidden. The myth has it
that a strange woman who migrated to the town metamorphosed into the river and
that the fish are her children. Hence, it is a taboo to kill the fish and that
if this is done, the fish will not cook however long the period of cooking.
Also, the person who kills any of the fish will never be prosperous in life. Tourists
visited the river to see this strange occurrence and the coming out of the fish
in hundreds after we threw pieces of bread into the river. I wasn’t as active
as I started feeling sick that day. We got back to the resort as some tourist
we came in early enough as tourist still got time to take a dive in the pool
after their orders for dinner was collected and submitted. Food was served
early and everyone retired early to bed.
Ondo State
On 15th August, we
headed for Akure the capital of Ondo state, and lodged at Bliss World Hotel for
two nights. The state is predominantly occupied by the Yorubas who speak
various dialects of the language such as the Akoko, Akure, Apoi, Idanre, Ijaw,
Ikale, Ilaje, Ondo and the Owo. Ondo State, which is indeed a microcosm of the
Nigerian nation, is blessed with resourceful, industrious and hospitable
people. Her crop of educated elite has led to its being classified as one of
the most educationally advanced states in Nigeria. After settling down to our
rooms in the hotel we visited the Deji of Akure Palace. Deji of Akure is the
traditional ruler in Akure and the palace offers an opportunity to our tourists
to learn more about cultural heritage of Akure people. The palace houses a
large number of historical monuments relating to the establishment of Akure and
her customs and traditions. Ladies were not allowed into the palace unless
their heads were covered and had a particular route for entry to the palace.
After we were through experiencing the palace we stopped at shoprite were
tourist restocked we then stopped at a local eatery for dinner. We actually
didn’t know that tourist would still want to eat later that night and were
angry that we didn’t asked if they would mind to eating before bed. Some went
ahead to make orders from their rooms. We apologised for how it all went and
the next moring we headed for Owo. Owo Museum of Antiques
is a national museum that has
many wood and ivory carvings, brass and bronze works etc. The museum has been
preserved to serve as a place for tourists to have a taste of historical values
of the people of Owo and the neighbouring towns and villages (Benin and Ife).
We experienced to relationship shared between the tribes. We were brought into
the Oba’s palace after the visit to the museum and one of the chief of Owo town
took us on a tour around the palace saw some really nice artefacts like the
Rolls Royce and the first redeemed church within the town in the palace. After
Owo town we took a one hour thirty minutes’ drive to Idanre, headed for Idanre
Hills. Idanre Hills are one of the most awesome and beautiful natural
landscapes in Ondo State and Nigeria. Added to its beauty which fires human
curiosity is the fact that the entire people of Idanre lived on these boulders
for almost a millennium (800 years). As a natural and cultural landscape,
Idanre Hills stands out well among all other places that have been listed in
UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We conquered with a lot of climbs, smiles and
dances. We made a manikin video on the hill top after which visited some sites
on the hills. We headed back to Akure very hungry and tired after the woman who
was to prepare something for us disappointed us. Before we got to the hotel we
stopped at an eatery where we all ate.
Osun State
Located in the south-west
geopolitical zone of Nigeria, Osun State is an inland state with its capital in
Osogbo city. The people of the state are warm, hospitable and highly enterprising.
On our way to the capital city we stopped at Oluminrin Waterfalls, Erin-Ijesha
Located in Erin-Ijesha – a town nearby Osogbo, the waterfalls has about seven
layers and only few visitors can climb beyond the second layer. The breeze at
the waterfall is cool and refreshing as the water flows among the rocks and splashes
down with great force to the evergreen vegetation around. It is an idea place
for picnic and relaxation. The sight of the fall is magnificent and what all
the stress. The tour guide briefed us about the myths of the fall and after
lots of pictures we were on our merry way to Osogbo. We lodged at The Atlantis
Grand Suite for two nights. As soon as we got up the next morning we visited
the residence of Suzanne Wenger an Australian artist turned Yoruba priestess
who died in 2009 at the age of 94 years, she is one of the people that designed
some of the art edifice found in Osun groove. Her four storey building house
covered with relief interwoven human and animal form in the new sacred art
style. The private residence has a room downstairs of artworks for sale by some
of Osogbo’s leading artists past and present. At the The palace, located in the
heart of the city, it was the ideal place for tourists to learn more about the
city. Here all historical facts about the establishment of the city are carefully
preserved. The Osun Osogbo festival stated from this point. The annual Osun Osogbo
cultural festival that usually comes up in August is held along the banks of
the river bearing and it attracts thousands of devotees from across the country
and beyond. Visitors at the festival include nationals of United States,
Brazil, Cuba, Trinidad, Grenada, and other nations in the Americas with a
significant Yoruba cultural heritage. . It provides an opportunity to visit the
great Osun Grove, a sacred forest along the banks of the Osun River just
outside the city of Osogbo. Some tourist stayed back on the bus while some
other followed the crowd to the river bank. After the festival we visited the
town of Ile-Ife we first stopped at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife Built
in the 1960s along Ile-Ife/Ibadan road, the university is one of Nigeria’s
“Big-four” universities. It has an imposing architectural structure, sport
field, botanical garden and an amphitheatre. We visited its botanical
garden/wildlife park. And then went to the Ooni’s Palace Enuwa, Ile-Ife Located
in Ile-Ife, the spiritual home of the Yorubas, Ooni is the traditional ruler of
Ile Ife and his palace is an historical monument that houses various important
relics. Moremi Statue of Liberty. Moremi Ajasoro Princess of Yoruba was a
figure of high significances in the history of the Yoruba people of West
Africa. The Edi festival is said to have then been started as a means of
celebrating the sacrifice the princess made for the people of Yorubaland. and the Oranmiyan Staff (OpaOranmiyan)
Oranmiyan Staff is an historic
object that represents Oranmiyan the third Ooni of Ife who was the youngest of
Oduduwa’s sons, the father of Yoruba race. The staff which was erected at the
spot where people believed to have been buried, is a 5.18m stone column (about
4-feet square at the base). We went back to OAU were we ate dinner.
Lagos State
We left for Lagos the next day,
lost two hours because we missed our way as we entered Lagos. We ended up
spending 6 hours thirty minutes from Osogbo to Badadry. In Badagry we visited
the Slave relic museum, slave Baracoon, First Storey Building in Nigeria, and
took a boat cruise to Gberefu Island and freedom walk to point of no return. As
i looked through the rooms in the Baracoon Cell built by the Brazilians, walk
through the items in the Heritage There is something uncanny about this place.
Staring into the eyes of the figures in the pictures, some rulers, some
merchants, and some slaves; each seem to tell a different story, but you soon
realise that they are merely telling you different perspectives of the same
story: the era of slave trade. In the museum, you could place your hands on
some of the relics in the Mobee Slave relic’s museum; you can almost feel
yourself transported to an entirely different time in history. From the first
story building in Nigeria to the site of the slave market, and walk through the
path that leads to ‘point of no return’ at the Gberefu Beach in Badagry, a time
machine of sorts truly exists in Badagry. This place is off-route to one of
Nigeria’s busiest boudaries – Seme Border which ironically fuels much of
Nigeria’s trade with her neighbours to her west. We lodged at the Whispering
Palms Beach Resort, Badagry, Lagos Whispering Palms is a conference resort
centre occupying about 8 acres of land located in Iworo, Badagry Local
Government Area of Lagos State . The resort lies on the Lagoon and typifies the
beauty of the area’s cool Atlantic breeze, sillica sands, palm trees and
chirping birds. Whispering Pals offered to the tourist an ecological, beach and
aquatic abode where tourist can view some of the exotic animals and birds in
its mini zoo. Sun and sand, a host of colourful beach umbrellas dot the beach
front. Beach huts, numerous mini gardens that host various Nigerian carvings
and artworks, including bronze heads of various Yoruba deities dot the
landscape of the resort. Hotel accommodation at Whispering Palms ranges from
luxury to simple but very nice and clean rooms. The landscape of the resort was
beautifully designed with lush vegetation everywhere and largely dominated by
palm trees. The resort has lots of seating along the water’s edge, a swimming
pool and a zoo with monkeys, crocodiles, turtles and peacocks. The road within
the resort looks fascinating as it lined with palms kernel residue. Tourists
were welcomed with fresh coconut drink at the bar just at the beach front.
At this point tourist
where so happy and wanted to stay for more than a night, but this day marked
the last day of the first ever Motley Summer Family Vacation. After spending
eight days and nine night during the vacation tourist were ready to go back
home filled up with experience and new views about how beautiful Nigeria had
always been and the many potential she has to put herself in the front anytime
tourism would be discussed. We headed back for Portharcout the morning of the
next day, after dropping off the tourist at their homes the drive, the escort
and me left for Abuja the next day.
