Olumirin waterfall, Erin-Ijesa, Osun •Despoiled, neglected and abandoned,yet fantastic
Written by Wale Ojo-Lanre and Olajumoke Akintunde Wednesday, 09 May 2012
The neglected fall with tourists
Or is the fault in our stars or in our perception and behaviour?
I don’t know? I am confused and shattered!
Whenever I gaze out of my room window located on 26th floor of the Holiday Inn, Marine Parade, Durban, South Africa where the South African Tourism always lodged me when covering the Indaba, I am always sad and this repulsion always prompts me to curse those who rule over us in Nigeria.
The reason? Holiday inn faces the beach of the Indian Ocean. The South African government has turned the beach into an amazing Eldorado which keeps awake 24 hours.
I would wake up around 2 am and walk down, cross to the park, fed my eyes, and watched the fishermen doing their things on the piers.
I always imagine and compare this to the parlous state of our Lagos beach which has been taken over by devil-infested, so-called spiritual groups.
And not even the midas touch of Fashola has been able to make a change!
The other time I accompanied a Minister of Tourism to Robben Island, South Africa, the prison where Nelson Mandela was kept for many years, I took note of the numbers of tourists that visited the site that day. You won’t believe it was over 2,000.
Can you make a mental calculation of how much money is injected into that economy via flight, hotel accommodation, ground transportation? Can you imagine how much money those who operate shops and souvenir kiosks would have made that day?
Chief Obafemi Awolowo and others were imprisoned somewhere in Nigeria I cannot even locate the place.
The late Sir Ahamadu Bello, Tafawa Balewa, Zik and the rest nationalists have their burial grounds somewhere and nobody adds value to these places, while we, Nigerians, are eager and scrambling to visit Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in Ghana.
The other day, I was in Dakar Senegal, and I was talked into visiting the Pink Lake. I thought that the Lake was truly pink, until I got there and behold, I saw a sea of heads of foreign visitors watching a Lake where sodium concentrate is being scooped, which turns the water looks pink, thus bearing the name Pink lake!
Then, I remember the Osimini Blue River, which is naturally very blue in Abia State.
Ghana, which is now the tourist destination in West Africa, cannot count up to 30 wonderful tourism centres but see what the power of packaging, , peace and stability, focus and political determination has brought into play in that country.
When the Malaysian Ambassador to Nigeria was talking glowingly of how his country had turned the gorges and craters created as a consequence of excavating tin in that country into artificial lakes which magnetized over 20 million tourists to the country every year, my mind went to the same product and processes carried out in Jos, Plateau State, which, instead of creating wealth and employment, are now sources of sorrow and environmental hazards.
Nigeria is wonderfully blessed when it comes to tourism. There is no aspect of tourism that our geographical contraption does not accommodate with potentialities of creating artificial tourism sites.
But here we are, the natural tourism sites are not even enhanced, as the leadership cannot see the gold and precious commodities in these sites while they look up for the sharing of oil money from the centre.
The Federal Government is always mouthing its intention of developing alternate sources of revenue rather than oil, while the states, most of them abundantly blessed with enormous resources capable of financing the nation if tapped, are daily crying of insolvency.
What these states need to do is just to look inwards and locate the gold which God has planted in their domains process it and become buoyant.
But it is sad and regrettable that these states enjoy wallowing in poverty and wretchedness out of sheer inability to develop and enhance the gift of nature which God has blessed them with free of charge.
Such is the case of Osun State, the state of the Living Spring, which harbours many waterfalls and none is developed to lay the egg of prosperity .
The Olumirin waterfall is a case in point. You will read how our leaders are wasting away resources with reckless abandon. It is a shame.
Road to Erin Ijesha, Osun State Nigeria
The first thing that pissed you off about the carelessness of our leaders about enhancing the natural resources for empowerment, wealth and employment generation is the bad roads which lead to where these natural resources are located.
Erin Ijesha is located on the Ilesha Akure road, just about 10 km after Ilesha but you will miss the point you are supposed to be off the road if you are not a keen observer .
You might even drive to Erin Oke thinking that that is the town which habours the waterfall just because the approach to Erin Oke is better enhanced, accentuated and designed than the entry point to Erin Ijesha, hence, you might need to take a turn back to the proper entry to Erin Ijesha.
And by the time you get there, a big disappointment awaits you, as you will be of the opinion that you are entering a private courtyard as the only sign post there announces “Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa Road.”
The other big flex billboard had its face washed out by the elements.
As you branch into the badly graded road named after one of the foremost and illustrious sons of Osun – state who is the National Chairman of the Alliance for Democracy (AD),Chief Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa, you will see what seems to be an entry gate into the town.
Tucked far away from the main road, the supposed gate too is a very bad copy of what should be. Although the gate tried albeit furtively to tell you that the town you are entering harbors Elumirin Waterfall but those who conceived the idea could have done the construction better.
As you drive the badly graded road into the town, you will be amazed by the beautiful scenery that behold by your eyes. A range of ridges and hills covered by green vegetation, plants and trees which spread like a shield over the town.
This softens the bad impression the road and failure to conspicuously mount a bill board or sign post for proper direction to the town.
You will notice that the people are happy and aware of the import and positive impact of Elumirin as they enthusiastically directed you to the road to the fall.
It is only when you get to the road that leads to the fall inside the town that you will notice a big sign board which announces “Osun State Tourism Board welcomes you to the magnificient Olumirin waterfalls.”
The size of the billboard and the adjective “magnificient” used to qualifies the fall, may give you a sense that the tourism board must have done something magnificent to add value to the fall.
But, as youmake a turn, you will expect that at least the road to the site should have been touched or repaired if not magnificiently at least, infinitesimally. Alas, apart from the bad road, two bridges along on the road to the site are under heavy threat of being washed away by water!
That means if prompt action is not taken, accessibility to the site may become difficult pretty soon.
However, as you maneuver your way through the rough road, you will feel the cool effect of natural and unpolluted air and seeing at your front the mighty hill and the forest where the Olumirin Waterfall hides.
At the feet of Olumirin
There is an entry gate here manned by some friendly men,who smile at you welcoming you to the site of Olumirin waterfall.
They are quick to tell you the amount to pay by making a mental calculation of the numbers of people inside your car vis – a – vis the amount per person.
As you are trying to inquire why you should pay such an amount, the staff will point to the wall of the gate where the amount supposed to be paid is written.
For an adult, the fee is 150 naira, which is a bit on the lower side, while students with ID card have to pay 100naira per head. However, you will be surprised, as you enter the enclosed place, by the number of cars, vehicles and buses that brought tourists to the site. Despite the poor marketing and bad road, tourists still scramble to Olumirin waterfall in droves.
This shows that, with little effort and serious sense of purpose by our leader, this site is capable of generating heavy revenue.
On Saturday 5 May, 2012 and by 3:45 pm, over 30 vehicles of different brand and capacity were on ground.
“But you are coming late as many visitors have gone back.”
One thing that is brazenly noticeable at the site of Olumirin waterfall is debris and litters of rubbish made up of cans, plastic bottle, sachet of pure water, take away food container and others which make the place dirty and smelling.
You will also notice the aged staircase that leads to the fall site.
Before the steps, you will see those who hawk various items planting themselves any where and any how in an uncoordinated way unexpected of such a site of that magnitude. Some of them put their wares on the staircase which blocked the way and you have to excuse them to pave the way for you.
There is also on the right side, a container which stocks drinks and other items manned by a lady, Bola Olatuberu,who said “we are happy that God bless this town with this great waterfall, but we have not been able to reap the benefits fully just because it has not been enhanced .
“Normally, we should be happy to see large numbers of people coming here daily. But most of them always come with their drinks and foods. And you cannot blame them so much because if not this container, there is no other shop or good kiosk here . “If the government can built a set of shops here. lease it out to various traders ,then it might reduce the habit of bringing foods and drinks along when you are sure that by the time you get here, you will be able to get your choice of items.”
Iya Ketu, a woman with tribal marks associated with the Household of the Alaafin of Oyo, but who claimed to be a princess of the Alaketu of ketu in Benin Republic, said “The government should build lock-up shops here and lease them out to make money. Also, the road to this place must be improved upon. You can see how we just litter our wares as if it is the normal thing to do.”
This arrangement tells you the level of neglect being suffered by Olumirin waterfall from the hand of the government.
As you are about mounting the steps, your eyes catch an uncompleted building which design looks like a restaurant on the right. The building is an eyesore and a disgrace to the waterfall.
As you commence climbing the stairs on your journey to see the ‘magnificient ‘Olumirin waterfall, you are impressed by the number of visitors you meet on your way and be surprised by their point of origin, Abeokuta, Ota, Lagos, Ido-Ekiti, Ado, Ibadan, Ogbomoso and you have no choice but to sound them out on their views of the site.
To Tunde Oladokun, a computer student, Fountain University, Osogbo “I implore you to visit the place. You just go straight. It is a fantastic site. A wonderful creation of God. I love this place . You will love it too. This is my first excursion which I cherished most. You will see when you get there.”
Then you continued salivating the coolness of the air and the fresh breath of the forest only being bastardized by the filth created by tourist which are not cleaned up by the manager of the waterfall.
As you continued in this journey, you saw Abiola Femi, a science students of Ekiti State University sandwiched between Bisola Ajayi, Ogunleye Kemi and Babatunde Seun, all in their swimming suits, panting like a bird,badly beaten by the winter, lamenting “I don’t know that this is how cold the water is; I would not have ventured in. This water is naturally cold. This is a wonder in this town. I don’t know is cold like this.”
Though you have not gotten to the site, you could have had the full report of how Olumirin is from those descending the steps.
Just at the middle road to the fall, on the left, you will see what resembles an attempt to give the waterfall a meaning and sense of enhancement. A garden where some round shaped shed were built painted in lemon green and blue.
This garden was constructed by the Oriade local government council when Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola was the governor of Osun State.
On the right side of this is a building which looks like a water treatment plant.
The garden too is dirty and unkempt. Some of the sheds were engaged during the tour for different purposes as some students of Great Ife were rocking themselves happily in one shed, blasting hot music with all fun the opposite shed was occupied by the members of Rhema Chapel, Ladoke Akintola University of Science and Technology under Kehinde Oluwatomisin who were there on “A day out for singles.”
You love the location of the garden as it serves as a rest joint or point for tourists going up the waterfall, but you are unhappy with lack of maintainace of the good idea by the present manager.
You never allow this to disturb your journey upward to the fall and there you encountered a set of corps members just coming from the waterfall.
And Polycarp Dawum from Plateau State said that “What I have seen there is more beautiful and alluring than the Assop falls in Jos.”
To Regina Ushia, also a Corps member from Cross River State “Awesome. Awesome and Awesome. It is different in features from Agbohkim Waterfall, Calabar.”
Samuel Tope, Obina Jakes, Victor Duru and Chijioke Eze all Corps members, serving in Osun State offered some suggestions.
“We believe this state can turn this waterfall into another story of success like Obudu Ranch resorts in Calabar and even before that could materialise, the present management should take care of this place by keeping it neat and clean, construction of good concrete steps with railings, extension of electricity, established code of behaviour, construction of befitting restaurant, demarcation of each of the seven stages of the fall and mounting of park benches.”
By the time you are at the base of the Olumirin waterfall, you intuitively exclaimed Whao ! good Lord, this is greatly exciting.
Welcome to the first fall of the Olumirin waterfalls.
You are dazed as the avalanche of water cascades from the gigantic Effon ridge splashes down with great force oozing out cool breeze in form of cloud at the basement of the ridge.
You saw the sea of heads having a cool bath and enjoying the ever ceasing torrential gush of water rolling down from the seven falls.
The students of Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, (EKSU) Department of Mathematics led by Olubunmi Oluwasnmi, lighted up the first fall with their acts of catching fun.
While some were swimming and splashing at the basement, some were climbing through unmarked route up the ridge going to see the second fall which they claimed it is even fascinating than the first.
At the basement, the tourists greatly unwind as some danced, sang songs while Olufemi Daramola, a student of Ekiti State university, Ado Ekiti offered a free show of heart breaking gymnastic display.
For Comrade Ojo Olajumoke, a chemistry students of EkSU was worried silly about the flith and dirt that litters the environment “I am worry about the flith around this natural environment. It constitutes dangers to the flora and fauna of this place. There must be urgent measures to curtail this.
As these activities were going on, some wait-and- get photographers were busy making money. They planted their printing boxes and generator beside the pool, saying ‘Although we are making money it could be better if the government can come and rescue this fantastic waterfall from under development.”
At around 5.30 pm, as you were leaving for Ibadan, about 30 Muslims students from the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State strolled in.
Kafayat Dada, a student of Food Technology, said ‘It is worth it. I am happy to be here. Apart from the tourism side of the story, this forest holds a lot of promise for carbon bank which is the global issue now, together with agricultural research.”
While ascending the steps after having a fulfilled day at the basement of the fall which has formed a natural swimming pool, your nostril picked the smell of some boys having a hot inhale of marijuana.
Or what do you expect men to do in an environment where there are no guides except the few men at the gate whose duty is to collect entrance fees and upon that, you are free to do whatever you like?
And as you are leaving you noticed a dust bin put at the base of the star case. Just one waste bin in a tourists site where over 400 tourists visited between 3: 45 to 6 pm on Saturday 5 2012!
And your heart bled.
You shook your head and pitied Olumirin waterfall for falling into the wrong geographic region whose leaders cannot think straight and be resourceful enough to tap its enormous gold.
However, the pitiable state does not reduce the alluring magic of the great Olumirin waterfall.
And according to Prince Adeoye Aderinwale, Chief Executive officer, Catalyst Communiucations and President Hospitality Watch;” Olumirin Waterfall is an enigmatic tourism site, so alluring, pleasant and in its raw form. It is like a raw diamond which needs to be processed for it to glow and shine for all.”
The question is when will this come to pass as Olumirin waterfall, Erin Ijesha, Osun State, is wailing profusely and calling whoever cares to come to its aid?
