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Friday 19 December 2014

Mare festival... waxes stronger, sets Ondo aglow ! 
by Remi Oladoye , Daily Times
 
 
 
The mountains and hills of  Idanre recently danced to the rythm of music in   celebration of a new status injected to their domain by  the government of Ondo State who is transforming it to a preferred tourist destination.
 
The festive mood enveloped all  and sundry,  up  to  the Owa Of  Idanre and his chiefs during the just concluded 2014 Annual Mare Festival which also wit- nessed the official commission- ing  of  the Idanre Mountain Re- sort and Relaxation Center, an initiative that has transformed Idanre Hill  to a resort of  inter- national standard.
 
Mare festival is an annual mountain  climbing and sport- ing    events  used  to   celebrate the cultural heritage of  the people of  Ondo State. It started five  years ago with the aim of exposing the culture and tour- ism potentials of  the state, par- ticularly the uniqueness of  the conference of  mountains to the world. It is also an avenue to de- velop local mountaineers  and other talents in the sport and entertainment industry.
 
The fifth edition kicked off with an opening event attended by  the chief tourism promoter in Nigeria, the Director General of the Nigeria Tourism Development Commission (NTDC), Mrs Sally Mbanefo and other stake- holders in the industry as  they witnessed the official commis- sioning of  the Idanre Mountain Resort and relaxation Center.
 
While commissioning the re- sort and the habitat, the gover- nor of  the state represented by the Chief of  Staff, Dr Kola  Ade- mujimi, in his address, said the resort was part of  the agenda of  his administration to  make Idanre  a  tourism  destination in the country: “Nigeria cannot rely on  oil  alone as  a source of revenue, we  are tapping   this natural wonders and resources in our state to generate revenue, and at the same time create em- ployment opportunities for our teeming youths,  also to  boost the creative industry.
 
“Ondo state is blessed with a lot of  potential and we cannot but continue to  develop these potentials and maximize it for the growth of  our economy and promotion  of   our natural  re- sources, culture and heritage.
 
Mrs Sally Mnabefo expressed her satisfaction at the ongoing development in the state. In  an elated mood, she told the gath- ering that Ondo State was one of the best among the states and advised the people to  key   into the promotion of  her policy of domestic tourism.
 
She   said, “I  feel   at home anytime I  come to  Ondo State because of  the large deposit of tourism potentials and how the government is working on them to make them functional for the economic benefit of the state.
 
“Within my  short stay in the office as the Director General of the NTDC,  I have toured over 20 states and participated in many festivals;  but  south  West par- ticularly Ondo state is the best. The development of  tourism, particularly the resort is an awe- some and amazing experience. It is quite fascinating and makes one’s visit to  the state a memo- rable one. This resort is another testimony to the transforma- tional work of  the state govern- ment and the state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko and his entire cabinet deserve commendations for this talking about Ondo State as the people are hospitable, the environment is good   and they have  an  amazing sites.  Their festival particularly Mare is one of   the  international  festivals that is recognized by the NTDC. “The local participation  is very  encouraging and  I  want to   encourage the  government not to allow this vision to die  as Ondo State is gradually taking a lead in the tourism in Africa. Mbanefo said,  adding,  “I  will continue to  partner with Ondo on  Mare and other events that will positively affect the growth of  culture and tourism in the
state.
Mrs Mbanefo also announced the success of  her negotiation with Overland Airways, which will now connect Akure- Abuja, and Akure-Lagos.
This, she  said,  would enhance the movement of tourists and fun-seekers to  Idanre and other tourism sites in the state. Indeed, the NTDC  director general joined the traditional dancers to  dance the local beats a development that  cheered the crowd to no end.
The participation  of   local artistes made this year’s festival  more interesting as it showcased budding talents in music and other sports events.
Dr Wanle Akinboboye while welcoming guests to  the events said, “The essence of  celebrating   the festival is not just to dance and celebrate alone, but also to  create a platform that will showcase and encourage talents in Ondo State. In  all  the sports, we  have young ones actively participating  and doing wonderfully well. The budding artistes are also discovered and encouraged and this will be  a continuous exercise.
While addressing  the crowd at the grand finale, the state governor, Dr  Segun Mimiko said, “This is a realisation of our dream to make Ondo State the number one   tourism destination in Nigeria. I  have no doubt in my  mind that with the best of  our creativity we  shall bring Idanre to global attention and MARE will be  the best in the world. “
He however commended the people of  Idanre and their traditional rulers for their support in the building of the resort. He assured  the  participants  that the coming year would be  better, “as there will be new dimensions and introduction of other things into the festival. By next year,   the Atosin Golf   Course would  have  been  ready  with staff  clubs  and  hotels  while more  wooden  edifices  would have been erected here for the convenience of our tourists,” he said.
While receiving the award of  Brand Domestic Tourism for the year 2014 from The Guild of Tourism Journalists Association of  Nigeria  (GTJ), Mimiko said, “We   will continue  to  do the needful to promote domestic tourism In  Nigeria having realized  that tourism is a veritable tool  in promoting our economy and engaging the younger gen- erations.”
President of  the GTJ, Comrade Wale Ojo Lanre, in an inter- active session with journalists shortly after the presentation of the award, said the recognition was buoyed by  the consistency of  the governor in the celebration of  Mare Festival and other cultural events in the state.
He  said, “Mare is becoming  a festival that will soon be drawing  participants  from all over the world because of   the consistency and  the  introduction of  innovations into the programme. It is now a brand in mountaineering.
“The governor’s effort in creating a tourism hub in Ondo
State is acknowledged and we use  this  award  to   appreciate
and encourage him not to relent while  imploring  other  governors to emulate him.”
Not  many people who have visited the base of  Idanre Hill before could identify the hitherto bushy place as  it has been turned into a resort of  international standard with all the components therein. The resort has a functioning bar,  open stage, swimming pool, indoor game centre and a wooden house which displays immense creativity of  the tourism impresario  Ambassador Wande Akin