Owu Falls and Lai’s tourism photo prop

There is no denying the fact that Nigeria is blessed with abundant natural tourism sites, from iconic rock formations, hill tops, waterfalls, rivers, ocean and great forest ecosystems.

Indeed, the limitless natural gifts of nature bestowed on Nigeria are so distributed across the land in geographic proportions which spiritually shows forth the mind of God as loving and above partiality.

Thus from the North to the West, East to the South, Nigeria presents a kind of festival natural tourism sites specifically endemic to each area or location and unfortunately, this is where the story ends for the often discussed Nigeria tourism glory.

Specifically except for Obudu cattle ranch in Cross – River which Donald Duke gave a semblance picture of development, fronting a cable car and a “Presidential” rest house, this surreal iconic tourism location before Donald came suffered hugely from the curse of neglect and abandonment. Needless to add that Kwa falls also breasts the bowel of Cross River’s rich tourism ecology.

Recently, Tourism Minister Lai Mohammed on the “sidelines” of his town hall meeting in Kwara State, took time to visit Owu falls in Ifelodun Local Government of the state. The next day it propped up in most tourism columns that the Afonja descendant has by that visit began a “national tour of tourism sites” in Nigeria.

It was a “tour” that didn’t sink well and possibly reveals the depth of insincerity in the Ministry’s public posturing that tourism sits well with this government. Honestly, one commends Lai Mohammed for finding time to entertain himself with a visit to his home land’s located Owu falls but to pass off the tourism photo shot in Owu as a national study tour is mere propaganda and a disservice to Nigeria’s tourism rebirth, particularly in assessing how best to turn around the bankable fortunes of these sites replete across the Nigerian land space.

Notably, the basic ingredients and components of projecting and embarking on a national tour of tourism sites are lacking, taking into consideration the fact that access to these sites and their neglect over the years in the overall national and “even” local tourism development, marketing and promotion architecture are in limbo.

It is also my considered opinion that possibly our minister does not really understand what it takes to properly assess tourism “project” sites and leave behind measurable footprints in their revival and rebranding. Anything short of this message, intentions and aspirations leaves the country in continuous painful and frustrating motion of searching for an Eldorado in the midst of plenty baskets of glorified and abandoned tourism endowments.

It is sad, very sad to know how we play games with serious national matters; issues that can help us rebuild our nation and give people hope. A not too recent visit to the United States brought me in close contact with a famous American travel journalist who knew African continent like the back of his hands.

He was very excited when I told him about Nigeria and our great tourism prospects. On sharing experience, I later found out that he knew most African heads of states from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, the Zulu land, Kenya and many others in the horn of Africa.

That however was not the interesting part of that encounter. He told me that the secret to tourism success in South, North and Central Africa lies at the one track minded tourism policy of these African leaders who saw the quest of their tourism rebound as a “war” that must be won at all cost.
For example, he noted that tourism expeditions either as a study, research project or for documentary are usually approached as a military engagement with full complement of helicopters, boats, where necessary, the medics, planners, cooks/chefs, researchers, historians, scientists, consumer analysts, bankers, relevant government agencies, economists and tourism marketers.

It is usually a full house with enough outdoor tents that can accommodate the lot and engineers to ensure power round the clock throughout the study tour. He admitted to me that the whole expedition cost lots of money and sometimes takes a year to get such sites back on global tourism track but it were usually efforts that kept these places reinvented, repackaged and projected as destinations.

Therefore, if we must take this positive cue, it does show that Mr. Lai Mohammed’s national tour of sites which he “began” with Owu falls, did not meet with this exemplary template. We ask, where is Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), the Ministry’s tourism planners and researchers, the scientists and environmentalists, the tourism media (that gleefully reported what they did not see), where was the local hoteliers, tour operators, the officials of ministry of works, environment, local airline operators and the general facilitators of a “supposed” to be rebranded Owu falls?

Unknown to many people, Omu Aran, a town not too far from this tourism site is the birth place of Dr. David Oyedepo of winners chapel. Minister Mohammed did not see a possible window of religious tourism in Oyedepo’s town to “Cluster” Owu fall visit whenever it’s back to glory.

Truly, Dr. David Oyedepo and his university in Omu Aran can help put Owu fall on international tourism map and attract research funding in agriculture, fisheries and forestry. Also, captain Boyo’s Landover airline with Ilorin airport as operational base could help re-engineer Owu falls visitor’s traffic.

Mr. Lai Mohammed possibly did not remember Landover in his haste to trump his national tour of sites. Our people are wont to say that the morning shows how the day shall be or end; therefore I have no confidence that anything worthwhile will come out of minister Lai effort in this regard other than photo shots of the visit to any site in Nigeria.
Sadly, his town hall meeting and visit to Owu fall did not highlight the very danger that Nigerian traders and travelers face on the Oyo – Ogbomosho – Ilorin – Jebba – Mokwa roads.

These roads are the most dangerous in Nigeria and unfortunately the life line link between trade and commerce between the West and North of Nigeria. These roads have not only caved in and un-motorable, they are the cemeteries of Nigerian road users and hell pots for traders and their trucks of goods.

It is these roads that will supposedly take tourists and visitors into Ilorin and to the Owu fall. However, it is not too late for Mr. Mohammed to make a realistic u-turn and plan an all embracing national study tour of tourism sites in Nigeria that will kick start their revival, rebranding and development. Until then, Owu falls and all the very like in the country will continue to remain a mirage.