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ASPIRE
SATURDAY SUN
August 25, 2012
SATURDAY SUN
August 25, 2012
ASPIRE
Traveller
Traveller
POETRY IN MOTION
Ikogosi
By ABUMERE EASTER 07056031011
KNOWLEDGE HURTS I am Abumere Easter, A student,poet and writer From my little years of learning, I’ve got these lines to make Lines that easily beset you, Like coal instead of ice But if you’ll read and learn, Anxieties crumble in an ounce I’ve wondered a great deal, At the cocoa house in Ibadan But my fancy soon was killed By the pains of the builders Those who have mastery of the Arts, Envy the slave who makes the bed At the discovery of grandeur, The soul wishes to till the earth What we know is what kills us For we’re slaves to what we fear The plight of wise men is wisdom And the anguish of beggars,lack The poet,revered and adorned, Is saddled by the lines he drops Even the wealthiest amongst us, Clamours for a crown of no honour To love knowledge is death disguised For none knows whence it blows But to have the happiness of life, Let joy itself be Jesus the Christ.
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The myths and splendour of a tourist haven With the first phase of the redevelopment plan of the Ikogosi Warm Spring; Mc Gee Camp (named after the Baptist missionary that built the chapel) expected to be inaugurated in October, the tourist site when fully operational, will no doubt change the face of tourism in Nigeria reports ADEWALE SANYAOLU, who took a recent tour of the resort. A trip from Ado-Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State to Ikogosi Warm Springs in Ikogosi Ekiti takes less than one hour, thanks to the good state of roads connecting about five villages before the final stop, where the popular tourist resort is located. The rhythmic splash from cascading waters, birds singing atop lush green canopy of tropical vegetation, and the serene ambience of the fall lures and gets you sucked into its scenic scene. Apart from the captivating atmosphere that serenades tourists on end, the inhabitants of the community daze the first time visitor with hospitality that does not fade even with time, answering every nagging question with infectious smiles. Welcome to Ikogosi Warm Springs, where nature is truly at work. For tourists, the high point of the springs is the inexplicable factor behind the flow of warm water beneath the ground mixing with the flow of cold water and meeting at a particular point without any losing its original temperature from the source as a result of the connection. Though yet to be verified, myths run whole gamut, from wives of the same husband turning into warm and cold springs to a hunter discovering the spring on a hunting expedition. Scientists on the other hand, give the possible and plausible explanation that the deeper a body of water goes underground, the hotter it becomes and if by chance it is forced back to the surface through some earth fault, the temperature will be relatively high. Over the years, the tourist centre has suffered neglect from successive governments, which cared little about the state of infrastructure, leading to dearth of structures, despite its good start with the Baptist Mission. The mission established the youth and conference centre and other conveniences on a hill adjacent to the warm spring area that have been attracting both local and foreign tourists since the 1950s. However in 1978, Ondo State acquired it from the Baptist Mission, erecting a few infrastructures before the resort centre was finally acquired by
Ikogosi Warm Spring
Ekiti State Government shortly after it was carved out of the old Ondo State. It, however, suffered a lull until the admin-
istration of Dr. Kayode Fayemi started the rehabilitation process in July, last year.
The rehabilitation work, which is still ongoing, will, upon completion, change the entire landscape, state of infrastruc-
ture and facilities at the resort to make it comparable with any world-class tourist centre anywhere on the globe, according to Dr. Fayemi. “When we came on board,” he said, “we felt there was an urgent need for us to intervene in the massive rehabilitation of the resort in order to save the common heritage of the Ekiti people from imminent collapse.” The essence of the rehabilitation work, according to the governor, is to provide a resort that cuts across all social strata-low, middle and upper classes, so as not to cut off anyone from the resort, especially the locals, as obtained in other climes. And in doing this, the government was careful enough not to cut off the resort from history by not pulling down the old colonial structures which dotted every nook and cranny of Ikogosi. Rather, it is now a mix of the old and new through a well-designed architectural masterpiece. The rooms have been redesigned to meet international standards, from 3 to 5-star to hostel accommodations (24 units for educational purposes such as excursion trips for schools). There is also internet provision, ample parking lot, shopping malls, amphi-theatre, good road network, security with CCTV, security gadgets and personnel, warehouses, laundry, restaurants and all other amenities that make up a world-class resort. To achieve a balanced resort, the setting has been divided into four areas. There is the place called The Villa designed for the upper class, and sitting atop the hill overseeing the entire landscape. Also, there is the Executive Villa and another redesigned twin structure which entire roofing sheets have been recently changed to give way for a modern outlook. That’s not all. There is also the Western Chalet, which overlooks the new swimming pool, and another two blocks of chalets currently being prepared for tourists’ comfort and enjoyment. Sesan Ibidiran is the Special Adviser on Tourism Development to Governor Fayemi. He says the essence of the different categories of accommodation was to cater for the specific tastes of the different categories of people coming to the resort for holidays, picnics and conferences. He gives a further break-
Adewale Sanyaolu savouring nature’s wonder
down of what to expect on the tourism site upon completion. These include a 100-room complex, comprising a presidential villa, self-contained single-room accommodation, and hostels that would be tastefully furnished. They would all be due for inauguration in October. That apart, a conference room capable of sitting about 360 people at a time, an amphi- theatre and large car park are also part of the package. Besides, Ibidiran also says tourists would be enthralled by the perfect combination of all these efforts coupled with the natural atmosphere of Ikogosi, which, he assures, would be jealously preserved and shielded from degradation and destruction upon completion. “There are a lot of people that come here and don’t want to go,” says the Special Adviser, “but, unfortunately, there is nowhere to sleep. This is why we are putting all these structures back in shape. They were dilapidated before this administration came on board. Also, the swimming pool was completely removed because it was not in use. But now, we have moved very far. If not for some delay, we had expected that the place would have been completed by March this year. That is why we are all here to make sure that contractors perform and meet up with the expected date of delivery because the Governor would not be
One of the refurbished structures
ready to take excuses from anyone.” Fayemi, in an interview, disclosed that the on-going rehabilitation work at the popular resort, upon completion, would boost economic activity in the state. It would transform the state’s economic landscape and provide huge employment opportunities for the citizens. It would also impact positively on the economic empowerment of the rural dwellers. More importantly, he added, revenues accruing from operations within the resort, the hotels and other facilities would enhance the Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) base of the state as taxes would be paid to government coffers. The Governor stressed that the need to develop a world-class tourism site in the state and, by extension, the country, informed the decision of his administration to commence rehabilitation work on the tourism site. He informed that the on-going rehabilitation work, currently in its first phase, would culminate into the second and third phases respectively. “I will not want to spoil the fun by saying that you have not actually seen anything yet as far as the redevelopment of Ikogosi is concerned,” Governor Fayemi continues. “At the moment, what you have seen are just carcasses, though, capable of giving you a picture of what is to come on
stream later. But this will not be a rounded picture.” At the moment, he said, the state is already in partnership with Mantis Collection of South Africa, who, he described as experts in rural and games resort management, adding that sustainability is a key factor considered by his government in the Ikogosi project hence, the partnership. He debunked any ambition by the state government to be involved in the day-to-day running of the resort. “I am making this clear that the Ekiti State Government will not run the resort,” he declares. “We know that government does not do well in running businesses. We are not going to burn our fingers and ruin this laudable project with that. We cannot afford Ikogosi going aground. The money being sunk here is not mine. It is the generational fund which must yield the dividends for this generation and generations yet unborn. There are facilities for all categories of people.” But why choose Mantis against the preponderance of tourist site operators in the country? The response came out of Fayemi’s mouth almost automatically: “We were looking for a partner that understands rural resort, that understands theme park, a partner that knows how to run a games reserve, a partner that can combine all with operating a hotel in the city. We made research and found out that the Mantis squarely fits in better than others who are mainly good at operating chains of hotels in various cities of the world. I have visited three of their holdings and I found out that Ikogosi will benefit greatly from their wealth of experience.” Fayemi also disclosed that Mantis selection and engagement is a blessing because he later found out that the group had earlier carried out a detailed research on Ikogosi forest and has the list of all unique flora and fauna which are endemic to the place even though some of them are at the fringes of extinction. “We have to re-enact and re-generate them,” the governor says. “Hence, we have acquired about 10,000 hectares of land beyond the Ikogosi forest to serve as a buffer zone for the wildlife. What is on the ground now is just a tip of the iceberg. The warm spring is just serving as the niche while the wildlife, the games village, the golf course will be major attractions in there. And to God be the glory, the Mantis also run some of the most successful games reserves in South Africa.”
MY SATURDAY TEWA ONASANYA Publisher,ExquisiteMagazine
‘My Saturdays are strictly for my family’ By ADAEZE ATUEYI-OJUKWU Tewa who? That may be the question on your mind after reading her name. Well, if her name does not ring any bell, it’s not because of none or underachievement. The Delta State-born mother of two, who studied Pharmacology at University of Portsmouth, in the United Kingdom, is the hardworking, high-flying publisher of Exquisite Magazine, a glossy lifestyle magazine. Ask most journalists, and they would tell you that journalism is a jealous job, a 24/7 vocation that leaves practitioners little or no time for family or extra-curricula activities. However, despite the frenetic speed that news breaks, despite the way the job chokes the time of practitioners, the pharmacologist-turned-journalist holds Saturday somewhat sacred. Almost like Sunday, her day of worship. In this short encounter with ASPIRE, the publisher says Saturdays are strictly for her family. “For me, my Saturdays are mostly to relax,” she says. “When I wake up in the morning, at about 8a.m. I go swimming with my kids. They love to swim, and since that is like the only time I relax with them, I make it a point of duty to take them go swimming every Saturday. When we get back, I try and fix breakfast for the entire family. We spend most of the evenings relaxing until we go to bed. I also go for events if I have one fixed for that day and then because of my work, I go for parties too. My Saturday is generally spent relaxing. How I spend my Saturday, from wake up time to retiring to bed, mostly around my family, even extended family members. Sometimes, I take my sisters out to the cinemas and we have fun.”