During one of my long vacation, which normally begins in the
month of September, I thought of travelling for leisure to Olumo Rock, at least
to experience the amazing edifice nature has bequeathed the people of Abeokuta,
of which I have for long heard about right from my School days! I decided to
set on the journey with my friend and office colleague, Onyinyechi. We had
already made bookings with a travel company in Enugu a week before the departing
day.
On Friday morning being the departing day, we left in a
Sienna Salon car driven by one the company’s chauffeurs. The tour guide sat
beside the driver while Onyinyechi and I took the passengers’ seat behind. We
were given travel tips before departure and we took all the necessary kits and
clothing for the adventure. It was a delightful journey and the tour guide was
quite knowledgeable with the history of places we drove passed.
The driving distance from Enugu to Abeokuta is about 544km.
But before 12pm we were already at Ore in Ondo State, a journey we began at
8.05am. The tour guide asked the driver to drive into a restaurant where we
alighted for a lunch of jollof rice and fried plantain. Although I did not take
jollof rice, but opted for a snack and a coca-cola drink. I only prefer a snack
and a bottle of soft drink whenever I’m in a long journey. After about 30mins
of rest in the restaurant, we set for the remaining part of the journey.
We arrived Abeokuta at exactly 5.25pm.The driver was meticulous
on steering, driving as a professional tour driver should be. We passed the
night in one of the hotels there, a very decent one however; and proceeded to
the rock for our adventure the next morning. We drove along the Cement Refinery
Plant, and then we entered a village at the outskirt of Abeokuta called
Ijebu-Igbo.
On arriving the town where the Olumo Rock is situated, we
parked our car just closed to the attraction site where a local guide was
already waiting to usher us into the “paradise” of Abeokuta. We walked through
the gate and waved to the guard men who responded by saying “ekabo”, literal
meaning you’re welcome. Our guide led us through the stairs to the summit of
the rock, where he engaged us on a brief history of the rock.
The Olumo Rock is said to have a rich history and an amazing
cultural and touristic significance to the people of Abeokuta. According to the
local guide, the massive edifice of nature which was named “OLUMO” which by translation means “GOD MOLDED”, was used as a refuge haven
by the indigenes of Egba during the 19th century warring times. He
said the rock perfectly hid the people such that the enemy warriors could never
locate them. They also used the summit of the rock to spy the location of the
enemies so as to strategically direct their deadly missiles at the camp of the
enemies. During those tribal-war times, the Egba people lived within the
confines of the rock, mainly in tiny caves at the base of the rock, and there
they carried out their normal domestic lives without fears of molestation or
whatsoever from the enemies.
Olumo Rock has a height of 137km above the sea level. We
eventually saw a section of the rock dripping with water which, according to
our local guide, was highly medicinal. At the summit of the rock, we were able to see
the entire stunning view of Abeokuta city. We saw the Ogun River, the first TV
station in Nigeria, the Church of Nigeria which was the first Church in the Country.
We walked down to the base of the rock and I was perplexed
to see a shrine where, as the guide illustrated, sacrifices were done in honour
of the deities of the rock by the priest. This shrine opens once every 5th
of August for festivals.
Also, at the base of the rock we walked into the Museum of
History where visitors and tourists visit to learn more about the history and
significance of the rock to the people of Abeokuta. Inside the museum where
stored the city’s culturally artefacts.
We had a wonderful sight experience at the rock for about an
hour and thirty minutes. Then our local tour guide announced that it was time
to pay a courtesy visit to Alake and the paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba
Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo in his palace, Ake, Abeokuta.
The paramount ruler happens to be ardent lover of leisure
and had taken the Lisabi festival to international event being sponsored by
both MTN and Globalcom. He has also seen to the establishment of many hotels
and travel agencies to boost tourism in the area.
Today, the Olumo rock has undergone series of innovative
feats as there is elevation to carry visitors to the top if they desired not to
use the stairs. But this is not free as visitors would be expected to pay for
such luxury service. The new feature of Olumo rock now seen as a tourist
complex with new restaurants, shopping centres and a market. All this is
credited to the effort of the ruler to make Egbaland economical viable.
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