Old Oyo National Park is one of Nigeria’s national parks located across northern Oyo State and southern Kwara State. Some of the nearest cities and towns close to Old Oyo National Park are Sepeteri, Saki, Tede,Iseyin, Igboho and Igbeti which are richly blessed with their own commercial and cultural attractions. The park is made up of scattered hills, ridges and rock which are suitable for mountaineering activities. The Ikere Gorge Dam on the Ogun River provides water recreation facilities for tourists, the southern part of the part is made up of an abundant of wildlife; lions, roan antelope, crested porcupine, patas monkey, tantalus monkey, western kob, anbis baboon, buffalo, gaboon viper, spotted hyena, crocodile, bushbuck and several others.
No doubt, the old Oyo National Park derived its name from the ruins of Oyo-Ile, the ancient political kingdom of Oyo Empire. But beyond the historical and cultural themes, the park harbours high forest and dense savannah mosaics woodland that characterised the ecosystem and also offer best of relaxation and sightseeing for the adventure and leisure minded.
The park is the only National Park in Nigeria with a world heritage site status, and the reasons are obvious. The historical nature of the Park as home to the ruins of the famous old Oyo Empire in the 17th and 18th centuries is a great insight, the empire harbours two great forest reserve in Oke Ogun and Oyo-Ile areas, which were upgraded to a National Park. The concept is to preserve the historical relics of old Oyo Empire and connect it to the great culture of the people around the area.
Yet, it seems much is not heard of the Park among top tourism destinations across the country. Ibrahim Goni, the conservator of the Park, says that is in the past, as the conservation has now won the battle of acceptability and recognition, especially stakeholders. “The issue is that most people are yet to be fully aware of what we are doing and what we stand for. We are addressing these issues gradually due to the huge funds needed to embark on full blown publicity. The sustainable use of our earth resources has gained ground in view of new experiences in the environment and the challenges of national development. I believe conservation is winning the battle,” Goni explains.
Essentially, culture and history of the people, according to Goni, are married intricately in the Park to give it a picture of leisure and recreation.
Yet, the animal resources which enjoy 24 hours protection include kobs, baboon, red monkey, roan antelope, bush buck, red or green ioribe, daiker and of late, we have sighted water bucks here. Akoto Range in Sepeteri village is home to our visitor facilities, which is the hub of our eco-tourism activities. These and others, make us unique and sought after.
As much as the conservation is unique, it also faces challenges such as poaching, illegal grazing, entry and settlement within the Park that combine to make the conservation job difficult. “Also, we notice the pollution of water bodies within our catchment areas. But we are doing all we can to solve them because that is why we are here in the first place,” he says.
While critics of protected areas in Nigeria such as the park lament that benefits of conservation are not readily seen, Goni understands such opinions and apprehensions, and thus explains: “Conservation efforts, especially the sustainable use of earth resources, may pose a challenge for people in a hurry. However, the jobs created by our operations are enormous. We also open up new economic opportunities for people and the communities where we hold sway through sales in art and crafts to tourists and visitors. We assist in trade promotion in agriculture and empowering the people through vocational trading. We drive a co-operative for women at Ikoyi-Ile range close to Ogbomosho.
“After training at the vocational centre, we provide loan of about N50,000 for them to engage in productive activities such craft centres, cassava processing and garri business. Our rural development efforts in road rehabilitation, provision of clinics and local schools are some benefits to the people.”
He notes that the impacts of the conservation efforts are also seen in the progressive environment and forest management with the highest amount of rain recorded in areas where the park is located. “That is why high agricultural yields around farms in our support zone communities do not need fertilisers to grow crops here.
The temperature in Sepeteri for instance is different from that of Oyo town due to the forest environment, which absorbs carbon emissions, providing a cover that mitigates sickness and diseases,” he explains further.
For him, forest management is an act of warfare because economic survival is fought in the forests, and that probably informs why the military wears green uniforms in order to blend with the forest environment. “Globally, the forest guide or ranger has to be properly armed, uniformed and disciplined. The president approval has brought our operations to global expectation and standard in protected area(s) management and which is a significant transformation,” he says.
So far, the recent paramilitary status given to the conservation is a welcome development to its staff, operations and a major deter to those with greedy eyes to loot earth resources.
As the conservation bounces back in full scale and in anticipation of tourist movement to the Park, the conservator of the old Oyo Park urges visitors to come to Sepeteri to see what is on ground. On offer at the conservation are: Olympic size swimming pool, chalets of acceptable standards, the spectacular Sepeteri that can be compare with the Mara village in Kenya.
But one thing he wishes is for the culture community in Sepeteri to inaugurate a small culture outfit to reinvent in dance and drama, the history of the founders of Sepeteri, which he believes must be captured in the tourism map of Nigeria.
Going by the cordial relationship between the conservation and the traditional rulers in the area, especially the Alafin that wards off the hunters, poachers and villagers from encroachment, the conservator says the relationship is been furthered.
In that light, Tanko Abubakar, the conservator general of the Federation, has secured the approval of the National Assembly on the proposed documentation of 22 historical sites abandoned at Oyo-Ile such as the old Alafin palace (Afin), Eksan Market Square, Agbaku Cave, the defence wall round the Empire which helped ward off the invading Nupe warriors, the Baraa Tomb where late Alafin of that era was buried, the Meijiro grounding site, a rock that serves as databank for recording significant events and developments during that period.
Others include: the Songo Shrine, the Koso. These and others, according to Goni, in the pipeline, are historical templates that would drive the relationship between the Park and the Alafin, so that at the end, those who need study the history of Yoruba culture can make their way to the conservation Park.
Credit: OBINNA EMELIKE
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