What Tourists Will See in Okemesi and Some Towns in Ekiti State – Kayegbo
*Chief Solomon Ogunniyi Morakinyo also known as Kayegbo, is a tourism investor, publisher of Kayegbo International, an event magazine, the Amuludun of Okemesi land and initiating Coordinator, Afe Babalola Beneficiaries Worldwide (ABBW) and Afe Babalola Hall of Fame and History Museum, Hillside, Okemesi, Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria. In this interview, Chief Morakinyo bares his mind on the tourism industry and potentials in Okemesi and Ekiti State in general. Excerpts:-
Can you tell us what will be of interest to tourists in Ekiti State, particularly your town, Okemesi Ekiti?
You need to visit Okemesi Ekiti, the home of intellectuals and tourist haven in Africa. Okemesi is an ancient town in Yoruba land abundance of tapped and untapped tourist and historical sites relating to Ekiti parapo war of liberation (Kiriji war) which happened in Yoruba in the 19th century.
First and foremost tourist centre is Okemesi Tourism Village at hillside, a strategic location, where you can see many towns in Ekiti and Osun States at a far distance including beautiful aerial view of Okemesi community. The hillside has a history.
When Ekiti parapo war of liberation ended in 1886, and the leading Obas in Yoruba land signed peace treaty, it was the hillside now the site of the tourism village that Okemesi warriors used as a sentinel to monitor the movement of enemies from afar and protect Okemesi community for many years. At the site of the war camp is where you will see the Tower of World Legends, Agbonna Hillside Tourist Resort, the Altar of Solution Prayer Centre and Afe Babalola Hall of Fame and History Museum, a beautiful place to be. The place is an exciting spot for excursion, religious activities and social events.
Seeing is believing! Anytime you have engagement in Okemesi or at your leisure, make sure you have a stop-over to experience it first -hand.
Apart from Okemesi tourism village, other historical sites, tourist can visit the ancient and new Owa Ooye palace where you can take pictures with the ancient thrones and art works of over 800 years old.
From the palace, tourists can visit the house of legendary Fabunmi Isola Adesoye, the generalissimo of Ekiti parapo warriors, very close to the palace and his ally Itiola Odeyale also called Oputupata lemu loju ogun at Obalogbo Quarters, Ijana, Okemesi Ekiti.
From there, tourists and History students can move to Oruro stream under Bamboo, where great warrior Fabunmi Okemesi trained his warriors in preparation of Ekiti parapo war in 1877.
Very close to the place is Ehinle Shrine, the spot where incident leading to the Kiriji war occurred in 1877, when Fabunmi led his Ipaye group to tackle Ajeles (Agents) of the then Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Obadoke Latoosa, who was also the Baale of Ibadan, who wanted to dominate all Yorubal towns and villages during his reign.
The Ajeles disrupted the annual festival of Ehinle by attempting to forcefully enter the shrine which is forbidden to non-indigenes but Fabunmi also known as Oraralada with his Ipaye group prevented the abomination. The confrontation snowballed to the conflict that led to Ekiti parapo war in Yoruba land in 1877.
From Ehinle shrine, tourists can visit Ekiti parapo Resort & Museum of War History, the second war museum in Nigeria at Ita Ode now Ita-Balogun. This is the first war camp where Fabunmi hosted Ekiti parapo warriors from all Ekiti land and strategized on how to tackle the warriors of Aare Obadoke Latoosa, who always oppressed Ekiti people in their various communities.
That war camp was where Ekiti parapo warriors moved to the battleground between Imesi-Ile and Igbajo towns both in the present Osun State Nigeria to liberate Ekiti land from the oppressors. Though the war ended with no victor, no vanquished.
Alaafin Adeyemi 1, was the instrument to the settlement as he wrote to the Europeans ruling us then to stop the war. Peace treaty was signed by leading Yoruba Obas and the settlement of the war brought unity and progress to Yoruba land till today.
Very close to the Ekiti parapo museum is Liberation Park which researchers and History students will read on marble, all they need to know about Ekiti parapo war of liberation in the 19th century compiled by Chief Ogunniyi Morakinyo (Kayegbo), the Amuludun of Okemesi Ekiti. It is also available on marble at Afe Babalola Hall of Fame and History Museum, Hillside, Okemesi, Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria
What are other historical sites in Ekiti State?
There is no town in Ekiti State which does not have tourist and historical sites but Federal, States and local governments need to support them financially to develop them to boost economic activities of host communities.
Some of notable tourist and historical sites which tourists can visit now are; Ikogosi warm-spring, Arinta waterfalls in Ipole-Iloro, Efon Alaaye Hills, Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola Mausoleum in Efon Alaaye, Ido-Ile and Erio prayer mountains and Ilawe rocks formation including Omi Erin in Erijiyan.
Others include; ABUAD Planetorium, Ewi’s palace, Fajuyi Memorial Park, Olota and Ayoba hills, Okutagbokuta lori at Okeyinmi, all in Ado Ekiti, others are Olosunta and Oroole in Ikere Ekiti, Ogunnire grove in Ire Ekiti.
We also have Ureje, Ikun and Egbe Dams in Ado, Ikun and Egbe Ekiti. Tourists can also visit some palaces in Ekiti State which include Oore, Ajero, Olojudo, Ogoga, Oloye, Onire, Alara, Olomuo among others.
What support do you want from state and local governments?
Thank you for that question. some roads leading to our tourist and historical sites in Ekiti State are in terrible state and government needs to put heads together and do the needful.
As a tourism investor who has spent millions of Naira to develop your town’s tourism potential, what do you want government to do about this?
If government handled promotion of tourism potentials, successive one may not show any interest in it because it may have its own agenda to pursue. A case study was when the Fayemi administration programme on Ikogosi warm-spring but the following Fayose government discarded it.
Government can give grant to communities that desire to develop their tourism potentials through the traditional rulers who are the custodian of culture in the town. If government can give grant for such development, it will make the money back through revenue in no distant date.
Tourism investors have blueprint that can make him perform better than any other person not associated with the vision.