OYO STATE: A TOURISM INVESTORS' HAVEN BY AKEEM ADEMOLA IGE
Oyo State is located in the Southern part of Nigeria. Created on February 3rd, 1976. The state covers a total of 27,249 square Kilometres of landmass and made up of 33 Local Government Areas with Ibadan as its capital. Ibadan is the 3rd largest city in Africa.
Oyo State is accessible by road, air and by train and the
next capital city to Lagos which has a
seaport. Oyo State is homogeneous and has a population of about 8.6 million,
comprising the main Yoruba ethnic group.
The state is an inland state in Southwest Nigeria, bounded
in the south by Ogun State, in the North by Kwara State, in the west by partly
Ogun State and Republic of Benin, and in the east, by Osun State.
Oyo State is the gateway state to travellers from Lagos to
the inlet of Northern Nigeria and the Middle belt of Nigeria.
Oyo State is not only
the cultural custodian of the Yoruba race but a paragon of the socio-cultural
value of the Yoruba race.
Everything about Oyo State is tourism, touristic hospitality
and culture.Hence it earns the sobriquet of The Pacesetter State.
Oyo State is the only state in Nigeria that can boast of hosting many novels and first occurrence events, monuments, and heritage such as :
The first Motorised Road in Nigeria - Ibadan - Oyo Road, was constructed in 1906.
The First Tourist Site ever built in Nigeria
- Bowers Towers, Oke Are in Ibadan.
A 60-foot tower that was built in 1936 in honour of Captain
Robert Lister Bower - the first British Resident and Travelling Commissioner in
Nigeria.
This Tower is built on the highest point ( Hill) in Ibadan.
The first
University in Nigeria The University of
Ibadan, Ibadan in 1948.
The first Olympic Size Stadium The Liberty Stadium, now Obafemi Awolowo, Stadium, Ibadan, Oyo State is a football stadium with a capacity of 25,000 seats.
The first University Teaching Hospital - The
University of Ibadan Teaching Hospital, UCH.
The first Dual Carriage Way in Nigeria -
Queens Elizabeth Road, Ibadan.
The first Television Station in Africa - The
first terrestrial television broadcast signals in Africa occurred on Saturday,
October 31, 1959 christened Western
Nigeria Television Service, WNTS, was planted in Ibadan.
And so many other historical heritages, monuments and
centres.
These are just few ones to lend credence to the fact
highlighted earlier that Oyo State is a pathfinder state and hence setting the
pace from time immemorial.
TOURISM INVESTMENT
OPPORTUNITIES.
The tourism potentialities of Oyo State are compelling,
humongous, impressive, huge, monumental, vast, amazing, immense, mostly virgin,
in raw state yearning for enhancement.
It consists of natural, historical, eco-tourism, water
tourism, MICE, educational, geo-tourism heritage, agricultural, culinary,
twins, sports, business, shopping and medical tourism.
NATURAL TOURISM SITES
Iyake Suspended Lake, Ado Awaye
This is the only nature-created suspended lake in the world.
Planted on a hill of over 1600 metres above sea leave.
It is a bottomless lake with 5 other natural wonders around
it.
It is in a raw state of development.
The latest record of visitors in 2022 was put at 4500
tourists.
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| Akeem Ademola Ige writes from Ibadan, Nigeria |
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