Tourism
Imeko: A Neglected Ancient Town With Rich History.
IN 1891, what is known as Yewaland in Ogun State today cut across every section where Yewa river starts, into the lagoon: that is, from Imeko District down to Idogo in Ilaro area, and from Idogo to Ado to Badagry into the lagoon. From Badagry down to Imeko and up to Oke Ile, Ijio, Oyo State was called the Western District of Lagos Colony or Meko District: that is the macro Meko District with Meko as the administrative headquarters, between 1891 and 1905.
In 1906, the first amalgamation of the Southern part of Nigeria came up: the colony of Lagos; the Western District of Lagos Colony; the Western Protectorate (that’s the remaining part of the Yorubaland); the Niger Delta Protectorate and the Eastern Protectorate were merged together to form the Southern Colony of Nigeria, which later became the Southern Protectorate of Nigeria.
This was divided into three provinces: Western, Central and Eastern. The Western Province which was the whole Yorubaland was divided into 11 and a half: Lagos, Epe, Ikorodu, Badagry, Ijebu Ode, Meko, Egba, Ilesa, Ondo, Oyo, Ibadan and Osogbo Sub-District. That is the ordinance and the gazzet. This is the medium Meko District.
There was another restructuting in 1914: the amalgamation to form Nigeria, thereby having Southern and Northern Protectorate. The new restructuring came with the issue of division, and the early provinces were re-divided, thereby having the Western Province which was earlier divided into 11 and a half as: Abeokuta, Ijebu Ode, Ondo, Oyo and Ibadan, with Lagos as the capital. Divisions were thereafter created.
In Abeokuta Province, Meko (that had been the headquarters of a district), Egba and Badagry districts (which was removed from the old Badagry District with some other towns there to join Lagos) and the remaining part of Badagry District (Ado Odo, Ilaro, Ipokia and Ayetoro) were merged and called Meko Division.
At a point, the Colonial Masters had a meeting at Joga to restructure and develop the divisions. At the meeting, because the Onimeko’s stool was highly revered and powerful, it was expected that after the European leaders had spoken, the Onimeko should make his submissions, however, the then Onimeko, One Durodolu Oyesusi (Akanku I), had joined his ansestors, hence a vacuum. Meanwhile, the Imeko people had told the Europeans that they had chosen one of the children of Oba Oyesusi as the monarch, but he was absent at the meeting. As a result, the Olu Ilaro at that time, then spoke on behalf of the Obas in the land.
The Olu Ilaro in his speech then asked for all the landmark institutions that were peculiar to Imeko around the area, apart from Badagry, such as district court; police quarters; prison yard; custom (the custom headquarters now at Idi Iroko was moved from Imeko in 1909); telegraph (Ijebu Ode, Shagamu, Abeokuta and Imeko were the only towns that had telegraph then), and the British Cotton Growers Association headquarters (because the soil of Imeko was said to be second to none in the world in growing cotton). When division was created in 1914, the headquarters was moved from Imeko to Ilaro.
The division was again divided into 11 district, which still maintained Meko as a district (which became the micro Meko). The district included: Meko, Ajilete, Ajilete Oke-Odan, Igbesa, Ilaro, Ayetoro, Ipokia and Ado Odo district, among others.
And that marked the beginning of neglect regression of the once great Imeko! The town, which was well reckoned with by the great Britain (as the Onimeko and his chiefs were being updated by any development in the Great Britain, as such, when the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Irelandand of Hanover, George Augustus Frederick, George IV, died June 26th 1830 and when George Frederick Ernest Albert, George V, was to be installed June 22nd, 1911, the Onimeko and his chiefs were informed respectively), could be said to now live in the shadow of itself!
The regression was further propelled by the Onimeko, Oba Adegbola, who succeeded Oba Oyesusi. Oba Adegbola wasn’t friendly with the Europeans. It took the involvement of Seriki Abass from Badagry to successfully dethron Oba Adegbola.
In the 1940s, the first secondary school was to be established in Imeko, because there had been a primary school, Westliern Mission Infantry Class and Primary Class, in the town since 1900, it was diverted to Ogbe in Abeokuta.
As if Imeko had not suffered retrogradion enough, the advent of politics later made Imeko’s oblivion became deeper with the Action Group and National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), as the town was in the opposition party. As a result, the Action Group made all the heads of the villages (Baales) under Imeko substantial kings. And due to the low level of western education literacy of the then Onimeko, the Baale-made-kings could claims some of the belongings of Imeko, which thus created series of issues for the present Onimeko, His Royal Majesty, Oba Benjamin Oyeditan Olanite (Akanku IV).
It is of note that the Akanku I and his chiefs left three forest reserves in August 25th, 1908 which were recorded in the gazzet: Meko one forest reserve, called Omododosi; Meko two forest reserve, Abafon; Meko three forest reserve, Oha. While the son of Oba Durodolu, Oba Okunade Durosinmi Oyekan (Akanku II) became king in 1926 and also left a forest reserve, Forest Reserve Extension.
In 1938 all the heads of the villages under Imeko who have been crowned kings were mandated to pay tributary tax to the Onimeko being their heads.
Even during the creation of local government issues in the 1930s, whereby the old Egbado North and South were created, Meko was not considered as a local government, until 1996 when Imeko/Afon local government was created. It is of note that Afon was a village under Imeko then.
According to the population results, released by the Europeans in 1909, Imeko was 5,000; Idofa 600; Ijohun 400 and Ijale-Ketu was 300, while results considered all others towns as “ordinary villages.”
Oba Olanite whle in a chat with journalists in his house in Imeko, recently said: “There were lots of anomalies against Imeko. For instance, due to lack of records, when states were being created, yet another land that belong to Imeko, Waasimi, was claimed for Oyo State. Not quit long when the Alake of Egba, Oba Adedotun Aremu (Gbadebo III) saw the gazzet with me, he was surprised and exclaimed: ‘How come the then mighty Imeko now this backward!'”
The monarch expressed concerns that “all the villages that was made town because we were in the opposition now have four wards, two wards respectively, while Imeko has just one ward. Imeko did have four political wards according to the quarters of the town: Imeko Oke-Ola, Imeko Isale; Imeko Batugbo and Imeko Mayehun.”
Tourism attractions:
According to the Oba Olanite, the landscape of the historical Imeko town is dotted with enviable tourism assets, explaining that the town itself is a tourist attraction, being a town that enjoyed huge European patronage, with great history, and its special soil which is second to none in cotton plantation, among others.
Other tourist sites in the town include: Oke Amule, where people hide during the Franco-Dahomean War between 1892 and January 1894; the tomb of the founder of Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Rev. Samuel Biléhou Joseph Oshoffa; tomb of a foreign Traveling Commissioner, Captain Vere De Creghiton, who died of maleria in 1899 (where Nigerian Armies always pay him homage every year); Osuru Streem Water (was a water fall before the rock collapsed); Osunle, which the state government promised to develop since 20 years ago; Ogunndoko; Ogbun Aseere; Iyabe Jerry Turnel, which has layers and steps into a path that leads to Igbaleaye in Benin Republics; Erinfu Waters; and Aroketu, just to mention a few.
“The Meko forest reserves were to be made game reserves, but they have become criminals haven due to government’s neglect. People from Republic of Benin are just freely entering the forest reserves now and destroying things.
“Imeko is the pilgrimage centre for members of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC). The church holds two major events in the town every year, yet the road that leads to Imeko is so narrow and a large part of it is bad.
“Being a boarder community, all the federal security agencies are present here and the Customs make good revenue for the government herein, yet we have been so neglected as though we are not part of the country.
“As a boarder community, closer to Benin Republic, but without any security headquarters, the town has become a sure escape route for miscreants,” Oba Olanite disclosed.
The Onimeko while decrying the neglect of government, both at the state and the federal levels, among the 11 and a half headquarters the Europeans formed far prior independence, said the town was at par with Ijebu, Egba and Abeokuta.
Imeko, according to Oba Olanite, described the towns where federal high court should be located enjoined the state and the federal government to come to the aid of the community. We don’t have tertiary institutions, neither do we have technical education institutions.
“Imeko has great potentials of being the pride of Nigeria if well attended, even if just at the pace of development with the towns it used to rank with.
“We have land. We once gave 4,000 acres of land given to the then Western Region government, now taken over by Oodua Group of Company. We have had series of meetings with the Group Managing Director, and he promised to come and do something about it, but the promise has remained rhetorical.
“Our land is the best for cotton, tomatoes and maize plantation, while our people, who are predominantly farmers, are willing to explore these, if only they would be encouraged and mobilised by the government. And this, has a huge potential of turning around the economy of not only Ogun State, but Nigeria at large.
“It was during the late General Sani Abacha government, with President Muhammadu Buhari as the Chairman, Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) that the two federal roads, which are the only good roads we have, was done.
“Ogun State still has another 232 acres of land, which the government earmarked for Leadership Development Institutions since late 1970s, nothing has been done on it. The state still has land for housing corporation since 1976, yet, nothing is done with the land,” Oba Olanite submitted.
In a recent ranking by British media and hospitality company – Time Out, Lagos has secured the 19th spot as one of the best cities to visit globally.
The rankings, based on a survey of over 20,000 city dwellers worldwide and insights from Time Out’s editorial network, highlight the diverse appeal of cities around the globe.
New York City claimed the top spot, while Cape Town in South Africa secured the second position among the 50 cities listed.
Time Out’s evaluation considered various criteria such as food quality and affordability, cultural offerings, nightlife, the overall atmosphere of the city, community vibes, access to green spaces, historic sites, and more.
Claiming the 19th position, Lagos outshone cities like Melbourne, Australia; Naples, Italy; Singapore; Miami, US; Dubai, UAE; Beijing, China; and Montreal, Canada, among others in Time Out’s global rankings.
This comprehensive list not only showcases cities that are great tourist destinations but also emphasises their suitability for living.
Time Out encourages global citizens to explore Lagos, describing it as Africa’s most populous city with something for everyone, whether one is a staunch mainlander or from Lekki. The praise extends to Posh Victoria Island, which continues to captivate visitors with its blend of swanky resorts, culinary delights, and vibrant nightlife.
“Lekki is for the brunchers – make Maple Lagos your first stop. On the mainland, Kuti’s Bistro in Ikeja, owned by the legendary afrobeat family, serves up reliably delicious food and hosts parties, karaoke, and games nights.
“And then there are the beaches – hit up Oniru Beach for some fun in the sun, but be sure to bring naira for this private beach. For those who live for the night, Hard Rock Cafe Lagos provides a massive indoor-outdoor playground with top artists including DJ Obi (‘Obi’s House’ on Mondays), who set a Guinness World Record in 2016 for a 240-hour marathon set.”
See full list below:
The World’s 20 Best Cities In 2024
New York City
Cape Town, South Africa
Berlin, Germany
London, U.K.
Madrid, Spain
Mexico City, Mexico
Liverpool, U.K.
Tokyo, Japan
Rome, Italy
Porto, Portugal
Paris, France
Mumbai, India
Lisbon, Portugal
Chicago
Manchester, U.K.
São Paulo, Brazil
Los Angeles
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Lagos
Melbourne, Australia
The Guild of Tourism Journalists in Nigeria (GTJ) has congratulated Barrister Wale Ojo-Lanre on his recent appointment as the Director-General of the Ekiti State Tourism Development Bureau by Governor Abiodun Oyebanji.
Wale Ojo-Lanre’s appointment, officially announced just last week, comes after his dedicated service as the Special Assistant to the former Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, with a focus on Tourism Development.
Ojo-Lanre, an extensively traveled and seasoned tourism journalist, not only excels in his profession but also proudly holds membership within the association that collaborates with several states, the Federal Government and private enterprises to promote tourism in their respective regions.
In an official press statement, signed by Mr. Oladoye Oluremi, the Organising Secretary of the Association, the Guild of Tourism Journalists expressed full confidence that Ambassador Wale Ojo-Lanre’s appointment will act as a catalyst for advancing tourism development in Ekiti State, opening doors to numerous opportunities for the region.
The association extended gratitude to Governor Biodun Oyebanjo for recognising Ojo-Lanre’s qualifications for this pivotal role and entrusting him with this crucial responsibility.
They hold unwavering trust in Ojo-Lanre’s ability to excel in this significant position.
Also, the Guild of Tourism Journalists reaffirms its steadfast commitment to nurturing and promoting domestic tourism in Nigeria.
They pledge to work closely with Ekiti State and other regions, strategically increasing visitor numbers to their localities by highlighting heritage sites and other enticing attractions.
The association’s dedication to the development of Nigeria’s tourism sector remains unwavering.
For the third year on the bounce, there will be no summer travel overseas for average holidaymakers in the country. No thanks to the prevailing foreign exchange liquidity crisis that has further raised airfares by at least 200 per cent and average Economy Class tickets above the N1 million-mark.
Findings show that foreign airlines are just as hard-pressed by harsh economic realities as their Nigerian customers that have been looking forward to the season. Quite a number of airlines that had earlier positioned capacity in readiness for the summer peak period are now deploying backend-pricing mechanisms to weather the effects of the forex crisis, invariably passing the cost to consumers.
• Foreign airlines ditch lowest fares, adjust exchange rate to hedge devaluation shocks
• Average travellers lament weak naira to dollar rates, fares
• ‘Demand still resilient’, top travel agencies say
Travel agencies were not unanimous on the extent of attendant dip in demand among average travellers. Undisputed, however, was the upward movement in fares, yet with resilience in patronage, especially among die-hard holidaymakers that would not mind surging costs.
Emerging from two years of pandemic disruptions, the world is fully reopening to summer travels this year. Besides the chaotic scenes at major airports in Europe and America over staff shortages, there is another disincentive for summer travellers in Nigeria – high airfare.
The Guardian survey of booking platforms of major airlines showed a major spike in available tickets to European, United States and Canadian routes among other holiday destinations. On the platforms are the traditional least airfares quoted, though not available for purchase.
Consequently, a Lagos-London-Lagos Economy Class ticket that earlier sold for an average of N350, 000 on platforms of European carriers is now available at higher layers of N1.1 million-plus. Early June 2022, the same tickets were sold for an average of N600, 000 and N650, 000 as at this time last year. Their Business Class variants, where available, were quoted for between N3.5 million to N4.8 million per seat, depending on the airline of choice and time of inquiry.
Lagos-Atlanta-Lagos Economy Class ticket was offered for between N500, 000 to N850, 000 as at June. It now sells for N1.3 million-plus where available. The Business Class fares hover between N3.6 to N5 million per person.
African and some middle-east carriers are offering fairly affordable deals for leisure travellers that would not mind hours of layover at transit airports. On their platforms are an average of N750, 000 fares to major destinations in the Middle-east and Europe.
Some air travellers have described the foregoing quotations as ‘ridiculous’. Abuja-based systems engineer and travel freak, Hameed Ailero, said air travel had gone beyond the middle class earners in Nigeria going by the rates airlines are offering tickets.
Ailero, who also traded-off summer travel last year due to high cost, said the Nigerian authorities should query the foreign airlines for “the discriminatory airfare.”
“For me, that is ridiculous and typical of countries where there are no consumer protection measures. Aviation is supposed to be the business of freedom where almost everybody should be able to fly. But how does one explain a six-hour return ticket that now goes for N1 million and in a country where minimum wage is N30, 000? How many people can afford that? That is what I mean by discrimination against average Nigerians, by both the airlines and complicit regulators.
“In June, when I was planning for a holiday trip, I got a quotation of about N680, 000 to London. Because I was calculating for a family of seven, I felt it was too much. Barely a week later, the rates jumped to over N900, 000. Such leaps in price should be questioned by a government that cares. It does not sound good even for our economy. Whatever could have caused the leap, it is sheer discriminatory against the travelling public,” Ailero said.
Another traveller that would be missing the summer party abroad, Yemisi Ogunleye, said she was banking on summer promo fares on two of the foreign carriers. “I have been travelling for summer holidays for about nine years before the pandemic, and had always got fairly good tickets. This time around, the more I hunt for promo fares, the higher the tickets keep going.
“This N1 million ticket to the UK sounds like a joke to me. Unfortunately, it is not the airlines’ fault. They know that there are categories of people that will still afford it. But if the country is better secured and people can move around on holidays, why should I bother about foreign airlines’ flight tickets?”
Publicity Secretary of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies, Yinka Ladipo, however, said that the airlines did not increase the airfares, but for the rate of exchange that rapidly spiked for reasons not unconnected with decline in the value of the naira and airlines’ funds currently stuck in Nigeria.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), the clearing house for over 280 airlines globally, recently raised the alarm over a rise in the amount of unrepatriated funds in Nigeria, put at $450 million as at April this year.
Findings showed that the stuck fund, from accumulated sales of flight tickets in local currencies, was in excess of $800 million in November 2021. It was brought down to about $283 million as at March this year, but further increased to $450 million in May, and is estimated to have reached almost $600 million in June.
In that circumstance, foreign airlines had adjusted its perpetually fluctuating Rate of Exchange (RoE) from N411 to as high as N450-plus per dollar, raising airfares some notches to mitigate losses of having funds tied down in a volatile economy.
Ladipo, a travel expert at Dart Travels and Tour, added that the foreign airlines have also blocked layers of affordable airfares for the Nigerian travelling public. “On the platforms, you will, for instance, see fares of N300,000 for London, but it is not available, except for those of N650,000 upward. It is really tough on everybody,” he said.
Chairman of the Airline Passenger Joint Committee of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Bankole Bernard, added that Nigeria was reaping the dividend of its failure to accord priority to foreign airlines and their cash-calls.
Bernard explained that airlines made monies either by volume or by yield. “Volume is when they sell their cheap tickets so that a lot of people will be able to travel because they are given access to cheap fares. In the absence of volume, they turn to yield and the money they are supposed to make from five people, they will make it from one person and deny the other four that want to travel. So, the airlines did not increase the fares, they only removed the cheap ones for the expensive ones.”
Bernard, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Finchglow Holdings, added that people, especially the well-off Nigerians, are still braving the odds to travel, though with a tweak in choices of destinations and budget size.
“There are people that will do everything possible to travel because movement has become inevitable. The only difference is that instead of two or three destinations on a summer trip, they will do either two or one. So, the market is booming for summer travel, though people are paying through their nose,” he said.
President of Skal Nigeria, Daisi Olotu, affirmed that without government making allowances for the travelling public, airfares have become cut-throat and even Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) are not readily accessible at the banks.
“Should we then blame the airlines if they insist that they want to sell in dollars? We can’t blame them, but the cost will eventually be passed down to the travellers. Yet travelling is part of education.
“The entire world is moving while we have decided to remain on self-imposed lockdown. That is unfortunate. Yes people are still breaking their banks to travel, but the industry has not grown the way it should and the authorities should be worried,” Olotu said.
IATA’s Regional Vice-President, Africa, and the Middle East, Kamil Al-Awadhi, had described efforts to persuade the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to reduce the backlog as “a hectic ride”.
Al-Awadhi, however, warned that countries with foreign airlines’ trapped funds are sure to have airfares that are three times higher than global rates, to enable airlines to make profit from one leg of the trip instead of on return.
“It is sad that Nigeria owes the bulk of the entire blocked funds. This is very unacceptable. We heard that there is a shortage of dollars. Airlines are scrambling to get more flights to Nigeria. Nigerian travellers are willing to pay for it. But the trapped fund is not helping the airlines and not helping other Nigerians to travel. The prices are ridiculously expensive, more than twice the price. We urgently need the funds for more work,” Al-Awadhi said.
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