Some Nigerians on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, revealed their favourite tourist sites within the country and the reasons they love those sites.
They spoke in separate interviews with NAN in Lagos.
Miss Prisca Ekenimoh, a public servant with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Lagos State Secretariat, said the tourist attraction she loved the most was Obudu Mountain Resort in Cross River.
Ekenimoh said that her love for this site was due to the beautiful scenery, lush green vegetation and lovely ambience as she looked forward to visiting the site again.
She said haven visited tourist attractions like Farin Ruwa Waterfalls in Nasarawa State, Ahwum waterfalls in Enugu, Whispering Palms in Badagry, Nike Lake in Enugu, she still chooses Obudu Mountain Resort as her favourite site.
“I really wish every Nigerian can visit the place just to appreciate how beautiful and blessed our country is.
“The scenery and climate is so unique, It was difficult to believe I was still in Nigeria.
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“One of the major challenges is that of insecurity, also, the government should invest more in these tourist attractions, most of these sites are inaccessible, dilapidated and almost unattractive again,” she said.
Also, Fabrice Bongbarah, a photographer, said his most prefered tourist destination was the Oba’s palace in Benin City, Edo. Bongbarah noted that the palace was well endowed with historical facts of the Benin kingdom and the city had a rich and attractive cultural heritage.
He said the nation was blessed with interesting tourist sites which needed to be properly managed and maintained.
“One of the challenges of tourist sites in Nigeria is that some of our cultural artefacts are not well taken care of, even at the zoo, animals are not taken good care of, the Nigerian government should wake up to its responsibilities,” he said.
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Mr Olubunmi Ojo, Media and Marketing Lead, Zabira Technologies, said he loved to visit Whispering Palms Resort in Badagry, Lagos, along with his wife and children. Ojo noted that at the site, one could enjoy activities like boat rides, sightseeing, gymnastics, view of artworks, sports, animal viewing and more.
He said that Nigerian tourism sites needed to be made more attractive for revellers, advising the government to engage in constant advertising to woo tourists to those sites.
“I love to visit Whispering Palms because it is serene and has a way of making me get relaxed, it is indeed a place to unwind.
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“More lively activities should be introduced in tourist centres so that we can connect and have fun,” he said.
Faith Iya, Chief Executive Officer, Deése plug, a fashion retail store, said she loved to visit the Osun Osogbo Grove in Osun due to her interest in indigenous affairs.
“I love to visit the Osun Osogbo Grove and the Erin Ijesha Waterfall, the steps you have to go through before seeing each waterfall are always fun, climbing the steps can be exhausting but exciting.
“I have been to two waterfalls, Owu waterfall in Ilorin and Ijesha Waterfall. The roads need to be worked on to attract more tourists,” she said.
