Farin Ruwa Waterfalls: Tourist attraction seeking global attention
17 April 2021 |
4:16 am
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed recently visited one of Nigeria’s amazing natural sites – the Farin Ruwa Waterfalls in Nasarawa State.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed recently visited one of Nigeria’s amazing natural sites – the Farin Ruwa Waterfalls in Nasarawa State. The Waterfalls is found in Wamba Local Government Area, about 120 kilometers away from Lafia, the State Capital.
The beauty of the water falls is magnificent and one of its kind due to its towering 450-metre height
Although the water force appears less forceful in dry season, its gushing water during rainy season is so torrential that it could be mistaken for a white smoke.
According to the host state, the white smoke earned it the name, Farin Ruwa, meaning “White Water.”
The Minister led by the Deputy Governor of the State, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe and Commissioner for Works, Philip Dada, was also accompanied by chief executives of Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Fololorunso Coker and National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Nura Kaginwa.
There were two Special Advisers to President Muhammadu Buhari on Culture and Tourism, Mr. Segun Adeniyi and Mr. Williams Adeleye.
The two-day visit allowed the federal and state government an opportunity to brainstorm on how to develop the destination. Although it holds huge potentials for the state, lots are still required to make the product attractive to tourists.
But with the excitement of the host community members who came out to chair the Minister and his men as they took the long walk to the falls, apprehension over likely hostility was assuaged.
At the interactive session, the state governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, stated that the potentials of Farin Ruwa Waterfalls go beyond tourism as it also holds capacity for over 40megawatts of electricity and 40,000 acres of irrigation land for agriculture.
He added that when he visited the destination and discovered that access road was the biggest challenge, the state immediately awarded a N3billion contract for road infrastructure.
According to him, a film village resort is equally in the pipeline at the falls as one of the destinations that could place the state on the world tourism map.
“The government of Nasarawa State believed that to reap the gains of tourism, there is need to develop basic infrastructures in different destinations and sites.”
Typical example is construction of the Sisimbaki-Kwara road and the Farin Ruwa Hydro Electricity project which the state and the federal government are handling together.
“These are targeted at boosting investment in the state with tourism at the front burner”, Gov. Sule stated.
He noted that tourism is one of the key sectors identified for development by the state to diversify its economy. Consequently, the state has identified 15 tourism projects as having prospects for investors.
The governor pledged its readiness to set the enabling environment for willing investors into any of the identified opportunities.
The Minister in his response equally highlighted the huge potentials of Nasarawa State in tourism, stressing that the governor got it right with the realization that the major obstacle to tourism is infrastructure deficit.
“With this road project, the governor has rediscovered the potentials in the site and it will soon become another Nollywood village giving the scenic beauty of the waterfall, the hydro power dam and the beautiful vegetation.
“I have no doubt in my mind that with proper promotion, we will turn it around and make it the hub for film and music producers as well as a resort for holiday makers.
“The vision of the governor to see that tourism is promoted in earnest is laudable because tourism involves many endeavours and provides so many jobs for people”, the Minister stated.
Meanwhile, the Director General, NIHOTOUR has offered to train 13 people from the state (one from each Local Council) as tour guides.
Before the visit to the waterfalls, the Minister was conducted round the state’s cargo airport, which the Commissioner for Works, Mr. Philip Dada, said was about 85 percent completed, having received the maiden aircraft in 2019. The airport has 2.2 kilometer runway.
Dada explained that the airport was aimed at business but there is plan to upgrade it to domestic and international status.
“The airport was conceived to be cargo because of the predominantly agriculture nature of the economy of the state and the solid mineral endowment the state has.
“The thinking was that a cargo airport will enable investors and businessmen evacuate their produce to markets outside the state and also to make it available for other schedules particularly domestic purpose and we are hoping that it will be upgraded in due course for even international schedule.”
At the Waterfalls, the deputy governor announced that the state has plans to turn it to tourists’ haven for all.
“We believe that there are lots of potentials here to be harnessed and sometime last year, on behalf of the Governor I paid a visit to the minister and told him about this falls and he promised to come personally with his crew to promote it.
“We believe that what you have seen is exciting and intriguing and that we need to put resources together to turn it around to a tourists’ haven.
“The Minister having come here will take it up and together, the state and federal government will bring the best out of this place.”
The deputy governor is optimistic that in another five years, the project would have been ready for tourists. But considering the distance from the major road, he expressed the possibility of having helipad to bring in tourists.
“This is also beautiful for Nollywood to take advantage of. We are also planning to have festivals here very soon”, he said.
For Minister Mohammed however, it was imperative for government to invest in infrastructure so that “this wonders of the world will be made available to everyone.”
Emphasizing that the government cannot do it alone, he beckoned on the private sector to invest in building infrastructure around the destination.
“It might be very heavy infrastructure at the beginning but at the end of the day, such infrastructure will be worthwhile.
“I also want to call on the private sector to look at how they can make use of the funds they have for corporate social responsibility on infrastructure such as roads that will lead to this place.
“Nasarawa is not just a state for agriculture but a state with huge potential for mining and I want to call on the big businessmen that are into agriculture and mining. The society will be kind to them if they can plough back some of their profits to open up tourists attractions such as the Farin Ruwa Falls.
“It will not take too much from them and they will make back their money in terms of concession and adverts. It is fair for them to give back something to the community.”
The Minister warned that without infrastructure, such destinations would remain a waste.
He also tasked legislators from the state to invest on the project and be remembered for it, and on behalf of the federal government, the Minister pledged to explore any available funds such as those from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) under the rural tourism to support the project.
“Clearly, what we need now is road infrastructure leading to this place and the private sector should not join the race when we are almost there.
“This is the time to come because from this location, it will be almost impossible to make a day trip, meaning that if you bring your family here, you will likely want to keep the night. Therefore, motels and recreation centres will be very viable here.
“We are all glad we have come and have seen the wonders of the world. In other parts of the world where there are good roads and electricity, this place will be 24-hour alive.
“Unfortunately, from what we have seen, this place is not frequented and that is because of the infrastructure lapse.
“We will do our part from the level of government to international organizations to ensure that we put the Farin Ruwa Waterfalls on the world map”, the Minister said.
Related
Latest
7 mins ago
Ghana's Asante king, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, will receive 28 historic gold ornaments and regalia this weekend, in the latest major restoration of cultural treasures to the West African country. The objects, dating to the 19th century, are symbols of governance, chiefship and royal heritage. Originally crafted by Asante court artisans, they include swords, linguist…
14 mins ago
WaterAid Nigeria has called on Nigeria and other low and middle-income countries to scale up financing in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector by investing a minimum of $15million annually to scale up access to WASH facilities in the country. The Country Director of WaterAid Nigeria Evelyn Mere stated this at a 2-day…
17 mins ago
Leicester winger Abdul Fatawu will miss the rest of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury on Ghana duty. The 20-year-old underwent surgery on Wednesday in a major blow to Leicester's hopes of avoiding relegation from the Premier League. Fatawu had made an impressive start to the season, but his campaign has come…
27 mins ago
Bangladesh's illness-plagued opposition leader Khaleda Zia made her first public appearance in six years on Thursday, months after her release from house arrest following the ouster of long-time foe Sheikh Hasina. The ferocious rivalry between the two former premiers -- born in blood and cemented in prison -- has defined politics in the Muslim-majority nation…
28 mins ago
Nollywood actress Wumi Toriola’s debut cinema production, Queen Lateefah, has smashed records, grossing ₦350 million in just two months. The milestone places the film as the 7th highest-grossing Nollywood title of all time, cementing Toriola’s status as a rising force in the industry. This achievement builds on the movie's strong start when it grossed ₦150…
36 mins ago
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has described as ‘cheap blackmail’ the allegations by Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL) that the Nigerian Navy was frustrating the fight against crude oil theft. The Chairman of TSSNL, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, made the allegation while hosting the National Leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Monday. Reacting…
43 mins ago
The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) has started the tracking of 18 constituency projects valued at N47.3 billion across the three senatorial districts of Ondo State. Mr Andrew Osove, Assistant Chief Superintendent of Investigation in ICPC, Ondo office, made this known while speaking with the newsmen during the monitoring and tracking…
45 mins ago
With a president who owes his success to his mentor-turned-prime minister Ousmane Sonko, Senegal's political situation was unusual even before last weekend's snap parliamentary polls. Now, a projected legislative landslide masterminded by the highly influential and charismatic Sonko has amplified questions over what leadership role he should take in the West African country. Sonko propelled…
47 mins ago
A former Serbian government minister and 11 others were arrested Thursday over the deadly collapse of a train station roof three weeks ago, in which 15 people died. The tragedy in the northern city of Novi Sad has fuelled a wave of anger in the Balkan nation, with many blaming the deaths on rampant corruption…
47 mins ago
The Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), a leading non-profit organization committed to advancing the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities in Nigeria, on Thursday, reiterated the need for targeted digital literacy skills training for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs). It also emphasized its dedication to fostering an inclusive society where digital literacy becomes a key pathway…
×
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.
0 Comments
We will review and take appropriate action.