The Akinla of Erin-ijesa in Osun State, Oba (Dr.) Issac Adeyeba Ayeni, Akinla of Erin-Ijesa has decried the neglect of Olumirin waterfalls located in his domain.
He said his domain was being dragged behind in its development owing to the wasting away of what the nature has bestowed upon it.
The monarch however appealed to Osun state government to, as a matter of urgency, invest in the Erin-ijesha waterfalls to make the site an additional source of revenue generation.
Oba Ayeni was speaking with Daily Mail in an interview in his Erin-ijesa palace where he lamented the deplorable state of roads leading to the site, saying the economic values of the natural endowment have not been optimized.
He said, Erin-ijesha, the host of the waterfalls, is an agrarian community with notable agricultural and natural resources waiting to be tapped due to infrastructural deficits.
Oba Isaac Ayeni said government, indigenes and other residents, including tourism stakeholders and business owners stand the chance of benefitting more in the project if well funded and developed to international standard.
He declared his readiness to turn around the fortune of the tourist attraction in collaboration with both local and international investors if the government give the necessary supports.
He emphasised that the only way to bring development to the area is for the government to release the site for him, just as he promised to be paying tax regularly.
Oba Ayeni decried the situation where that residents of the area have to travel to another town for voters registration exercise.
Noting that over 50,000 tourists visit the site yearly, the monarch expressed sadness over the poor state of roads, health centers, police station, and other amenities that could attract visitors.
He said, “when I ascended the throne, I went to the then Governor Rauf Aregbesola in 2016. I asked him to release the waterfall to me. I will manage it, bring investors, and pay tax to the government. He is not disposed to that.
“I have also done the same thing to meet the present governor. Till now, they are the ones managing the waterfall. What they are doing is just collecting gate fees. They are collecting entrance fees without development. My view is that government has no business in running this tourist center. What they need to do is to provide an enabling environment that will attract private investors. What I mean by enabling the environment is to provide good access road, security, the electricity that will attract investors.
“As we speak, the state of the road is very bad. So, if there is no access, how do you attract investors. The government promised to do the 1.5km road at the center to the waterfall, more than four years ago, the road is still waiting for completion. Security is bad. If you go to our police station, you will meet just two policemen. Many times, you will not find them at the station. They might have been recalled for special duties. Tourists will not feel safe in that kind of town. We don’t have a hospital. If you get injured, until they carry you to Ilesa or Osogbo. These are things that government needs to face that will attract foreign investors.”
