Category: Northern Report

The general belief is that life on the mountains will be worse than in low undulating plains. But, Senior Correspondent FANEN IHYONGO, who visited the mountains and plateau of Taraba State, writes that mountain tops can also be exciting. 

The scenery is beautiful and splendid. Life in this unusually dazzling territory is beautiful. The environment on the mountains is poles apart from that of the cities that are urbane.

As temperature decreases on the mountains, the weather becomes enduringly cold throughout the day and night.

The greenery assimilates most of the carbon monoxide to produce enough oxygen in the atmosphere that keeps the air unpolluted at all times.

Fresh water spurts out of rocks. Enchanting waterfalls cascade down the mountains covered in fog. There is always potable water for year-round use. The natives believe some of the pools are therapeutic.

The clouds are eye-catching, with rain that falls any time. There is cold even when the sun is intense. At night, the weather becomes chilly, forcing most of the locals to make fire to warm their bodies. That is the kind of life you find on the Taraba Mountains in Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba State.

Household appliances, such as fan, air conditioners and refrigerators, do not catch the fancy of the people. The weather chills drinks and the rooms. The people wear jackets or cardigans most times. They drink hot tea and brandy all the time. They eat roasted beef, known as suya, which is rich in protein, to keep warm.  Such is life on the chain of beautiful mountains. But there are challenges, too.

 

The odds

 The challenges are many for the residents. But there are more than a few impressive and thrilling features on these high attitudes that make them, perhaps, the most attractive tourist destinations in the country.

Gembu and Bang –the coldest place in the country with temperature hardly exceeding 19°C, are where the Taraba Mountains interlock into the Cameroon Mountains.

At Bang, your mobile telephone line, for example MTN Nigeria, changes quickly to MTN Cameroon, same with Airtel and Glo line. Communication is always hampered.

It takes strength and skills to hack the hills for construction of public and residential buildings. Schools exist without football fields for youngsters to practise soccer due to the uneven landscape.

The sky appears as though kissing the land surface. There nature is at its best; and one is free from malaria and other diseases of the hot undulating lowlands. The area is free from tsetse flies; the livestock are aptly the healthiest and fattest in the country. Wild animals, particularly monkeys and squirrels, are often seen crossing roads and attempting to talk to humans. The birds fly and perch, as they chirp melodiously. They appear to be conversant with the locals and quick to identify visitors.

The mountains have long been a sacred habitat for the cultures of the Mambilla, Kaka, Fulani, Panso and Kambu ethnic groups. The natives are generally hospitable. You will love their way of life, including their cultural regalia, songs and dances.

Residents do not need cement to build their homes. Thanks to their sticky brown soil with which strong blocks are produced. They are as effective as cement blocks. A few wealthy residents have livened up the area with posh homes. They have also joined hands to construct a road, just more than a bush path, for motorcycles to pass through.

So, transportation is mostly by motorcycles. Land Rovers of the old century’s models convey people’s goods. For some locals, horses and donkeys are sometimes used to attend major events, including their markets.

One of such old-century Land Rover trucks was seen conveying fuel loaded in big jerry cans. Without a bridge, the truck amazingly crossed the river to continue its journey. A group of young men laid some sticks on the path where the vehicle was conducted to pass. They had to compact the sand of the river bed using their feet to match over it.

“That’s how we do it here,” one youth who identified himself as Usman gleefully said in Fulfulde language. Usman added: “Not every driver can cross these rivers and drive on the mountain top. It requires special skills.”

 

Plateau of splendour

 The Mambilla Plateau is one of the greatest tourist destinations in Africa and has one of the best climatic conditions in Nigeria. Rising to a breathtaking 1,840 meters above sea level, the Mambilla is Nigeria’s most accessible high altitude that also offers the largest and most impressive eco-system sights. The plateau also houses the Chappal Waddi Mountain considered as the highest in Nigeria. It is 2,419 metres above sea level.

The weather, with temperature bellow 25°C, is usually cool and accommodating all year round. The plateau, the highest isolated rock in the country, is the essence of Taraba that made the state to be categorised under ‘Scenic Beauties’ in the country’s States Tourism Classification Map. The plateau is believed to have been under-publicised despite playing host to the World Tourism Day (WTD) celebration on several occasions.

The warm Guinea Savannah climate changes sharply as one begins to ascend the plateau. The atmospheric law of “the higher you go, the cooler it becomes” plays itself out as you climb the mountains. The late Sardauna of  Sokoto once climbed the plateau on foot, quite a long time before former military President Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida gave the contract for the construction of the road from Bali en route Serti to the plateau.

The road on the plateau is a metaphorical serpent, meandering and making the distance incredibly longer than imagined. This is where speed kills and you do not need to be cautioned before applying the brakes. Many are said to have lost their lives on this route when they lost control of the vehicles. Some of the wrecked vehicles are seen along the winding road.

The plateau is located in Sardauna Local Government Area, whose headquarters is Gembu. Gembu is bordered by the Federal Republic of Cameroon and houses over 15 ethnic groups, including foreigners. It is a place that bubbles with life, in defiance to its characteristic steeply sloping topography.

Climbing to the top of this adventurous and richly-endowed plateau on road is more exciting than by air craft. The plateau boasts of enough expedition sites, as its altitude unveils stunning views of the country as one ascends the mountain tops.

Traveling by bus takes an average of six hours from Jalingo, through Garba Chede and Bali en route Serti. As you approach the base of the plateau, you will notice a significant departure from the tropical to cool temperate climate.

The road meanders suddenly so much so that careless drivers are advised to employ the services of locals who are experts and conversant with the terrain. It could be terrific at the stage of ascension but you can become scared by activities of birds, chimpanzees and little mammals on the plateau.

For instance, the sight of antelopes and monkeys can draw one’s attention and one can become more scared looking at the unnerving trenches.

On the plateau’s top, there seems to be a confluence between the earth surfaces and the sky. The weather becomes cooler. There are thatch huts that provide shelter for herdsmen. There are also some hotels that do not provide luxury for tourists.

The fields look beautiful, with evergreen lengthy belts of tea plantations. The “Highland Tea” is the second largest tea plantation in the world after the one in India.  Peas, coffee and strawberry yield well, with other temperate tree species that produce bountiful fruits and flowers.

The plateau is also home to “Pure Honey” which is commonly sold by vendors. In fact, the land is so fertile that many crops, including banana, plantain, pineapple, yellow pepper; kola nut, red and white carrots, cassava, cocoa yam, sweet/Irish potatoes thrive well.

Top of the plateau is inhabited mainly by the Mambilla, Kaka, Fulani, Panso and Kambu, with different cultural heritage. However, Fulfulde (Fulani) language is their common language.

Hand-made crafts are still in vogue. There are traditional artefacts that are over 1, 000 years old that are still being preserved. The area is home to oil palms, ‘Christmas’ trees and other shrubs.

Tourists are impressed by the gallery forests and the grassy scenery on which livestock graze. There are signposts often asking visitors to be friendly to the animals. The enabling weather gives rise to varying breeds of goats, sheep and cattle that produce, perhaps, the most delicious dairy.

 

Historic sites and mythology

 There are some exciting historic sites on Taraba Mountains and the plateau one would love to visit. One of them is the Ndumyaji Cave in Mbamga. There is the rock with a giant footprint of an ancient warrior at Kabri, the rock with a horse mark at Hienary and the historic site of the ancient blacksmith at Killa Yang that has existed for centuries.

There historic rock of the Mbar people is also stunning. The rock looks like a woman and her daughter, but no art work is applied here. It is all natural. There are also some creepy forests on the mountains, such as the Ngel Yaki and Ndum-Yaji Forests. These forests are home to uncommon species of animals, snakes, birds and tree which have attracted researchers from around the world for ‘medicinal tourism’.

Natural water, in its purity, gushes out from the rock all the year round. But it is not meant to be packaged for sale.

Former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, once set up a water bottling company on the plateau but the water ceased its flow. According to local mythology, the water is not for sale.

 

Untapped gold of sleeping giant

 The wealth of these exotic mountains and the plateau such as their minerals, forests, scenic sites and other tourism potential has remained largely untapped. Some foreigners have been exploring the area for possible investment. They are, however, insisting on buying the territory permanently if they must spend their money on this treasure of splendour.

There are many waterfalls including Mayo Selbe which can adequately generate mega watts of electricity worth thrice what the Shiroro and Kaimji dams can together provide. There abound precious stones that could be tapped to shore up the revenue profile of the state.

The plateau’s vast landscape provides a unique space for international golf course that can host international tournaments and generate revenue for the country as alternative source of revenue, aside oil. The weather is so clement for sports development.

Mr. Walter Felhamann, a Swiss tourist who once climbed the Mambilla Plateau said: “Nigeria is a sleeping giant of tourism potential and the Mambilla Plateau is gold untapped.”

Taraba State Governor, Danbaba Suntai, once said: “Taraba State is blessed with rich and vast natural tourism potential which can help it become a world giant in the tourism sector if properly tapped. But the Federal and state governments must provide the needed infrastructure and machinery that would attract investors for exploration and development to diversify Nigeria’s economy.”