Situated in the northeastern part of Nigeria, Bauchi State remains a tourism haven. It boasts warm and hospitable weather and over15 memorable destinations that have earned it “the Pearl of Tourism” tag.
The state’s natural endowments are raw and beautiful. It is also blessed with spectacular sights which are awe-inspiring beauty.
The state has a rich historical heritage, such as the ancient Babban Gwani local structure in Kafin Madaki and Ganjuwa local government areas; the first mining Beacon in Nigeria at Tilden Fulani, the Panshanu Stone heaps in Toro Local Government Area, the Geji Rock Paintings in Shira Local Government Area and the Shadawanka Rock Paintings and the famous Tomb of Nigeria’s first and only Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, in Bauchi metropolis.
Home to over six million people, the state hosts about 55 ethnic groups, each with its striking and colourful traditions and festivals.
Festivals, such as the Kyaro War Dance of the Warji ethnic group, the Afizare Dance (Jarawa people), the Takai Dance popular among Hausa-Fulani, the Ngat-Zal Bajar Dance peculiar to the people of Dass, the Lawurba Dance common with the people of Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro, make Bauchi a melting point for traditional and cultural tourism.
The most outstanding of the festivals is the Durbar which has been embraced by the people and is a major aspect of the Sallah celebrations in the state. The Durbar is a display of horsemanship by hundreds of horse men adorned in traditional attires, marching to the drumbeats. There are gun salutes and the blaring of trumpets before a crowd of eager spectators, who are ever happy to pay homage to traditional leaders.
The palaces of the six first-class traditional rulers are a blend of old and modern architecture. The state is also known for its traditional wrestling and boxing contests.
The state is noted for its art and craft which include beautiful embroidered caps and gowns, fibre craft and calabash carvings. It is also good in metal works, pottery, mat-weaving and leather works. Most importantly, Bauchi is endowed with natural ecosystems in the Lame-Burra Game Reserve that hosts a variety of wildlife.
These reserves are home to rare species of birds, monkeys and other wild animals. The Lame Burra was proposed as a Game Reserve in 1978 to boost tourism. But several years after, its treasure and natural resources are yet to be exploited.
Interestingly, what is regarded as Africa’s biggest game reserve, the Yankari Games Reserve, is strategically located in Bauchi State. Yankari is, undoubtedly, the most developed wildlife park in Nigeria. It has a variety of fauna and flora and attracts visitors from across the globe annually.
The Yankari Games Reserve, which has become inseparable from the famous and popular natural Wikki Warm Spring, is a large wildlife park in Alkaleri Local Government Area. It covers an area of almost 2,244 square kilometres.
Its location in the heartland of West African Savannah makes it a unique destination for tourists, holiday-makers and seekers of a few hours of fun watching wildlife in their natural habitat.
Investigations revealed that the reserve, founded in the 1950s, habours over 69 indigenous wildlife, including baboons, monkeys, warthogs, hippopotamuses, lions, elephants and leopards.
Others are buffalos, gannet, roan antelopes, bubal, hartebeest and spotted hyenas in addition to African hunting dogs, cheetahs, western kobs, gazelles, water-bucks, grimm’s duckers, oribi and duckers. It’s home to more than 350 species of indigenous birds, 26 species of fish, seven amphibians and 17 species of reptiles. It is the most popular destination for tourists in Nigeria and plays a crucial role in the development and promotion of eco-tourism.
Birth of Yankari Game Reserve
The history of Yankari Game Reserve dates back to 1934, when the Northern Regional Committee recommended to the Executive Council to set up a pilot game reserve in the Bauchi Emirate. It was the idea of Alhaji Muhammadu Ngeleruma, a minister in the then Northern Nigerian Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
By 1956, the Northern Regional Government approved the plan for the creation of a ‘’Game Preservation Area and Yankari was readily identified as a region where large numbers of animals existed and could be protected. To this end, Sogame Preservation Area was carved out and constituted as the Bauchi Native Authority Forest Reserve.
Available records showed that it became a premiere games reserve and was opened to the public in December 1962 under the Northeastern Regional Government. It was later transferred to the Bauchi State Government. A visit to the place reveal an open country and village-like scene. Though there has been no known human settlement in the park, there is, however, evidence of earlier human habitation in the park which includes iron smelting sites and caves.
Tourists’ inflow to the facility
Records showed that in 2000, over 20,000 tourists from about 100 countries visited the facility, making it the most popular destination in Nigeria. The place became dilapidated which resulted in low patronage.
The state government added about 300 animals of six species from Namibia to the existing ones. They included giraffe, eland, kudu, impala and zebra which were donated by the Namibian government. They are kept in an eight-square kilometre Sumu Wildlife Park.
As the world explores the use of eco-tourism as a vehicle for sustainable development, the state government is determined to transform its fortunes by investing about N12 billion in the facility.
Governor Isa Yuguda said recently that the focus was to make Yankari the most-sought-after tourists’ destination where people will appreciate its hospitality and tourism potential.
Since 2006, the facility has been rehabilitated and developed to meet international standard.
The reserve’s museum serves as a conservation and educational centre, displaying hunting gears and traps used by poachers. But to fast-track the transformation of the facility into money-spinning eco-tourism centre, the government is upgrading its infrastructure which includes Wikki Warm Spring that pumps 21,000 litres of water.
Besides the above recreational facilities, there are historical human adventures at the park, especially inside the Marshall Caves. Our correspondent gathered that Mallam Ahmadu Makama, a retired Chief Park Ranger, first discovered these caves in the shallow forest of Yankari in sandstone escarpments over 52 years ago. They are located at Borkono gorge, seven kilometres northeast of Wikki Camp.
The caves are home to 59 dwellings marked with defined rock paintings and engraved figures according to families. Each of the caves has an average of 0.5 metres diameter entrance, 2.5-metre diameter chamber and a roof height of 1.5 metres and is interconnected. Researchers believe they were refugee camps used by ancient people as shelter during the slave trade and wars between the 14th and 17th centuries.
There are also historical monument of Shau-Shau iron smelting works located 45 kilometres into the Yankari Forest, measuring 250 square metres and used by ancient tribes as a local iron smelting factory. The iron smelting area which has over 60 standing shaft furnaces is believed to be the largest historical industrial complex of its time in the West African sub-region.
The over 139 wells, also have interconnecting shafts surrounding the settlements and the wells are said to have been used as resting places by the trans-Atlantic slave traders. The Duguri Hill within the reserve enables tourists to have a bird’s view of the park. The Kanyo Hill, east of Marshall Caves, is a beautiful picnic ground that provides good view of the wildlife forest while a big cave of 10 metres wide provides a popular camp at the Paliyaram Hill.
Security in the park
Despite insecurity challenges in the country, especially across the Northeast geo-political zone, Yankari Games Reserve has remained peaceful. This is because Yuguda is committed to securing the entire state, even as he is transforming the reserve into a money-spinning eco-tourism venture through private partnership participation.
He believes that Yankari Games Reserve and Resort project, to be unveiled soon, will re-launch the state and Nigeria into the international tourist destinations scene.
