Thirty-four years after a devastating flood swept through Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State destroying the popular Agodi Gardens among others, the tourist centre in the heart of the ancient city is gradually coming back to life following a N1 billion redevelopment programme initiated by the Governor Abiola Ajimobi administration. BISI OLADELE reports on the new Agodi Gardens.
It was the place to be in Ibadan in the 70s and 80s to catch your fun and enjoy a family outing. Second only to the popular University of Ibadan Zoological Garden, Agodi Gardens, Ibadan is a city recreational centre that any family or fun-seeking tourist would want to patronise.
Tucked in the heart of the Oyo State capital, the garden is located at the foot of Mokola Hill, backing the State government secretariat, Agodi and the western part of the expansive Agodi Government Reserved Area (GRA) which houses both the seat of the state government, Governor’s Lodge and a prestigious housing estate.
While all these border Agodi Gardens on the eastern part, the recreational centre borders a lake, hilltop Premier Hotel and Cultural Centre on the west. The first teaching hospital in Nigeria, the University College Hospital (UCH) borders the centre on the southern part to give it an elitist and sophisticated environment.
Sprawling on a 35-hectre landed facility, the garden which was established as a biological and relaxation centre to provide recreational as well as educational services for inhabitants and visitors in 1967, lost its glory as a foremost tourist centre, particularly following its destruction by the infamous 1980 flood disaster dubbed Omiyale by locals, that swept through the ancient city.
The flood swept away most of the Gardens’ wild animals, exotic and vintage plants and most importantly its beauty leaving the people with little or nothing to look up to at the centre. Expectedly, tourists have stayed away ever since, especially in the face of little or no government effort to revive the centre. But things are beginning to change thanks to the efforts of the current administration in the state.
Agodi Gardens has witnessed a rebirth from the Governor Abiola Ajimobi-led administration. With an investment of over N500 million from a budgeted N1 billion already sunk into the new Agodi Gardens, fun seekers, lovers of nature and animals will heave a sigh of relief on visiting the redeveloped centre when it hopefully opens to the public next month.
At inception, Agodi Gardens was a reference/meeting point for botanists, zoologists, environmentalists, naturalists and users of herbs in the trado-medicinal trade. It served as a gene pool and biodiversity complex as well as amusement park for both young and old for over two decades before the flood disaster.
“It was initially a forest reserve with thick plantation. But the government later started the animal world known as Agodi Zoological Garden. The biological aspect of it included medicinal plants garden as well as a botanical garden and some rare trees. Only few of such species of trees were left in the country,” said the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Dr Bunmi Babalola.
Successive flood disasters and years of government neglect reduced the centre to nothing but a play ground of dangerous reptiles and such animals, making the task of resuscitation a herculean one for the Ajimobi administration.
On assumption of office, Babalola said:”We saw that face lifting will not work there. To achieve our goal, we had to totally redevelop the garden. To ensure safety of our people there, we employed local hunters to remove all dangerous animals in the lake.”
The garden now boasts of a modern theme park and zoological garden with plan to develop two other phases that will see the growth of a medicinal plants section and a truly modern zoological section.
Explaining government’s big plan for the multi-million Naira recreation centre, the state Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mrs Adetutu Adeyemi-Akhigbe, said: “The Governor Abiola Ajimobi administration established the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Hitherto, they were just departments under Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism. When the ministry was established, we thought it fit that a place like Agodi Gardens should come to this ministry and the proposal was granted by the governor. So, we were able to start this project. We call it Redevelopment and Rehabilitation of Agodi Gardens.
“The project is in three phases. We wanted a theme park, where people can just relax. We believe that it will contribute to the good health of the people and with minimal distortion to the original architecture of the place. At every stage of this project, we are always doing Environmental Assessment Impact (EAI). So, no single tree was removed, if not necessary. There was individual tree tagging. That is why the project is going slowly. That place is like a buffer zone which absorbs extra carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide that contribute to depletion of the ozone layer.
“We made it such that each phase will independently operate on its own. So, the first phase consists of the walkways, swimming pools, water slides, children play ground, see-through fence, parking lot, dredging of the lake and creation of artificial lake, channelisation of the various streams, landscaping, restaurants, toilets and bathrooms, bridges and electrification. Cables have been laid for the entire project in this first phase. There is borehole channelised to the various points.”
The commissioner explained that government’s goal for the first phase is “to create a place in Ibadan that can easily provide leisure, accommodation, relaxation and entertainment for the family in the same place in a healthy environment.”
She emphasized that clean environment, fresh air and access to natural environment mark out the centre, adding that they would improve quality of life of tourists.
Adeyemi-Akhigbe disclosed that about N1 billion was budgeted for the project but that what has been spent so far is already more than half of the amount.
She said: “We projected over N1 billion for the entire project. But as the project was evolving, new ideas were coming up.”
The first phase, which is over 90 percent complete, is expected to be commissioned next month.
The second phase, according to the commissioner, will feature a health farm that will involve partnership with Chinese and Indians who have reached a good stage in herbal medicine. Chalets for lodging and a modern event centre with a different entrance will also be constructed on the garden.
Her words: “In the second phase, we want to have a health farm. This is a natural health farm where they won’t use orthodox drugs. It is a Medicinal plants garden. On this, we want to bring in the Chinese and Indians. They are bringing their own knowledge of these medicinal plants having been on them for years. They have acquired standardization of the products. So, our herbal medical practitioners will benefit immensely from them. They will see how herbal infusion can be brought into orthodox practice.
“It will also feature chalets for lodging. It will also have an event centre. They won’t be coming through the garden. We may also have a small golf course there.”
The third phase, according to the commissioner, will be mainly a zoological garden. “We are thinking of having friendly animals such as tortoise and peacock walking around in the garden to strengthen the natural view of the garden.” She said.
The project is expected to generate about N1 billion yearly as well as create about 1000 direct and indirect jobs when it comes up full swing.
As the flagship of the ministry’s projects, Agodi Gardens is expected to pull most of the tourists and fun seekers in the city and also provide easy access to other such centres in the Oyo state capital. From its central location, the garden is about four kilometres to the historic Captain Bower’s Tower, three kilometers to the University of Ibadan, and two kilometers to the current centre of trading buzz, Heritage/Cocoa Mall. It is also only about one and a half kilometers to the proposed Olubadan palace.
When inaugurated, Agodi Gardens, as a modern resort, will add more glamour and value to the city with its surging population.
