A LETTER FROM YANKARI

A COUNTRY OF ONLY ‘POTENTIAL’: Any discussion of Nigeria by Nigerians at home or in the Diaspora always revolves around the word ‘potential’ – that Nigeria could be this great or that developed or the other, if only…Such is the story of Yankari. (And also Obudu, on which I wrote back in December 2009, and […]

A COUNTRY OF ONLY ‘POTENTIAL’: Any discussion of Nigeria by Nigerians at home or in the Diaspora always revolves around the word ‘potential’ – that Nigeria could be this great or that developed or the other, if only…Such is the story of Yankari. (And also Obudu, on which I wrote back in December 2009, and Tinapa, both in Cross River State). We were at Yankari when surely most of our legislators, executives and judicial officers are on summer holiday in Dubai and Europe and Malaysia. The people who should make Yankari and Obudu worth their names prefer to jet out to other countries. With your money, no less. In their absence, my children and I had almost exclusive use of Yankari for the few days we were there, though we had company of student groups, especially the boisterous Faculty of Science students of Federal College of Education (FCE) Kano.

SOME FACTS ABOUT YANKARI: The Yankari National Park (according to yankarigamereserve.com, a site which, apparently, is up for sale) is the premier game reserve in Nigeria. Yankari Park and Wikki Warm Spring are located 110 kilometres southeast of Bauchi. The beauty and size of the Yankari Game Reserve make it the most pop¬ular reserve in Nigeria. Set up in 1956 and opened to the public in 1962, the main game-viewing areas of the reserve are open all year round. The reserve covers more than 2,000 square kilometres of savannah woodland and is well-stocked with elephants, baboons, waterbucks, bushbucks, crocodiles, hippopotami, antelopes, buffalos and various types of monkeys and a large variety of birds. Lions are occasionally spotted as well, despite their natural cam¬ouflage. The best time to visit is between November and May, when tourists are likely to see more game since the dense vegetation has dried out and the animals congregate around the rivers.

THEN THE WIKKI WARM SPRING: The spring really fits the name – warm. It is constant at 31 degrees Celsius all year round. This body of water, the Wikki Warm Spring, is indeed one of the best features of the reserve. Flood-lit at night, it is wonderful after a hot day’s game-viewing to relax in the warm water. The spring gushes out from under a cliff, where the water is at least 6 feet deep, with a bathing area that extends for 600 feet to an open area. (One wonders whatever happened to Yankari Spring Water, bottled at source in the area about a quarter of a century ago. Wondering out loud, perhaps that bottled water ‘died’ because our leaders prefer French Evian or German Sparwasser, rather than Yankari.)

BEWARE THE ‘AREA BOYS’: Yankari Game Reserve has its own Area Boys, uniquely suited. And these are the baboons. All over the Park, there are warnings about these mammals that seem to think they are so related to us they can take advantage. They can rob you in broad daylight, those Area Boys. In my presence, a group of baboons went up a car, pushed its side glass down, entered it and ran off with a loaf of bread. Pursued by car owner and even warthogs, the monkeys jumped up and down the trees and vanished. We were later to see them enjoying the fruit of their ‘labour’ right down near the spring. A visitor had written: “The baboons are funny and entertaining, but very persistent and sometimes annoying or even dangerous. Be sure that your house is locked even when you are inside, or they will help themselves to any food that you brought. They will also take bags, cameras, etc in their search for food. There are signs warning you against encouraging, familiarising with, or feeding them: don’t do it!”

THE UGLY ONES ARE ALREADY BORN: Some mothers do have them! No wonder Simba (in The Lion King) could not, did not, eat Pumba the warthog, he only befriended him. The warthog is really the opposite of handsome, ma sha Allah! What with that snout and the two sets of tusks and the potbelly and all. Part of the prohibited game for Muslims, warthogs are to Yankari what cats are to most homes: nearest inhabitants. Warthogs are everywhere. And they are just too many. They poke their noses – and what noses, what snouts – into the dustbin and into you if they get half a chance. (And you wonder the Simbas of Yankari are waiting for. Succulent dinners! Yuk!)

AND THEN THE CHALLENGE FOR BAUCHI STATE: The host state, Bauchi, should note that all its good works at Yankari may not be seen, or acknowledged by all, as the Park is being promoted as in Gombe State on many websites. Perhaps it is because Gombe has the nearest airport to Yankari. On other websites I saw, Yankari is promoted as even in Plateau State, with offers of trips from Jos. But truly, Yankari should be a Northern Asset, a Resource to control. All those Northern conferences of governors and their appendages should hold there, and the place regenerated. But rebranding is imperative.

AND THEN FINALLY, SOME ISSUES: The descent to Wikki Warm Spring is all of one hundred plus steps. Going down is fairly easy but rather slippery and dangerous, but the ascent is a gruesome struggle. Good exercise for some, but hardly comfortable for the Tomato Faces the Park would like to attract (those currently in Dubai and Europe). It would be good if the Park invests in a cable car (like Obudu) or at least an escalator or lifts. Then the big matter of maintenance; we were allocated a certain Marshall House, but found that it was not clean and not ready for occupation. And there was a Royal Villa, which I could have preferred, and afforded, but understood that you could not just pay for it; you had to get a note from, you guessed it, Government House in Bauchi.

AND WE ARE GRATEFUL…: First to His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto, who granted audience to the Qur’an Graduands at his Kaduna Residence, congratulated them and then sponsored the Yankari trip with a Royal Gift (Kyautar Girma). We also thank the family of Alhaji Mohammed Damuna, the Honourable Commissioner of Information, Bauchi State for logistics; and my sister Hajiya Lami Buba of Bauchi, for dinner, bed and breakfast and more to see us on our way. At Yankari, particular thanks to Jibrin the housekeeper, Auwalu the porter, Haruna the ranger and all those Area Boys and homely-looking Pumbas. We thank you and miss you all. Especially those bread-stealing Area Boys!