Mount Patti: Kogi tourism site lying fallow
“Patti”, according to the authorities of the Kogi State Ministry of Culture and Tourism, is a Nupe word for mountain. But the mountain, towering 458.3metres above sea-level, has come to be known as Mount Patti as referred to by the early European visitors. The mountain is said to be very popular during the reign of […]
“Patti”, according to the authorities of the Kogi State Ministry of Culture and Tourism, is a Nupe word for mountain. But the mountain, towering 458.3metres above sea-level, has come to be known as Mount Patti as referred to by the early European visitors. The mountain is said to be very popular during the reign of Lord Lugard, the Governor General of Nigeria in 1914.
Climbing Mount Patti, with its numerous sharp bends, could be very nerve-racking, especially for any first-time visitor. A explanatory notes from the ministry explains that “the mountain stands some 33metres above the level of the Niger Valley and its land mass is about 15 square kilometres . From the top of this mountain, the scenic plain surroundings of Lokoja,the hinterland, the silent grandeur and the beautiful nature of the confluence of Rivers Niger and Benue can easily be viewed. And because of the height of Mount Patti,the satelite masts of MTN and Globacom telecommunication as well as those of NTA and Radio Kogi are also installed there.”
On top of Mount Patti, this reporter ran into some farmers who testified to the uniqueness of its land mass. They described it as a land of abundance. One of them, 46-year-old farmer and civil servant with the state Ministry of Works and Housing, Mr Lawan Dauda, says the soil on Mount Matti is the most fertile he has ever known. His words: “I have walked round Lokoja and I am yet to discover any land which is as fertile as the hilly plain of Mount Patti. I have been farming here for over three years. About 100 of us are farming here. I would just like the government to bring investors to explore the tourism potentials of this place to further create employment opportunities for our teeming youths”.
A Lokoja-based tourism expert, Mr. Amuda Suleiman, describes Mount Patti as a mountain like no other. One major thing he considers striking there is the absence of mosquitoes, despite the lush and grassy environment. This, he explains, accounts for the reasons why Lugard chose to build a rest house there: “The environment of Mount Patti was very conducive for Lord Lugard’s administrative duties. He would go and monitor the activities on the river there. We were told that in those days, there were no mosquitoes there, and we are witnesses to it today. Right now, you can’t find a single mosquito there. This is one of the amazing legends about this historical mountain.”
To most of the residents of Lokoja, one thing that remains a mystery is the sudden disappearance of the hyenas of Mount Patti. They recall that these hyenas, till the early 1970s, used to come down from the hilly land to devour domestic animals. In the words of 65-year-old Hassan Lateef, “In those days, you could not sleep with your two eyes closed if you had livestock, especially around Mount Patti. Those hyenas would descend in the night to devour the domestic animals. It was such a nightmare for those of us rearing animals. but all of a sudden, the hyenas disappeared. We still don’t know how. ”
On Mount Patti is a roofless, dilapidated building. The building, apparently overtaken by grasses, is a two-room apartment which is popularly known as Lugard’s Rest House. This house, according to the General Manager of the Kogi State Hotels and Tourism Board, Malam Momoh Jatto, was used by Lugard for recreational purposes where he used to go and commune with nature after his daily routine administrative duties.
“Lord Lugard used Mount Patti as a security post. While there, he would be siting the beautiful aerial view of Lokoja metropolis and with his binoculars. He could see Ajaokuta about 100 kilometres away from hill. At the time slave
trade was banned, Lugard could, from this house detect any boats passing with slaves and direct his soldiers to arrest them, and the slaves would summarily be freed at a point known today as the iron of liberty. So, Lugard used this Rest House on Mount Patti as both recreationaland observation point. The house is still there till today,” he said.
On Mount Patti is a big baobab tree said to be over 100 years old. The tree stands almost adjacent to Lugard’s rest house. It is said to have served as a sort of natural sanctuary and monument for all the tourists who visited there in those days. It is also said that those tourists would, on arrival, first inscribe their names and signatures on the tree and then proclaim that they went, they saw, they conquered. This, according to a 71-year-old hunter, Umar Idris, is because climbing the mountain was considered to be avery hard task. Many names (foreign and indigenous) were inscribed around this tree. The foreign names include Malcolm, Keats, Jefferson, among others, while the indigenous names there include Akpan, Labaran, Bayo, Jide and Ahmed. Some objects identified as local charms were also hung and several others nailed round the baobob tree.
A 74-year-old man, Malam Sanusi Abdullah reacts to what many today regard as the “mythical value” of the baobab tree: “The tree had been on Mount Patti even before the arrival of Lord Lugard. In those days, anyone coming to visit him was mandated to write his/her name and append his/her signature on the tree. Immediately Lugard left, the whole place became porous. Also, primary school pupils from various parts of the country used to go there to pay homage to Lugard. These pupils, too, were made to write their names round the tree before they could be allowed to see him.
He further explains that the tree is today used for different purposes. According to him, some people, especially herbalists and spiritualists, use it for ritual purposes because they believe that any sacrifices made on the trees will be effective. “That is why you see some of these charms hung round the tree”, he says.
Mr Jerry Agbaji, Director of Tourism in the state Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has this to say of Mount Patti: “According to the historical records at our disposal, Mount Patti is a place that towers above every other land mass in the state. It attracted Lord Lugard and the natives in those days, and that was why Lugard established his rest house there. And over the period, the mountain has been a source of attraction to most people who come around here. It could also be established that during the pre-colonial era when people were ravaged by intertribal wars, many people often ran up there for safety and power which they believed could give them some advantage over their enemies”.
According to him, that is not all about the natural beauty of the historical monument called Mount Patti. Agbaji maintains that one is bound to experience a friendly weather on the mountain. “You know Lokoja is very hot, but when you are on top of Mount Patti, especially the points showing a very wonderful panorama of the environment ofLokoja, the weather is so cool and friendly that you would think you are in a different world”.
On whether there are plans by the state government to make Mount Patti a tourist attraction, Agbaji responds: “Mount Patti, with its serenity, good weather and vegetation, is a peculiar place. It is one gift of nature to Kogi State. One of the relics the government wants to preserve there is the Lugard’s rest house which could be a very important monument for tourist attraction, if preserved. The government has the intention of taking a step to make sure that the entirety of Mount Patti is declared a national monument. And by the time the government takes total control of it, there would be no unauthorised private developments like the current erection of telecommunication and media masts.
“Before now, we had been looking at the situation whereby the state government would develop the place by putting a five-star hotel there with good landscaping and gardens, and probably develop an aerodrome there so that tourists and people who want to take a short weekend from Abuja could fly directly without even coming to the town. Right now, the government is upgrading the Confluence Beach Hotel to a five-star hotel to make tourists comfortable in the state. Activities like farming and hunting, which are taking place on Mount Patti, will also definitely give way when the place is fully developed into a tourist attraction centre”.
For the state Hotels and Tourism Board General Manager, Malam Jatto, Mount Patti, if developed, would be attractive to mountaineers and those who want their phsical strengh tested. “Eight years ago, 36 ambassadors who visited Mount Patti from various countries remarked that it is a historical spot that should not be left undeveloped. In my own observation, if there could be a flyover from Mount Patti to the confluence of Rivers Niger and Benue, it would be a wonderful thing and tourists would be attracted to it. A five-star hotel that the government initially planned to put on Mount Patti could be a conference centre for official tourism purposes. Also, a zoo as well as tourist camps could be put in place there to serve as a recreational facilities for tourists.
“The entire state would be economically better for it if this historical monument is developed. For instance, tourists would definitely be coming with their money. It would also boost the hospitality business in the state. The eateries too would be patronized. Tax would also be paid to the government, thereby generating huge revenue for the state”.
Meanwhile, the state’s former Commissioner for Special Duties, who also supervises the Ministry of Information, Professor Aaron Baba, says there are moves by the state government to preserve Mount Patti as a monument. According to him, “the government would provide good access road to Mount Patti along with other infrastructures for the comfort of tourists. The state executive council has banned any future private developments on Mount Patti”.