The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Bayelsa State Governor on Tourism, Piriye Kiyaramo, has called on tour operators, travel agents and other stakeholders to promote the point of bifurcation of the River Niger located in Sagbama Local Government Area of the state as a pilgrimage site due to its reported healing effect of the water.
Kiyaramo lamented that despite being used in the past as a spiritual hotspot by people of different faith and creed, making it a potential hub for religious pilgrimages, the site has not been given due recognition and properly preserved as a cultural tourism asset.
Speaking at the palace of the Odio-Logbo of Okugbe Isoko kingdom, Dr. Frank Okurakpo Odhe II, during an exploration visit to the site, Kiyaramo described the site as a unique cultural tourism asset to Bayelsa State and the entire Niger Delta region because of the mystery surrounding the spot.
Accompanied by the state chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Bayelsa State Council, Comrade Samuel Numonengi, the governor’s aide explained that the River Niger, which has its source from Fouta Djallon mountainous region in West Central Guinea, splits into River Nun and River Farcados after meandering through the borders of the Republic of Benin to Nigeria to meet the Atlantic ocean.
Kiyaramo, the deltaic portion of the River Niger, now referred to as the Niger Delta region, remains an important ecological and commercial zone, being a major site for petroleum production in Nigeria in addition to its endowment in terrestrial and aquatic wildlife, having a fertile land for agriculture.
While receiving the entourage of the SSA in his palace, the Odio-Logbo of Okugbe Isoko kingdom, described the bifurcation point of the River Niger into River Nun in Bayelsa and River Farcados in Delta State as the Horn of the Niger Delta region where the story of the Niger Delta began decades ago.
The monarch also explained the significance of the bifurcation site to Bayelsa, the Niger Delta and the country in general in terms of its cultural tourism potential, just as he described the bifurcation point as the shrine of Niger Delta.
Also speaking, the chairman of NUJ, Comrade Numonengi, noted that the bifurcation point of the River Niger, being Africa’s third longest river, into River Nun in Bayelsa and River Farcados in Delta State, makes it a potential spot for religious pilgrimage, considering the healing potency and spiritual importance to both locals and visitors.
In his remarks, the media consultant to the royal father, Mr. Victor Christopher, spoke about the rich cultural heritage and biodiversity of Okugbe Isoko kingdom and called on the state government to pay due attention to the area because of its economic importance in the area of food security.
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