The name, Shere Hills, is a household name in Plateau State and the entire northern part of the country, military and para-military organisations in the country are also conversant with the towering hills for regular training. The sprawling hills, in Jos East Local Government Area of the state are some kilometres away from the heart of Jos City, the state capital.
What makes the famous Shere Hills delight of tourists are the numerous high peaks, with the highest reaching a height of about 1.829 metres or 6.001 feet above the sea level. The Gog and Maggog, which are among the highest points of the hills, are located close to the Mountain School known as Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre, where different cadres of people are given leadership and military type adventures.
The formations of the hills are quite amazing; in some parts they are in layers, standing balance on one another, small rock carrying massively bigger ones and comfortably sitting on one another. These formations have been there for decades and since they were discovered they have continually held tourists spell bound.
The wonder is a range of undulating hills and rock formations a geologist, Habila Johnson, said could be classified as the third highest point in Nigeria after Chappal Waddi on the Mabilla Plateau, adding that Shere Hills are a rounded elevation of limited extent rising above land with local relief of less than 300 metres.
Approaching the Hills could be interesting; their stretch is about 50 metres from Shere down to the headquarters of the local government area in Angware in Jos East Local Government Area of the state. There are settlements around the rock formations; many of which see the rock formations as a source of blessing to their immediate environment and the entire local government area. Jonathan Emmanuel, who resides in Fubur, said the rock formations have brought people from all walks of life to the area, saying there is no day without tourists coming to see the beauty of nature.
One amazing thing about the host communities is that both the young and the old have strong passion for mountain climbing, an old woman who is about 75 years of age Stella Azi, said she was conversant with the surrounding mountain up to the highest point, adding that up till today there were children within the area who could climb the mountain to the peak without much sweat.
At the basement of the hills is a mountain school, christened The Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre, a cross section of those who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune in the local government said the presence of the training centre had further opened up the area for tourists from different parts of the country and beyond.
The hills are strategic to the mountain school, the Unit Coordinator of the Training Centre, Mallam Abdulmumuni Adamu Maimako, said the hills were of strategic advantage and importance to the training of the centre, adding that the centre offered a wide range of courses for Nigerians to train their mind for leadership and to further make them more responsive to their callings.
According to him, the centre started as far back as 1951 at Victoria in Cameroon and later moved to Kura falls in the state, from where it was eventually relocated to Shere in 1961 because of the hills, adding that the hills were cardinal to the training at the centre. “The hills, which sprawl 50 metres down to Angware, the headquarters of Jos East Local Government Area are strategic to us. The Gog Maggog which are close to us here are among the highest peaks of the hills and they is being used for special courses or for military and para-military”
Maimako said the centre regularly hosts the military, and para military organisations such as Customs, Immigration, Police, Civil Defence, FRSC, ICPC, EFCC, VIO and others including civilians who express interest, adding that the course schedule was structured in such a way to improve the mental, social and physical capabilities of participants.
”Most of the cadets of these organisations passed through here before their graduations while the senior ones also come here from time to time. Apart from academic training and ground physical training, the mountains are also there for them to train” he said.
The Unit Coordinator, who said the Centre runs six different type of courses to cater for different categories of citizens, stated that the courses make people especially the youths to discover themselves to offer selfless services, positive attitudinal change, adding that the essence of mountain climbing was team building.
The hills are also a tourist site to the participants and also serve as a veritable rigorous physical training ground. The
However, it seems the government has started taking some steps towards revitalising the sector as it recently it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a France-based company, Kankerizo Park Ltd, for the rehabilitation, upgrading and repositioning of some state government hotels that are in terrible condition as part of efforts to boost tourism.
The Commissioner for Tourism, Culture and Hospitality, Mwankom Peter John, signed on behalf of the state while the company’s Managing Director, Genard Daminet, signed on its behalf. It has also invited other investors to identify one or two areas in the state in which they could intervene, saying the current Public Private Partnership option would be strengthened to boost the economy of the state.
He said the state government desired to lease out some of its infrastructure to private owners who could develop them, stressing that the signing of the MOU was the beginning of good things to come, adding that the partnership would boost tourism and create jobs in the state.
Coordinator Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre.
The Managing Director Kankerizo Park Abuja, said with the MOU, his company was poised to develop and rehabilitate Pankshin Hotels and turn it into a tourism haven.
Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune on the state of Shere Hills, the commissioner, who admitted that the Hills had been neglected for too long, stated that the Hills had not been acquired by the state government, adding that the area was still under the control of the natives.
“Shere Hills have been neglected for long; the present administration is just considering the possibility of making it what it ought to be. The place has not been acquired by the State Government; it is still in the hands of the natives. So, there is nothing we can do there for now, it must first be acquired before we can move in.
“But the government has concluded arrangement to acquire the hills; it will soon be open up for discussion with the natives while the officials of the state Ministry of Land and Survey will move in soon for measurement. We are trying to follow normal and due process to avoid future controversy. I can assure you that Shere Hills will be acquired and developed “he said.
On the Rockland International Hotel close to Shere Hill, the Commissioner said the State Government had commenced the processes of completing the abandoned project, adding that government was studying the proposal submitted by private firms that wanted to take over the completion of the hotel.
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