Ikogosi Water Spring: Dark Shade And Poor Network Coverage

Tourist attractions are places where people meet, relax and have fun. It is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value. 

Among other West African countries, Nigeria is a country endowed with the four main types of tourist attractions in the world (Natural, Man-made, Sport and Event), where tourism contributes to the country’s GDP.

Ikogosi Warm Spring, which is located in Ikogosi town, Ekiti State, is one of the thirteen springs in Nigeria financed and managed by Fountains Holding Limited. 

According to fact.ng, “The legend surrounding the warm and cold springs is that the springs were the two wives of a great hunter. 

Historically, one of his wives was said to be temperamental, while the other wife was a quiet woman. One day, the two wives fought, and after being rebuked by their husband, the grumpy wife changed to the warm spring while the quiet one turned to the cold spring.

According to sources, the warm spring has a temperature of up to 70 degrees C and 37 degrees C after meeting the cold spring. The meeting point of the warm and cold springs is a unique attraction to tourists.

It is important to stress that a tourist centre should have electricity and quality internet for good service. Unfortunately, the Ikogosi Warm Spring has suffered from a lack of electricity and poor network coverage for over five years. 

Speaking with the Head of Operations, Mr Okon Samuel, over the issue of network and electricity, he said, “The network is a primary problem in the tourist Centre though, at the registration centre, the network is good except 9mobile, at the Pool-side and bar it’s extremely worst for visitors to make payments and also at the lodge the service is poor and fluctuating” firmly.   

He further stressed that “the area of electricity is the secondary problem, perhaps minor because we have enough generators (petrol and diesel engines), to power the centre. 

“Though a few years ago, the Benin Electricity Distribution Company came and some wires were changed and gave the town a mass prepaid transformer, but the cost of maintenance and the monetary policy reloading the card scared people out. 

“Meanwhile, some households dwell in solar systems and generators. We look forward to assistance from the Governor-Elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke, who’s from Ikogosi town, for his support.

In a conversation with the pool /bar attendant, Miss Mobolaji Ademiju told this reporter that “the network issue in the resort is very bad, and it’s affecting the everyday business. 

“Also, some transactions are not successful because of the network at the pool bar. The camp has a network, so sometimes, we will have to work down to the middle gate to make a transfer.

Mobolaji said Ikogosi city has no electricity, but the resort has light due to the resort generator. Ikogosi can serve the city because the water goes a long way to different streams across the city, and the villagers go to the streams to get the water. The government has taken over the resort now.”

However, according to Mr Samuel Adewole, the tour guide, the network issue in the resort is always just at the pool area. The other places have good signal.

“Sometimes, networks trip off in the resort occasionally. People depend on aboki to charge their phones in Ikogosi. The resort is being run by a government-funded establishment, there’s room for improvement in the resort, and the resort needs reconstruction and maintenance.

The network issue is one of the most significant problems faced by the tourist centre. Though with the aid of a generator, the electricity problem is alleviated.