Sunday, February 05, 2012
   
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Tourist Attraction Sites in Bayelsa State. Tourist Attraction Sites in Bayelsa State.

 

Lake Efi
Lake Efi is a huge natural lake located in Sabagreia, in Kolokuma/Opokuma local government area of Bayelsa State, and that is where the popular fishing festival take place. Astonishingly, the lake is to believed to be self-purifying and despite the forest that surround its approximately 2Km2 area, the lake clears every fallen piece of debris to its banks, leaving its entire surface pristine at all times. Also, according to local folklore, the lake is said to periodically kill fish in great quantities to provide food for local people.  When this occurs, there is a festival as people collect the huge fish lying around for collection by the natures. Even more astonishing, despite the fact the lake is brimming with crocodiles, they do not harm humans during the festival. 

Seigben Ogugu Lake
The Seigben Ogugu Lake in Amassoma, the university town, is 3km long and 500m in width, with a peculiar curving course. It is the site for the popular Seigben Ogugu Fishing and Feasting Festival, itself a popular tourist attraction. 

The Okpoama Airstrip
The air strip at Okpoama is also a tourist site in its own right, bisecting the dense forest and running through to the Atlantic coastline. 

Akassa Slave Tunnel:
The slave trade left many scars on the Niger Delta, where it was very active, and of course Nigeria as a whole. In Ogbokiri, Akassa, Bayelsa State, stand grim-looking houses where slaves were chained as they awaited shipment to the Americas. Built of iron and brick, they are of considerable historic interest, particularly to 'heritage' tourists.









    The Slave Tunnel at Akassa






Colonial Structures (Twon Brass)








The Slave Tunnel at Akassa

 







Colonial Structures (Twon Brass)

 


Akassa Lighthouse:
Standing approximately 60m tall by the seaside in Akassa, this structure is reputed to be the tallest lighthouse in West Africa. Originally built in 1910, but relocated to its present site in 1912, its purpose was to help ships coming into the inland sea ports navigate their way through shallow waters. The lighting system was facilitated by solar energy. Standing out on the seashore, visitors would be amazed by this architectural edifice, while climbing the lighthouse would be an adventure to remember. Also the long stretch of sandy beach by the lighthouse adds more value to this site in terms of its future development as

British Consulate Building:

The British established a consulate in Twon-Brass, from where they administered the area during the era. ‘legitimate trade'. The consulate buildings were still in use till the end of the colonial period in 1960. 

Whiteman Graveyard:
This is a cemetery containing the graves of Europeans who died in the Akassa raid of"1895. This was sparked by the way the local palm oil trade was coming under the increasing control of the Royal Niger Company at the expense of indigenous traders. The dawn attack of more than a thousand Nembe warriors on the company's headquarters was led by King William Koko. The graveyard tells a vivid story of the raid and its bloody aftermath. It is located at Twon Brass, Brass Island and can be easily reached from the Brass jetty. A similar cemetery can also be found in the Ogbokiri area of Akassa.

Oloibiri Oil Museum:
The first oil-well drilled in Nigeria was at Oloibiri, in Ogbia, Bayelsa State, in 1956. The well itself remains intact. A full-scale museum of oil history has been proposed on this location as a joint project by the state government, the federal government and the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria.









Colonial Masters Residence at Akassa



Colonial Master’s Account office Twon Brass








Colonial Master's Residence at Akassa




Colonial Master's Account Office at Akassa 

 


Isaac Boro Memorial:
The name Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro and the town of Kaiama are symbols of the Niger Delta peoples’ struggle for economic and environmental justice. In 1966 Boro took up arms against the Nigerian Government and the oil companies, which he jointly accused of bringing misery and environmental devastation to local communities. With a rag-tag army of 160 men, he declared the independent Republic of the Niger Delta with himself as head of state. His revolution ended in defeat after 12 days but he remains a local hero, with the Isaac Boro Park as an important landmark in Port Harcourt, the neighbouring Rivers State capital. Meanwhile, a monument in Bora's name has been built in Kaiama, his home town in Bayelsa. It was here, on December 11, 1998, that 5,000 Ijaw youths gathered to unveil the Kaiama Declaration. This charter of demands, calling on the oil companies to clean up their act, echoed those of Boro more than 30 years earlier. 

Opume Bronze Heads:

These are a collection of ancient relics whose origin and basic historical details continue to defy explanation. Comprising a lion's head, a tortoise head and a sword, they are preserved in Opume forest in Ogbia local government area of Bayelsa. Apart from the uncertainty surrounding their provenance and age, they do not appear to be carvings. They are regarded as sacred objects and are steeped in local folklore. The story goes that a prince picked up the lion's head out of curiosity and placed it onto his own. It became stuck and the prince became as wild as the animal whose resemblance he was sporting, terrorizing the whole neighbourhood and killing people. His father, the king; had no choice but to order him to be killed for his people's safety.

 

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