TUCKED in the heart of the Ilorin – Kabba road, Yagba west local government area of Kogi state are hamlets of villages, under the suzerainty of Iyamerin (four junctions), and Okeri is the fourth junction and our destination. I will explain the purpose of my visit to Okeri later. For me, this trip was an eye opener.

Over ninety percent of our population do not know the country and its potentials. This accounts for majority who can afford it hopping all round the world, without a thought to look inward and explore their motherland. For those who have formed the habit of travelling and touring, excited by the offerings of nature, there is nothing that you will find in other parts of the world that is not see in Nigeria. it is time for us to begin to take the discovery of our country very seriously. If the people know and understand themselves, so many of the conflicts we have today will be avoided.

In the 70s when I was in secondary school, school authorities organized excursion tours for students, from the south to the north and vice versa.Some of these tours went along with train rides. It was an exciting time for students and it helped in bonding. Today,tours are arranged to Ghana, Gambia, Kenya, South Africa and other African countries, and these do not have even half of the potentials that abound in this country.

In Okeri, there is an urgent need for the tourism sector, commerce and industry, agriculture, transport and moral developments to begin to take their functions very seriously. Ministries must begin to conduct researches that will bring out the real potentials. Potentials abound in various parts of the country and the need for backward integration in our economic production activities has become more urgent than ever, that is, if we are interested in engaging the millions of youths coming into the ever increasing labour market, for productive purposes.

The journey to Okeri was an exciting experience. We took off from Lagos and traversed six states; Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Oshun, Kwara and Kogi. Of note were beautiful landmarks and vegetations; we crossed rivers, traversed lands and passed so many rocks, rocks of diverse shades, types and forms. Some are so neatly arranged and positioned that you will think they were the handiwork of men, they are like the Zuma rock in the Federal Capital Territory and those in Ekiti state, you need to behold the scenery. It’s sheer beauty.

At a point after Egbe town, coming from the Ilorin end of the Ilorin –Kabba road, you branch in, to your right, into the Iyamerin villages and there, also, another surprise awaits you, the land is very fertile with fruits; oranges, mangoes and others. In fact at the compound where the ceremony held, we had several head collision with mango fruits as if we were engaged in the leather game. Whichever way one turned, it was a duel with the mango fruits. but they carried the day as we had to stoop to avoid crashing into them. You need not climb any tree; the fruits are all within reach, same goes for the orange fruits.

Thinking aloud, someone noted that it wouldn’t be a bad idea of one of the leading lite businessmen would establish a fruit processing factory in the area but he was quick to observe that even the state government and the representatives of government from this area have done nothing to encourage this. For products to leave the villages to the cities transportation must be smooth and for factories to work efficiently there must be regular power supply. Unfortunately, these are not readily available in the area, even the road stretch before Egbe is so bad that at a time, it became a choice spot for robbery gangs. The people are so dissatisfied with the performance of the present Kogi state government, such much that they expressed their anger through the ballot during the March and April elections. A brilliant senator of Smart Adeyemi’s calibre was floored; the same fate befell other PDP candidates. It is the duty of elected representatives to identify untapped potentials in their areas of jurisdiction and bring them to the attention of their colleagues in government.

That is why the incoming government must take the issue of safety and security as a vital aspect of their agenda, if safety is guaranteed, the people can move around freely and the much sought after tourism potentials will be boosted.

The occasion was the celebration of life for the late Pa Paul Oni Meduna, father of Mr. Sanya Oni, a top notch of the UNILAG Sociology class of 81/84 that includes the likes of Larry Izamoje, Richard Okotie and yours truly. Where are the others? Sanya is editorial page editor of The Nation newspaper, and the eldest child.

We also have Tosho Oni from Australia, Dr. Tope Oni from South Africa and their younger sister Mrs. Comfort Otebolaku, from Portugal, everyone was present; grand children, colleagues, relatives and friends from all over the world.

It was another opportunity for friends and relations to meet and exchange pleasantries. Indeed, the indigenes of Okeri are very hospitable and warm people.

A people that warm, open and nice to strangers should be guaranteed growth and development.

Let us look inward for solutions to the nations challenges, the potentials abound over here.

Mr.Sunny Ikhioya, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Lagos.