Breath-taking views from atop Lokoja’s Mount Patti

Kogi state, no doubt is blessed with many historical, cultural and tourists’ sites yet to be fully harnessed and maximized by government.
Mount Patti is one of the finest and most interesting tourists’ sites which any first-timer to Lokoja, the Kogi State capital would like to visit.
An adventurous climb to the top of Mount Patti which is about 1,500 feet or 458.3 meters above sea level would be a worthwhile experience for a visitor to the ancient town.
One interesting thing about this site is its serene ambience and clement weather that both welcome you as you journey to the top.
Normally, the prevailing weather condition within Lokoja town is hot but a visit to Mount Patti offers a contrast as the thick lush vegetation along with the rocky hills, giveb off cool breeze all year round.
The snaking road that leads to the top of Mount Patti is such a wonder to behold as you walk uphill.
Sitting gracefully on top of Mount Patti is a structure known as ‘Lord Lugard Rest House,’ said to have been built around 1900.
Lord Lugard, the then Governor General of Nigeria was said to have used the ‘Rest House’ as relaxation spot after his day’s activities.
It was also learnt that Lugard equally used the vantage position of the Mount Patti as a surveillance post to observe all activities going on in Lokoja and its environs.
Also at the top of Mount Patti are statues of his wife, Flora Shaw and him.
Mount Patti once served as a place of refuge for its earliest inhabitants whom the colonial administrators sent down to the Niger valley. ‘Patti’, is a Nupe word which means hill.
Flora Shaw was said to have coined the name ‘Nigeria’ (Niger-area) from on top this mount, while working as a foreign journalist during the era of British Colonial Administration. She later got married to Lord Lugard.
The wooded height of the hill gives a visitor a vantage position to view the scenic plain surrounding the ancient town of Lokoja.
From atop Mount Patti, one can savour the silent grandeur and beautiful nature of the Confluence Rivers, Niger and Benue.
But there are however, concerns from people over the manner this great tourists’ site has been left unharnessed by government over the years.
Although the administration of former governor Idris Wada carried out some works to restore the site, more work is however needed to make the place a real tourists’ hub.
The mount, which many believe has the capacity to generate millions of revenues for government if properly developed as a standard tourists’ site, is currently generating no kobo.
Daily Trust reports that despite the unharnessed nature of the place, many Lokoja residents and other visitors to the ancient town have been flocking there on an almost daily basis.
It was observed that a large number of Lokoja residents and their families climb to the top of Mount Patti every Saturday morning mostly to exercise and keep fit.
Cross section of some of the visitors to the Mount described the place as a ‘great tourists’ site that must be fully developed by government.
Badamasi Olalekan, a youth corps member said it was his first time of climbing the mount and that he was amazed by what he saw.
“Even though I used to hear about Mount Patti, I didn’t know it is such a wonderful place. At least I had some fun. I’m a youth corps member serving in Lokoja. With this, Nigeria’s future is bright.
“I expect government to make this place more attractive for people coming here by putting some recreational facilities in place here. Government can put some gardens in place for people to relax and savour the beauty of this serene environment. Besides, this place can generate revenues for government if properly developed,” he said.
“This place can as well serve as a point of cross cultural integration and arouse our national consciousness. For instance, I am a Yoruba but since I came, I have been able to interact with people from other ethnic groups,” he said.
Ikechukwu Ugwuoke, from Enugu state who also climbed Mount Patti said: “It’s been wonderful! I have met a lot of people and it’s been fun. I believe government could utilize this place to generate more funds for the state. They can collect little tokens from people coming to the mount and use it to develop the place. This place can also be used to create employment for the teeming unemployed youth if properly developed.”
Linda Kuku, who said it was her fourth time visiting the place, said the experience would have been more interesting of if it were better developed.
She said: “This place is very interesting but more would have been done in this place because this is a tourist attraction and some recreational facilities need to be put in place for people to relax.
“The place is very beautiful and I would encourage other people to come here. Couple with the fact that when you come to the top of the mount, the weather you have is quite different from the weather you experience in Lokoja town. The weather here is friendly and if government can make this place more beautiful, it would be nice,” she said.
Miss Jenifa Martins, who was climbing the Mount for the 7th time described the place as ‘nice.’
On why she climbs often, Martins said: “I exercise here, I meet a lot of people I have not met in ages. That is one of the reasons I come to this place. This place is supposed to be a place of leisure and creativity. I think if a wild life park is built here, it would be wonderful and would contribute to the growth of the state’s economy in terms of revenues”.
Chima, a student of Federal Univeristy Lokoja, said he has been visiting the site since 2012 to exercise, enjoy nature and relax.
“I have been coming here for fun because this place is a nice tourist attraction. We catch fun by trekking up to the mount and we have the opportunity to see Lord Lugard’s Rest House and feel the serenity of the environment. I want government to work on the rehabilitation of portions of the road leading to the top of the mount,” he said.
When contacted, Special Adviser to Governor Yahaya Bello on Tourism, Mr Ibrahim Usman said the present government was committed to the hospitality and tourism sector of the state, assuring that government would work towards upgrading all tourist sites in a manner that would generate revenues to government.
“Lokoja has up to 18 tourists’ sites which Mount Patti happens to be one of them. We want to encourage packaged trips and packaged tours whereby people who are coming in will come in group of minimum of 10 and would have chosen the place they want to visit ahead of time and then, they would be conducted round those sites.
“Unlike now that people come in and try to find places to go, there will be prearranged trips.
“Tourists now will come in groups and that way, it is going to be more verifiable. That way, you can tell the number of people coming in and tell what the state will generate,” he said.
 Ibrahim, however noted that embarking on such projects would require huge resources, adding government is taking time to work out plans and would not want to rush into doing them.