My tour to Adó Àwáyè🚌🛫

About this time last year, I was on a tour to Adó Àwáyè, not really as an intentional tourist but as a reporter.

Ever heard of Adó Àwáyè?

Well, it would so please my heart to tell you one or two things about this particular place.

Adó Àwáyè is a town closest to Iseyin in the Òkè Ògùn area of Oyo state. It homes one of the two suspended lakes in the whole world.

The town was founded by Obakoyi of the Oyo empire in 1500 who settled at Adó Àwáyè on his way to Òtà. Obakoye was to be the Alaafin of Òyó but Onigbogi his brother ascended the throne. He angrily left Oyo with one of his father’s crowns. However, he went through plain grounds until he got foot of the Ado Hill, where he saw a smoke.

He climbed the mountain and there, he met some escapees from the Dahomey war. Having agreed and discussed with them, they decided to make him King of Ado. 

Adúró s'íbí (we stay here) became Adó,

Àwáyè (we are safe) to form Ado Awaye.

On the Adó Àwáyè hill is found three suspended lakes but the most popular is the Ìyáké lake.

The name was traced to a barren woman who takes care of other people's children. She was mocked by villagers leaving her to cry at all times. She left the village to drown in the lake. The children who followed her went to report to the villagers that the woman that cries has drowned translated from Yoruba words ''Ìya tí má n ké'' which was shortened to ÌYÁKÉ.

The lake has several features :

It is odourless

It is medicinal and spiritual. People that fetch the water at the annual festival profess it treats ailments and  performs fertility wonders.

It has a bottomless pit, it is believed to link to another world because a white man who once entered never came out.

It never dries, the volume remains the same at rainy and dry season.

It looks greenish but pure when fetched.

Other side attractions on the hill are Elephant tree, Agbómofúnìyáké (a small dangerous hole), Esè àwon àgbà translated to Feet of the elders, Olufon, Ìya Onírú lake, Oke Ishage, Esè kan ayé (a wide and deep chasm on the mountain which separates one part of the mountain from the other part which hosts the peak of the mountain).

350 steps was constructed to the half of the hill by the former Governor of Oyo state, Lam Adesina. It however takes a mountaineering skill to hike the remaining half of the hill to the top. 

The town, Adó Àwáyè, is the food basket of Oyo state, it is the largest producer of Yam, Cassava and Maize. It also has Kaolin and Ceramics deposits. 

Adó Àwáyè town stays at the centre of Oyo state when viewed on the map.

Another distinctive thing that amuse me about the town is their cultural food called ''Òtíílí'' otherwise known as Pigeon beans in English. It takes longer period of time to cook, most times it is left to cook overnight. It's known to be highly nutritious and it is taken with palm oil.

Adó Àwáyè could be a source of revenue to the Oyo state government and the nation at large. The other suspended lake of its type is the hanging lake in Colorado which generates about 65% of the internal revenue.

The hill is wide and worthy of a tourism attraction.

The dump site at the bottom of the hill is an eyesore and could make any tourist uninterested to see what is up there. 

In order to make it a first class tourism centre, the steps should be renovated and constructed to the top. There should be cable cars or lift for climbers like what we have in Olumo rock in Ogun state. Construction of helipad on the top for tourists. Five star hotels should be built in the town to encourage tourists pass the night. The lake also should be barricaded with a transparent object to prevent accidental occurences.

Although we almost missed our way from Ibadan making the journey longer but it turned out exiting after all.

Have you visited Adó Àwáyè? What's your experience?

Happy new month.

Virtual hugs🤗🤗🤗