AM-PIDONG CRATER LAKE AND THE ABANDONED BOX OF CASH

This past weekend (March 7th), I traveled to travel from Jos to Mangu to visit the much famed Am-Pidong Crater Lake in the Ampang West District of Mangu. The journey, organized by the Jos Carnival group, was short and pleasant. I mean, I’ve been to Mangu many times but I have never made the detour to Am-Pidong. The place is simply breathtaking and exquisitely located in a serene environment and the lake itself is nestled in the deep crevice of rocks and mountains as if they are protecting the lake from some sort of terrestrial or extraterrestrial invasion or incursion. Beauty isn’t a word that can aptly describe this natural masterpiece crafted by the Creator Himself, only “awesome” comes close.

As I took in the sheer beauty of the natural endowment, my heart sank to just fathom the fact that there was not a single presence of government or private sector investment in the entire area. There are no hotels or lodgings there, there are no shops, no roads, nothing to attract tourists, sightseers, hikers or even students on excursion to the area. The place is just lying fallow like a piece of meat that has been abandoned in the earthen pot, or like a piece of half-eaten mango left over by a leper.

As I kept on shooting the awesome wonder with my Canon and Nikon cameras (just to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me, I needed double confirmations from my cameras), I was told by two tour guides from the Plateau State Tourism Corporation (PSTC) that the crater was formed as a result of a volcanic eruption there and that the crater is about 12 kilometers deep, even though the circumference of the lake is just about 500 meters. The tour guides also said there’s no crater lake quite like this one in the entire West African sub region. My jaws dropped. And this crater lake is just 101 kilometers from Jos.

How could one have a box of cash and still be starving and going cap in hand to beg for money for sustenance?

How can Plateau be so blessed but be blind to the humongous potentials this Crater Lake possesses?

Why can’t the Government or private sector players develop this tourist destination and benefit bountifully from it?

Is there someone somewhere refusing to take a second look at this site and do the needful in terms of revenue generation for the state?

How can Plateau State truly pride herself as being the Home of Peace and TOURISM if such natural wonders are left unexplored and undeveloped?

My questions are endless but I have many more to ask.

I also know that there are many more of such wonders lying fallow in all the 17 local government areas in Plateau State. Plateau is indeed blessed in terms of tourism and this State could easily become the Kenya or Seychelles of Nigeria, but alas, we are more interested in the oil money sourced from the environmentally damaged Niger Delta and distributed from Abuja. Plateau State has no business being poor.

Tourism in Plateau State is practically dead. The Plateau Hotel and Jos Hotel are like badly managed poultries. The Wild Life Park is now like an abandoned goat pen, the Rayfield Resort is in the hands of a private owner who is just a few decisions away from turning it into a religious institution, the Solomon Lar Amusement Park is now a gigantic beer parlor for the amusement of pot-bellied drinkers and randy revelers, the Wase Rock is like an undecorated bride, Shere Hills is shivering like a wet cat, the water falls in Bassa are like a watering hole for cows and goats, Kura Falls is sitting idle like a new bride waiting for her husband to return from war, the National Museum is looking like a nonagenarian woman who has been wrinkled beyond her age, all other tourist attractions in Plateau State are in various degrees of neglect and abandonment. Who did this to us? Ha!

What happened to sports tourism in Plateau State? Sports like cycling and long distance races are veritable sporting tools for developing tourism. The Lagos marathon, London marathon, Berlin marathon, Okpekpe race, Obudu Mountain race, and all other international races are not conducted entirely for sporting reasons but majorly for the promotion of tourism. The Tour de France, Vuelta Espana, and other cross-country cycling events are also conducted primarily to promote tourism. Plateau is blessed with the terrains and suitable climatic condition for these sporting activities to promote tourism, why is someone not doing the needful?

Do I need to mention that Plateau State and Jos in particular is blessed with the most clement weather available in the country? With a cool and calm Europe-like weather, hyper-hospitable people, and a responsive government there’s no limit to what can be achieved in terms of tourism promotions.

With the abundant tourist attractions and natural resources deposited in Plateau State by the Almighty, Plateau can easily become the richest state in Nigeria, but no, Abuja money is what we crave.

I am hereby challenging the Plateau State Government through its Ministry of Tourism led currently by Mrs. Tamwakat Weli to salvage the fortunes of this State by investing heavily in tourism and tourism development. This is a goldmine waiting to be exploited. I know this will be a capital intensive venture but in the long run the Plateau people will benefit immensely. 

Plateau will blossom beyond her peers and this prosperity will touch all and sundry. I know it takes a lot of political will to delve into tourism but Governors like Donald Duke did it and Cross River State is still benefiting from his investment many years after he left office.

Posterity will be kind and nice to Governor Simon Lalong if he heeds this call and develops tourism for Plateau State. Generations yet unborn will not forget you sir. Thank you.

David King