IKOGOSI WARM SPRING (NATURE IN ITS PUREST FORM)

INTRODUCTION.

This warm spring runs down a hilly landscape where it forms a confluence with another cold spring from an adjoining hill and merges into one continuous stream. Located in Ekiti State, it is an awe-inspiring sight where two springs flow side by side. But while one is cold, the other is very warm
          The evergreen tall trees which surround the spring provide the canopy under which visitors relax. The people of are believed to Ikogosi worship the goddess of the water and have strong belief in the myth around it.
          The undulating landscape adds natural beauty to the scenery. The chemistry of the Ikogosi Warm Spring in South West Nigeria has been studied. Four out of the six warm spring primary sources show close similarity in temperature, pH, dissolved solids, suspended solid, alkalinity, hardness, and trace metals. All measured values are within classification as fresh water and WHO standards
          This is the account of an Irish catholic Bishop Rt. Rev. Richard Burke who has lived in Nigeria for thirty years. He said “I believe there is nowhere in the world where cold and warm water meets, except at the Ikogosi spring. Any other one would be man-made, which is artificial. Ikogosi is a miracle of nature and a sacred place where God exhibited his power of creativity”.
Just like the catholic Bishop has said, Ikogosi is indeed a miracle of nature and a sacred place. Ikogosi is an exciting and interesting site, an experience you will love to remember.

          The undulating topography enhances the aesthetic beauty of the people of Ikogosi. It is the source of the bottling of Gossy Table Water by UAC foods because the water is highly rich with minerals essential for the body.

When we got to IKOGOSI WARN SPRING, our first stop by was the Security Post. On getting their, we were asked to buy gallons with which we can collect the warm and cold water. After this, we were led to the Main Spring i.e the source of the water itself. It was just a few minutes’ walk from the Security Post through some bushes and straight to the Spring.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

Ikogosi Warm spring is about 55km from Akure, the Ondo State capital. Ikogosi is located in Ekiti West LGA. The warm spring roll down over a hilly landscape at seventy degrees. From another hill rises a cold spring which joins the warm spring at a confluence at the end maintaining a temperature of thirty seven degrees. Together they form a continuous stream. The whole landscape with its green vegetation is fascinating. The immediate surrounding of the spring (resort centre) is about 31.38 hectares and is protected from erosion by tall evergreen trees, forming a canopy under which visitors can relax.

THE SPRING.

          The Spring as ancient and historic as it is, still looks fresh and good. Its original source have been preserved and maintained. It has also been carved out by the Solid bricks and stones mounted together inform of a bridge and building foundation to serve as its boundary and to check its expansion. The spring has been divided into two (The warm Spring and the Cold Spring).

Like a new born baby, my left feet is romantically pampered; pampered by the mild fingerings of the warm spring, while a shoe of ceaseless tickles swallow my right feet as the cold spring flows by. I am engulfed; engulfed in a halo of ethereal romance. A romance spelt by the letters of a sensual confluence- the confluence of naturally contrasting charges speeding up my blood stream, right from the toes of my feet, up to the strands of hair capping my bald head.

This romance with nature I feel; this lunch with nature is real. Real, not just anywhere, but somewhere; somewhere hidden at the feet of the massive and gorgeous Effon Ridge, robed in lush and verdant forest canopies. This ‘where’ is none other but the enchanting waters of Ikogosi Warm Spring.

Ikogosi is a sleepy town tucked at a unique corner of Ekiti State, south-west Nigeria. The massive Effon Ridge looms above the town, separating it from Ipole-Iloro enclave where the awe-inspiring Arinta Waterfalls reside.

At the warm spring resort, a large swimming pool fed by natural spring waters welcomes visitors. The cool and serene ambience preserved by thick forest canopies gives one a perfect experience. Beneath them lie the main attraction at the resort- warm and cold springs exuding from separate spring points in the quartzite rocks and cruising down naturally-terraced foot slopes of the ridge to form a picturesque confluence beneath a concrete causeway.

Quartzite boulders lie strewn everywhere, constantly laundered by the gentle flows. Fallen tree trunks bridge the spring channels, offering the forest squirrels free passage to all streams. Beneath a pedestrian causeway the confluence of warm and cold streams lay. It is in this pool I stand and spread my legs; one in the warm part and the other in the cool part. Geologists have proved the source of the warm spring to be a deep fracture in the basement, and that its source of heat is due to the normal geothermal gradient of the subsurface and not deep-seated mantle plume beneath the area.

White-clad tourist chalets pile up the slopes at a corner. Short pillars of blue and white lead up to the spring points where a protective structure is erected to avoid contamination of the water source. Derelict cages of the resort’s pre-existing zoo queue up in a forest nearby. So good to know the State government is planning to refurbish and repackage the resort and its facilities; so good to know that Ikogosi warm spring shall not only serve as an immediate source of domestic water for the people of Ikogosi town, but shall soon be an irresistible pull for both local and international tourist traffic, down to our country- this beautiful and lovely country, Nigeria.

HISTORY OF IKOGOSI WARM SPRING.

          We were introduced to a Man called OGUNDIPE THOMAS on getting to the Spring who happens to be the person to tell us the history of the spring and explain and answer any question any of us might have.

          He started the great story by showing and telling us about a tree and a Palm tree that grew/germinated together from the ground at the same time. He said the Palm tree stands for the Warm Spring and that the Tree stands for the Cold Spring. He also showed us a rope and explained in simple terms that in the ancient times, who so ever touches the rope will come across a snake.

THE STORY OF AWO, OORA AND IDERA.

          During Awo festival, Oora and his friend Idera came to the festival. Oora was guilty of carrying the children of the town and disobeyed by dipping is leg into the rival Awo. Awo was furious and cut his leg. With his one leg, he fled and relocated to another town know as Ilesha.  

After this incident, there was another person called Adirin. The said Adirin is also a stream in the town but lies in another area of the town i.e IKOGOSI-EKITI. Adirin asked the people of the town to produce a Cow or else he will town to Ooya (i.e a very big river). The knows if he turns to a big river, it will wash a way the town so they never gave him the Cow but instead, he was tied town by chains. Up till now, if you happen to visit the Adirin strean, you can still be able to see the chain he was tied with then.   

As explained by the man, the two streams (Warm and Cold) were more naturally preserved than now. He said in the ancient times, if you boil the Cold water from Morning till Evening it will not boil but nowadays, due to the continuous boiling of the water, it is also affecting the coldness of the Spring.

He explained that during the raining season, the Spring does not get over flown like any other streams and it does not also dry up during the dry season. There is a place where the two Spring (Warm and Cold Spring) meet up and join together to form a Slightly warm water.

DISCOVERY OF THE SPRING.

          When asked how the IKOGOSI WARM SPRING became known and the first person to discover it, he said the spring was discovered by an American called Rev. Magi. After the discovery of the spring by Rev. Maggi, the Americans built a house very close to the spring in IKOGOSI-EKITI. They may be their for close to two or three weeks before going back to their country. They always come and go and keep spreading the news of the great work of nature.

HEALING POWER WITH BELIEVE.

          Another astonishing fact about the spring is that if you so belief in God and yourself and you have a problem or illness, you can come to the spring to request for help in solving the particular problem and you will promise to come back and give your appreciation. As odd as these may seem, it is real. It has happened to people and they have come back on several occasions to appreciate the help of Spring. However, this doesn’t mean you are turning it to a deity rather you are appreciating the work of God through the Spring. You will not pay a single penny except for the transport fare to the spring. The spring is also a good source of salt in the ancient days.

          The springs came from different sources and pass through different places before it gets to its final destination where tthey both joined together. Thw warm water maintained its warmness right from its source and also the cold water maintained its coldness right from its source. The man also explained that if you pour the waters (Warm and Cold) into a separate containers, the cold will never get dirty but if you pour water from the two streams together in a container, it will get dirty in matter of days.

          After the elaborate explanation of the history of IKOGOSI WARM SPRING, we were shown around the area for sight seeing.

WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT IKOGOSI

Ikogosi Warm Springs runs down a hilly landscape where it forms a confluence with another cold spring from an adjoining hill and merges into one continuous stream. The evergreen tall trees which surround the spring provide the canopy under which visitors relax. The people of Ikogosi worship the goddess of the water and have strong belief in the myth around it. The undulating landscape adds natural beauty to the scenery. it is located in Ekiti State. Back in his motherland in Dublin, an Irish Bishop, Rt. Rev. Richard Burke has seen many wonderful and awe-inspiring sights. But nothing compass with what he recently saw at Ikogosi, a sleepy community in Ekiti Sate. There the Catholic cleric came face to face with an awe-inspiring sight. In that tranquil community, two springs flow side by side. But while one is cold, the other is very warm. And since that experience, Burke has been totally convinced that God truly loved Nigeria. “Nigeria is really a country endowed with bounties of nature but unfortunately, does not utilise the potentials for economic gains,” said the Bishop during a recent chat in Ado-Ekiti. “I have been living in Nigeria for over 30 years now, yet until now, I didn't hear of Ikogosi where cold and warm water meets. That means the government has not been creating the awareness. But I'm grateful to God for making it possible for me to see such wonders at last”, he said. The Bishop said he had never seen or heard of such warm spring all his life. “I believe there is nowhere in the world where cold and warm water meets, except at the Ikogosi spring. Any other one would be man-made, which is artificial. Ikogosi is a miracle of nature and a sacred place where God exhibited his power of creativity”. He appealed to Governor Segun Oni to urgently develop the place to a world class status, lamenting that foreign tourists were not aware of its existence.

OBSERVATION

          Generally and honestly speaking, IKOGOSI WARM SPRING is an outstanding tourist center. An ancient attraction with lots of great and inspiring history. It is also an healing centre. You don’t need to come with goats and lots of goods to worship. All you need is your faith and the believe in God and you be healed by God through the spring.

          The most dis-heartening  part of the journey is knowing that such a great place exist and nothing has been done to promote its existence. It is a very good place for tourism where people can come all over the world to check out and appreciate. It lies their unseen by lots of people who are crazy about tourism and some others who needs to be healed by faith.

          Economically speaking, it will be a great addition to our economy because when you have people flying-in from different parts of the world to see the glorious work of nature like this there is always something in it for the economy of the country.