BY AHERHOKE OKIOMA,YENAGOA.
The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Bayelsa State Governor on Tourism, Hon. Piriye Kiyaramo, has called on tour operators, travel agents and other stakeholders to promote the point of bifurcation of the River Niger into River Nun and River Farcados as a pilgrimage site because of the reported healing effect of its water.
Mr Kiyaramo lamented that despite being used in the past as a spiritual hotspot by people from different faith and creed, making it a potential hub for religious pilgrimages, the site has not been given due recognition and properly preserved as a cultural tourism asset.
Speaking at the Palace of the Odio-Ologbo of Okugbe Isoko Kingdom, Odhe II (JP), His Majesty, Frank N. Okurakpo, during an exploration visit to the point where the River Niger bifurcated (splits) into River Nun and River Farcados, in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Kiyaramo described the site as a unique cultural tourism asset to Bayelsa State and the entire Niger Delta region because of the mystery surrounding the spot.
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Accompanied by the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Bayelsa State Council, Comrade Samuel Numonengi, the governor’s aide explained that the River Niger which has its source from Fouta Djallon mountainous region in West Central Guinea splits into River Nun and River Farcados after meandering through the borders of the Republic of Benin to Nigeria to meet the Atlantic Ocean.
According to Hon. Kiyaramo, the deltaic portion of the River Niger, now referred to as the Niger Delta region, remains an important ecological and commercial zone, being a major site for petroleum production in Nigeria, in addition to its endowment in terrestrial and aquatic wildlife, having a very fertile land for agriculture.
While receiving the entourage of Hon. Kiyaramo, His Majesty, Frank N. Okurakpo, Odhe II (JP) Odio-Logbo of Okugbe Isoko Kingdom, described the bifurcation point of the River Niger into River Nun in Bayelsa and River Farcados in Delta state as the ‘Horn of the Niger Delta region’ where the story of the Niger Delta began decades ago.”
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