Oguta lake has a rich history mixed with myth and wonder, it is a tourism delight beckoning to be explored.
By Echewe Ruth Chidera
It’s amazing how the simple things of life sometimes turn out to be the most interesting part of our life, thereby creating within us pictorial evidence of God’s peerless creations. Nature, itself, could be regarded as a storyteller without words but can entice our sight and feed our minds with awe-inspiring features that substitute words. A deep dive into this nature’s art (Oguta Lake) will paint a better picture that steals your breath even before you can breathe.
After about 30 minutes drive from the urban part of Owerri, down into the suburbs of Oguta community, where, the foremost Oguta Lake popularly known as Blue Lake can be found, my crew and I had to take a moment to admire the frontal view of the lake which greeted us with the sight of traders who were trying to get their oil containers across the lake as Oguta is well known for its large-scale oil production, which most of the community members live by. One could also see the welcoming sight of some women on the bank doing laundry while another set of women was selling dried fish, which I was later told were from the lake.
On another side of the lake, you could also find boatmen waiting for visitors or traders to ferry across the lake. There were also fishermen getting their nets ready to be cast into the lake’s depths. While admiring the scenery that the lake presents, we saw three people who seemed like boatmen heading our way to inquire whether we would need a boat cruise back and forth the lake. There were tour guides who are available on request to take you around the lake and share histories and stories of the lake. As inquisitive as we were, we, instead, went for one of the tour guides who agreed to take us around and tell us stories about the lake for ₦2,000. We went towards the area where some cruise boats were stationed and we were informed by the boat driver that a boat ride was ₦3,000. We weighed our options and opted for them.
Matrimonial dissonance and war
Our tour guide was kind enough to take us to specific interest areas around the lake, one of which is the well-known confluence. I noticed how the lake seemed to be segmented into two parts as Chidubem, our tour guide, explained that there is a myth behind this. He went on to tell us that the most popular story behind the outlook of the lake can be traced to Ogbuide, who is believed to be the green part of the lake as a female, and Urashi, the brown water of the lake as a male. History has it that these two were once a married couple but later separated as a result of an irreconcilable argument – hence they lost direction and parted ways and ever since, have had to flow separately without having a meeting point because neither of them wants to concede to the other. With time, the people of Oguta immortalized them as gods with their individual worship shrines.
We also visited what could be described as an abandoned 18-hole golf course, surrounded by bushes that housed what looked like a bunker used by Biafran forces during the civil war, emphasizing the fact that the lake bears a lot of historical virtues and people don’t even know about it. He explained that the lake was also used as a base by the Nigerian Navy during the war, as he showed us some remnants of old Biafran war boats that can be found in various areas of the lake. One could see the pride with which Chidubem talked about the lake and the different stories related to it. He explained that as a child, his grandfather, who was a fisherman used to bring him here and he would witness how busy the place would always be compared to now, especially when the Oguta Lake Resort was still functioning but looked like a ghost town when we arrived there.
According to Chidubem, the resort used to serve as an accommodation spot for tourists who would visit the lake but as he went on, he began to smile as he showed us what looked like a five-star hotel. It’s amazing to know that such a relaxation spot exists in the Oguta community.
Crystal Lake Resort signals a rebirth
According to him, Crystal Lake Resort has been able to make up for what the previous resort could not do and now people can feel relaxed and even stay extra days if they want to with every comfort they would ever need. Based on what Chidubem had to say and what one could see, it’s evident that Oguta Lake and its immediate environment deserve a facelift if for no reason, to preserve one of the many wonders that Nigeria is so blessed with and the fact that the people of Oguta and the communities that surround it, know the lake as a source of transport, food, and sustenance. For them, the natural wonder is an integral part of their lives.
After we seemed to have had quality sightseeing of the nooks and cranny of the lake, three hours later, we headed back to the boat boarding area but had to slow down due to high tide to prevent the boat from capsizing though we all had life jackets on. Thanks to our tour guide, who seemed pretty good at his job. Back at the beachside, we saw people already swimming and playing ball and there were even more people this time wanting an opportunity to board a boat to get to the confluence.
It is undoubted that Oguta Lake remains one of Nigeria’s tourist destinations, and if well repackaged and promoted, can attract tourists from far and near, as well as boost the cultural heritage of the Oguta people and by extension, Imo State.
Echewe Ruth Chidera, a blogger and creative writer, lives in Enugu.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
