Purpose of the trip

I had the opportunity to explore the ancient town of Abeokuta, uncovering the hidden gems within the city. Abeokuta had always been on my bucket list of places to visit in Nigeria, and thanks to XplurNaija, this dream became a reality.

We visited five locations in total, starting with breakfast at The Place before embarking on our tour. Our first major stop was the famous Olumo Rock, where we learned about the rich history of the Egba people. Next, we headed to the Presidential Library (OOPL) to explore its various activities. After that, we visited the renowned Adire Market to admire Abeokuta’s role as the adire capital of Nigeria. Lastly, we made a stop at the Kuti Museum, but unfortunately, we couldn’t access it due to ongoing maintenance.

Interesting discoveries about Abeokuta

• Abeokuta – a name which means “Under the rock” in the Yoruba language
• The land of Abeokuta is known as Egba land and its people are known and called Egba people
• The State ‘’Ogun’’ derives its name from a river (River Ogun) whose Origin starts from Abeokuta and flows across the South Western states in Nigeria; Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo.
• The cathedral church of St. Peters, Ake Abeokuta, is the first church in Nigeria.
• Abeokuta is the home of Prominent Nigerians such as The Kuti’s, President Olusegun Obasanjo and the host of others.
• Olumo rock was a natural fortress for the Egbasduring inter-tribal warfare in the 19th century.  It provided protection to the Egba people when they needed it, and is now held in high esteem by the members of the clan.

Interestingly, we could see all the historical buildings and Landmarks from the peak of Olumo rock.

Fun things to do in Abeokuta

1. Climbing the Olumo rock; Afterall, it is said that you can’t visit Abeokuta without going under the rock.

Interesting discoveries about Olumo rock

• the rock was a natural fortress for the Egbasduring inter-tribal warfare in the 19th century. It provided protection to the Egba people when they needed it, and is now held in high esteem by the members of the clan.
• The rock has a height of 137 meters above sea level which is equivalent to 45 stories.
• At the peak of the rock, you can have the view the whole Abeokuta town.
• There are still traditional worshippers who comes to take care of the rock and environment.
• The paramount Ruler of Egba land must cut the leave of “afobaje” which grows on the Olumo rock terrain to complete the traditional rites of installation.
• There is an Iroko tree of over 100 years which shows the beauty of the vegetation seen around the rock.
• The Lisabi tree is named after a warrior who fought the war in those days
• Olumo rock shows the beauty, history and culture of the Egba people.

2. The Arts Gallery

Interesting discoveries about The Art Gallery.

• It is situated inside the premises of the Olumo rock
• It is divided into 2 sections; where you can pick up souvenir items. Museum

1. Art Gallery: Here you can buy gift items such as sculptures, art works, indigenous handcrafted gifts etc. Though we didn’t pick up gifts, the arts in here were beautiful.
2. Gift shop: Items such as African print school bags, lunch boxes, wears, natural items such as pure honey, coconut oil, sheer butter, indigenous beads etc.
3. The Kuti Museum

This was one of our stop overs, we had hopes of seeing the life histories of the Kutis unfortunately it was under renovation and maintenance.

Interesting discoveries

• It houses the family history of the Kuti’s.
• The family house of the Kutis was in the compound and also a photo studio.

Would love to visit again when they are opened for the public.

4. Adire Market

This market houses the Adire mall which is an ultra-modern market with beautiful shop outlets that span across the road. There is a pedestrian bridge which makes easier for shoppers to navigate the market without crossing the road.

Interesting discoveries

• Abeokuta Adire and Batik market is the largest tie and dye market in the all of the west coast of Africa. It is also known as the Kampala market or the Itoku Market.
• The market is considered the Capital of Adire fabric.
• The market mainly focuses on the sale of adire and Kampala materials, and attracts tens of thousands of traders and tourists alike on a daily basis.
• It is located within proximity from the popular Olumo Rock.

5. Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL)

Entering this compound left me wondering where we were off to, saw different sceneries and tourists were trooping in and out. I enjoyed this the most because I got to experience the famous sip and paint game, while exploring the artist in me. Though I couldn’t explore the whole of OOPL because of time, did had a wonderful experience in the sessions visited.

Interesting discoveries

• It is the first Presidential Library in Africa
• The Presidential library was built by the former President of the federal republic of Nigeria and it was also named after him.
• The Olusegun Obasanjo presidential library is a historical, academic and tourist attractions which serve as an archive for preserving the Nigerian National historical values.
• The Olusegun Obasanjo library is located on 32 hectares of land in the heart of Abeokuta
• The building is a three-storey structure which features a museum, an art gallery, office spaces, hall, library.
• The center houses different facilities such as;

1. Multipurpose hall:  It can take about one thousand five hundred guests.
2. Rounda Fun Spot: This is an amusement park located inside OOPL.
3. The Green Legacy Resort: This is a standard hotel located within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library. It is the perfect place for tourist and relaxation spot. It is a luxurious top of the range resort with world-class facilities. Some of the facilities include a swimming pool, a lounge, a restaurant, gym, spa, twenty-hour power supply etc.
4. OOPL Wildlife Park:Has different species of animals some of which are Lion, Crocodile, Ape, Monkey, Monitor Lizard, Parrot, Camel, Horses, Ostrich, donkey, hawks, Eagle etc.
5. OOPL Museum: Has about 4,000 artefacts and relics of Olusegun Obasanjo’s past life. The Museum is divided into the following, the humble beginning, military career, Imprisonment and Politician, Stateman, mediator.
6. OOPL Books and Souvenir Shop:has a library and gift shop where you can buy books, souvenirs, gift items, card games, board games etc.
7. Amphitheatre: The Amphiteatre is an open-air theatre with a big screen. The amphitheatre hosts a couple of events such as shows, cultural dances etc.
8. OOPL Cinemas:The Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library also has a Cinema where you can watch different kinds of Hollywood and Nollywood movies. The OOPL Cinema is also one of the few cinemas in Abeokuta.

Fun things to do at OOPL

• Learn more about Nigerian history
• Take a picture at the Replica of the Nigerian Oval Office
• Sightsee and enjoy the beautiful views
• Engage in all the Recreational Activities
• visit the Museum
• See relics of Obasanjo’s Personal properties
• Plan an event
• Organize a Picnic
• Visit the zoo
• Watch a movie at the OOPL cinemas
• Lodge at the Green Legacy Resort
• Ride a jetski on the man-made lake
• Visit the OOPL Rounda fun spot amusement park
• Grab some drinks or find something to eat at the bamboo bar and lounge
• Have a panoramic view of the city of Abeokuta from the mountain at the resort
• Sip and paint

Before we left Abeokuta, we had a stop at a popular joint in Abeokuta to enjoy the famous Amala and Gbegiri, because you can’t visit Abeokuta and miss the treat. We boarded the train back to Lagos at about 5:45pm.