Ogun, Nike Art Gallery collaborate to attract 100,000 tourists to Olumo Rock

The Ogun State Government has concluded plans to set up an art gallery at the Olumo Rock Tourist Center in Abeokuta in collaboration with the Nike Art Gallery

The move, which will ensure a more vibrant tourism sector in the State, according to Governor Dapo Abiodun is expected to see a surge in the number of tourists visiting the site from 20,000 annually to over 100,000.

Governor Abiodun stated this on Wednesday when he received the founder of the Nike Art Gallery, Chief (Mrs) Nike Davies-Okundaye, in his Oke-Mosan office, Abeokuta.

The governor said that he has instructed that the Events Center inside the tourist center be converted into an exhibition gallery for the Nike Art Gallery.

The Nike Art Gallery, which was opened in 1983 in Osogbo, Osun State, boasts about 8,000 diverse artworks from various Nigerian artists and also provides training for hundreds of aspiring young performance artists and craftsmen.

“I went to Olumo Rock about a month ago and I decided that we needed to do something about restoring Olumo Rock to its old glory. From statistics, Olumo Rock hosts about 20,000 people a year in its current state, and I felt that we could increase that to at least ten times if something is done about Olumo Rock. I instructed our team; they’ve shut down the place, and the target is to ensure that it is ready by the second week in May because during that period, we are hosting the whole country for the National Sports Festival, and about 15,000 people will be here, and I want them to be able to see our tourist sites.

“Apart from Olumo Rock, I want them to see other tourist sites: we have the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Ransome Kuti’s home, the MKO Abiola’s home, the Centenary Hall, Ake, and the building where the Queen of England stayed when she visited; we have so many attractions, including the Adire market. I felt that all these sites put together must be showcased, and the only way to do that is to ensure that they are well presented.

“When I was there, I thought we need to have a befitting gallery at Olumo Rock. My mind went straight to you because I have visited your gallery many times, and I thought we must have a befitting gallery to complement the quality of work we are putting into the place. They have a hall there that has been used for events; I told them to shut it down. Practically, we want to bring it down and turn it into a gallery for you to use as an exhibition gallery.

“I felt that since you are going to be exhibiting your work there, it should not be a little poky corner; it should be something big enough to present your artwork. Your place in Lagos is on four floors, but this is just a little outlet to showcase what you do. Now that we have ensured that we provide first-class roads, if you leave my office now, you will get to your gallery probably in one hour and twenty minutes, maximum. Now that we’ve succeeded in having the intra and inter-state roads in place, you can come to Ogun State by rail; you can come by air. We’ve constructed one of the best airports in Nigeria, and very soon, you will be able to come to Ogun State by sea,” he said.

The governor added that his administration, in collaboration with Bolanle Austen-Peters, will establish a creative arts and entertainment village in the state, a facility he confirmed would be ready in the next two months.

In her remarks, Chief (Mrs) Davies-Okundaye affirmed the readiness of her foundation to collaborate with the Ogun State Government in promoting the Olumo Rock tourist center and other tourist attractions to the outside world.

She promised that her foundation would help bring foreign heads of state to the Olumo Rock tourist center.