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By Okorie Uguru
Former Special Adviser to the late President Muhammadu Buhari on Political Affairs, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, has described the recently unveiled tourism site, the Ugele mountain caves in Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State as magnificent, promising to bring potential investors to look at the site. He said: “This is magnificent. I thank God that I am alive when this place is being developed. I also want to thank the state’s Deputy Governor. I know all that she has gone through to make this possible. We also must thank the governor himself for the encouragement that he has given to tourism.”
He made this promise as a special guest during the 2026 Hike Ekiti Mountain Safari 8.0 programme held at the foot of Ugele hills at Ikere-Ekiti. The programme was organised by the Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development in collaboration with the Discover Ekiti Tourism Club.
Ojudu, a former senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, promised to use his contacts and network to develop the place. He said: “I can tell that with my own resources and knowledge and network, we will develop this place. I once flew to Brazil to climb a hill. It was not even as spectacular as this. If one can travel to Brazil to climb a hill, why would one not climb the one at the back of his house? So, this is something that is going to be great. I can assure you, I am bringing some people who are interested in funding resorts to this place in two weeks’ time to come and look at it and take a survey. Then we will draw a plan.”
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Earlier, the Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Princess Monisade Christiana Afuye, who was the Special Guest of Honour at the event, commended the leadership of the state’s tourism bureau for making the exploration and unveiling of the cave possible, Just as she lauded the state governor for the approval of the tourism project. She said the event was part of the deliberate commitment of the Biodun Abayomi-led administration to put Ekiti on the global tourism map. She continued: “I am so excited, because in history, tourism is part of progress in any community. Apart from the revenue it generates, it creates jobs for the locals. This is not just a cave, it is a story carved by nature itself—an extraordinary blend of history, culture, and breathtaking landscape waiting to be experienced by the world.”
She also addressed the concerns of some members of the community who feared that tourism development could lead to the loss of ancestral lands. She reassured them that the government’s intention is not to take over their heritage, but to empower them through tourism. ”
The state’s tourism bureau head, Wale Ojo-Lanre, described the Ugele mountain caves the best rock settlement in Nigeria for its uniqueness. He said: “You can do anything here: hold a meeting without crouching, sleep, drink and relax. The apartments are full of many rooms. There is a sitting room, apartments, room and parlour, the long walkway are all there. So, I am not comparing. The Ugele cave is just unique in its own right.
“Today is not just another day. Today is a declaration, a bold statement. It is a living testimony that Ekiti is not just a land of knowledge-but a land of wonder, mystery, breathtaking natural endowments waiting to be explored, experienced and celebrated.
“What you are about to experience here at Ugele Rock Shelter Settlement is not ordinary. This is history carved by nature. This is heritage preserved in stone. This is the sacred convergence of geology, culture, and ancient human civilization.”
