Ibrahim Makanjuola: Why we’re travelling to Mambilla Plateau
A few days ago, I exchanged emails with Ibrahim Makanjuola, founder of Getittome Travels and one of the co-founders of Nigeria Tourism Lovers. I asked about what inspired his entry into the Nigerian tourism industry, his many adventures around the country (24 states, and counting), and the most recent group tours his travel community has been on.
What’s the story of Nigeria Tourism Lovers? In other words, what was the inspiration for it, or what circumstances led to it? And how long ago was this?
Hmmmm… this was in 2017 after I had been thinking about it for a while. I have always been of the idea that as a student one is to give back, not just take from, the school. For this reason, I started my brand called IBM Tours Ltd, while I was still at the university; but at some point, someone saw it and wanted me to come work with him, but on the condition that I would have to drop my own brand.
I was really disturbed by this, but after much thinking, I agreed; even so, I started thinking about how I could be of help to the local tourism industry. That was when I decided to create a platform to promote Nigeria to Nigerians: I named it NIGERIA TOURISM LOVERS.
You’ve just organised a two-day group adventure to Osun State, over the Easter holidays. How did that go, and where is the adventure headed next year?
It was a superb, wonderful experience with a wonderful set of tourists. We tagged it EASTER IN OSUN, as it is a culture of Nigeria Tourism Lovers to sponsor 100+ tourism enthusiasts to a destination annually. We do this to promote the destination, because we target not-well-known destinations. This year was at a beautiful waterfall in Osun state called Ayikunugba Waterfall in a lovely and peaceful community called Oke Ila Orangun.
About next year: we haven’t made a decision about the state, but we are open to any state that is ready to work with us.
You’re also about to go on an adventure to the Mambilla Plateau with a small group of hiking enthusiasts. What’s the objective of this trip, and what should the public expect from the adventure?
Yeah, exploring Mambilla was an idea from members of our community and Mambilla is a destination everyone should visit before they die, to paraphrase a co-initiator of NTL, Nwachukwu Kingsley. He is absolutely right and we are going there to also promote the beauty of this destination.
For a fact, Mambilla has a lot to offer the world’s travelling community: beautiful landscapes, multiple hills, mountains, and waterfalls; and it is also the highest point in Nigeria. In addition to all these, the largest national park in Nigeria — Gashaka Gumti National Park — is on the Mambilla Plateau.
What’s your assessment of tourism in Nigeria, and the tourist attractions, based on the ones you’ve seen so far?
There is so much to be done. As a country, we are seriously lagging behind and we believe that the tourism potential of Nigeria is enough to sustain our country’s economy. The domestic tourism industry still faces significant challenges that need to be addressed before it can fully thrive. If we could have three things sorted, Nigeria will be a massive tourist magnet: road infrastructure, security and power.
Most Nigerians hold back from travelling around Nigeria, citing insecurity and poor infrastructure. But here you are crisscrossing various parts of the country with fellow Nigerians. What keeps you going, in spite of the odds?
From my last answer, it is glaring that I know security is an issue in our country but this is what we always say in NTL: “Follow who know road”. Nigeria is one of the best countries to travel in and have fun. The country is safe. If you do your homework and work with knowledgeable professionals, you will get the best of our country.
What are some of your memorable experiences travelling around Nigeria?
Well, everywhere have been in Nigeria was a beautiful experience, but visiting Omo Forest Reserve (Ogun State) was one of my best experiences. The reserve is located away from civilisation; there was no mobile network to either browse or call. And when it came time to shower, we had to do so in the stream — and that water was so cold. I also remember that we listened to birdsongs throughout, even when we went elephant tracking. And we were surrounded on every side by rich green vegetation.
Some of my other memorable experiences are: Agbomkim waterfalls (Cross River), Obudu Mountain Resort (Cross River), and the sand dunes in Yusufari (Yobe state). It’s a long list, but I’ll stop at these three.
Are you only focused on promoting travel in Nigeria, or do you have your eyes on other countries on the continent?
With Nigeria Tourism Lovers, the aim is to promote Nigeria to Nigerians but we have a sister community that we use to target offbeat parts of the world and also encourage people to travel like we are doing to Taraba state now. It is called Strictly WakaWaka, and we are working on using this platform to promote any country or destination that wishes to work with us.
How do interested persons join the NTL movement? And what is NTL up to for the rest of the year?
To join the group you are free to reach out to me on WhatsApp (+234) 8178198733, or click on the link on our Instagram bio. Note that you must be doing something already about tourism, so we know you are worthy of joining us. About what we have for the rest of the year, I’ll say so much. We host some programs monthly, such as the One-on-One Tourism gist (on our WhatsApp platform); movie night at the beach, and many more. Other things we have in our plans are a Tour Operators’ Workshop, the NTL annual hangout, and others.
