Journeying through the smooth and undulating terrains of Enugu and Benue to view the miracle of the Sun, private apparitions and the penance track, all hallmarks of the ancient town of Aokpe Pilgrimage Centre. Omomlola Itayemi report.
People of Aokpe, Benue State in the near future will not need agriculture, for God has given them the pilgrimage. Thousands of devotees and pilgrims both indigenes and non-indigenes were at Aokpe Pilgrimage Center from 1st - 4th August this year to attend the 21st Special Day of Grace Anniversary Celebration which is the anniversary of the Holy Visitation of Our Blessed Lady, the Mediatrix of all Graces.
From the highway, it’s just another idyllic town with its red sand and green fauna. Aokpe is a tiny remote village in the Idoma speaking territory of Nigeria. The remote village has no potable water, telephone or electricity and the road connecting it to the nearest town of Ugbokolo, about six kilometers away, is untarred, narrow and rough but it’s fast gaining world attention. About 99% of the people are catholic and they usually recite the rosary with great devotion. So popular has Aokpe pilgrimage center become that the newly installed Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has shown significance interest in harnessing its potential in partnership with the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC). He stressed that time had come for a diversification of the economy from the mono-oil economy to a multi-economy and that tourism is one of the preferred sectors. Also the boost this would give the rural economy and the multiplier effects from this.
Religious or faith-based tourism is a money spinner if well-harnessed. The hajj, which all Muslims aspire to do at least once in their lifetimes, now brings in $16.5 billion, around 3% of Saudi GDP. Jerusalem, a holy city for all three Abrahamic religions, also draws crowds of pilgrims, and huge numbers of Shia Muslims visit shrines in Iraq. The UN’s World Tourism Organisation estimates that over 300 million people go on pilgrimages each year. Countless others visit shrines or sacred places.
Religious tourism is not new. It dates back to Moses leading his people through Sinai “with God as their tour guide”. In medieval times, Venetian traders took Europeans on trips to the Holy Land. Israel has long promoted religious tourism. Yet most countries have been slow to profit from their religious sites.
There have been many apparitions of the blessed Mary, mother of Jesus Christ all over the world. In Africa, the first acknowledged appearances were in Egypt where her images and shapes appeared on a wall for several nights and at Kibeho, Rwanda which is already recognized by the Church as a Marian site.
The first acknowledged apparition of the Blessed Mary on Nigerian soil took place 23 years ago at Aokpe, a small village about seven kilometers from Ugbokolo in Okpokwu, Benue. In October 1992, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a 12 year old girl, Christiana Inegbu Agbo (the visionary) who could neither read nor write and have no idea of “the beautiful and shinning lady” appearing before her.
Thereafter, the Blessed Mary made consistent appearances which lasted till September 2004, which the visionary described as the last appearance and last message. The main public apparitions were between August 1994 and May 1996.
The most prominent was on August 4 1994, declared as the Special Day of Grace by the blessed Mary herself and celebrated since then by the devotees of Aokpe. Apart from the supernatural appearances of the Blessed Mary, other remarkable experiences at Aokpe are the miracles, deliverances, conversions and headings that took place during the apparitions and thereafter. The most significant are the miracle of the Sun and healing from Holy Spring water.
Countries lacking their own religious landmarks are now trying to create them. In June Dubai’s authorities announced plans to build a Holy Koran theme park, with walls depicting stories from the Koran and a garden of plants mentioned in it. Dubai is betting that the pious are as profitable as the shoppers and fun-seekers that it currently attracts.
Be aware that in unstable economic times religious travel is often less prone to economic ups and downs. Because faith-based travelers are committed travelers they tend to save for these religious or spiritual experiences and travel despite the state of the economy. Faith travelers tend to have different motives for travel then do travelers for other reasons. For example, the faith-based traveler often travels as part of a religious obligation, to fulfill a spiritual mission or to show support for a particular cause. During economically difficult times faith-based travel can provide a steady flow of income to a local tourism economy.
With regard to pilgrimage sites and destinations, sustainability entails taking steps to equip and maintain — often ancient — monuments that must be protected and restored, as well as providing environmental protection for natural sites using access ways and traffic corridors in order to prevent congestion and not exceed load capacities.
Insufficient Infrastructure…
If the indigenes of Aokpe do intend to divest from Agriculture, then the right infrastructure need to be on ground. The long road that leads to the centre from the highway is very bad and a complete disaster during rainy season.
Though hotel chains are yet to dot the landscape of Aokpe, the Pilgrimage centre boasts of its own range of accommodation which might not be sufficient when the huge number of both domestic and international tourists arrive.
Accessibility to the centre through air and road should also be top priority. Private sector participation in terms of supporting the infrastructure on ground as well as government contribution will further help in positioning it as an international tourist centre.
Commerce in Full Gear…
Souvenir shops do such a roaring trade despite not too conducive environment. The various food kiosks in buka style served different delicacies to suit different palates. Music blaring from cars selling CDs played popular catholic playlists of Contemporary Catholic liturgical music.
Benefits of A Marian Site…
Apart from the spiritual benefits, the presence of a Marian Site is of immense benefit not only to the locality but the entire nation. It is estimated that once the Catholic Church gives its formal approval and recognition to Aokpe as a Marian site, Nigeria could earn billions of naira from pilgrims who will throng the site from all over the world.
Benue Government Lifts Aokpe Pilgrimage Centre …
After several years of neglect, Governor Ortom has promised to support the Aokpe Prilgrimage Centre, near Ugbokolo. He spoke at the 21st anniversary of the centre at the Our Lady of Aokpe Mediatrix of All Ages.
Ortom, who was represented by Director of Tourism, Mrs Dooter Ajoko, reiterated his administration’s commitment to tourism, saying that the government takes pilgrimage seriously and has spent much on sponsoring people on pilgrimage. He said tourism was a big money spinner which can boost the economic fortunes of a country.
He stressed that time had come for a diversification of the economy from the mono-oil economy to a multi-economy and that tourism is one of the preferred sectors.
The Aokpe apparition ground has become a prominent religious tourist site/destination that deserves international attention and which I believe the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation would project considering its significance as a pilgrimage centre.
The importance of pilgrimage to Christianity and Islamic religion cannot be over-emphaised. If you consider the volume of pilgrims who troop to Mecca, Jerusalem and Rome for pilgrimage viz-a-viz the monetary value on the economy, and you imagine that replicated here in Aopke, not only would the rural economy get a boost but the state and country at large would benefit from the multiplier effects of these,” he said.
Ortom stressed that as soon as the pilgrimage centre is authenticated, some of the pilgrims would come and perform their religious duties at Aopke, noting that government is very willing and ready to provide the necessary enabling environment for the realisation of authentication of Aokpe as a pilgrimage centre.
Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism Mr Sekav Dzua Iyortyom recalled that 20 years ago, the story of apparition in Aokpe of mother Mary started and her consistent appearance to Christiana Inebu Agbo. He noted that there were apparitions in Mexico, France, Portugal, Egypt and Rwanda but that ‘our own joy today is that we are also recognised by nature to see with our own eyes what we used to hear.’
Today, as Aokpe comes on the Nigerian Tourism map, we should expect that the world would also come here to our door step just as we go to Israel and Mecca for pilgrimage. God in His infinite mercy has provided us what we have been praying for. It is now left for us to sustain it. We thank God the Catholic Church has developed this place and we pledge to encourage them, he added.
Mrs. Ajoko assured that the government was determined to develop tourism as income from oil has continued to dwindle. She said tourism was one of the priority areas the new administration is given attention to generate income alongside agriculture, entrepreneurship development and creating enabling environment for industry to strive.
With Aokpe, government intends to promote it to encourage domestic tourism instead of spending foreign exchange on pilgrimage abroad. Unfortunately, not many people in Benue are aware of the centre at Aokpe. So, the government wants to promote and develop the centre, she said.
According to her, the state government has concluded plans to revive the Makurdi Airport and construct the access road to Aokpe recalling that past administrations in the state started the seven kilometre Ugbokolo-Aokpe road project, which was abandoned. Mrs Ajoko praised Mrs Sally Mbanefo led Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) for the promotion of domestic tourism, which she said, has lots of multiplier effects on job creation.
Director Benue State Council for Arts and Culture, Mr Terseer Aernyi, assured that tourism can drive the economy because the state has all it takes – cuisine, dance and folklore to offer tourists.
He however observed that for Aokpe Pilgrimage Centre to thrive, the road leading to it should be made accessible and conducive for pilgrims. He added that government is keen in turning the centre around as one of the best in Africa.
On what kept the state troupe successful, he said: “We have had lots of encouragement from successive administrations. That has been our source of strength and it forces us to do more.”
Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mrs Sally Uwechue Mbanefo, said Aokpe Pilgrimage Centre was one of the many religious sites in Nigeria that needed to be promoted within and outside the country. She noted that NTDC in line with its statutory mandate recognises and identifies Aokpe Pilgrimage Centre as a religious tourism site worthy of recognition and onward publicity on the corporation’s website to attract more foreign pilgrims all over the globe.
“This will form part of religious tourism like the Winners’ Shiloh and Redeemed Church convention which hold every December in Ota and Lagos respectively. In view of the importance of this site to the good people of Benue State, Aokpe community and Nigeria at large, I hereby approve and authenticate Aokpe Pilgrimage Centre as religious tourism site under the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation Act which encourages religious tourism in Nigeria,” she added.
On statistics, the boss of NTDC had this to say,” we are here to collect statistics, that’s part of our job and my staff has been on it from the first day. We are looking at an increased number of tourists, the monthly pilgrimage attracts 2,000 people and the yearly one attracts 25,000 people. By this time next year we should see a profound increase in number.”
The Visionary..
The visionary Mrs Christiana Agbo Ejeh, a lawyer, said the Blessed Virgin Mary started appearing to her since 1992 when she was 12 and that Virgin Mary told her she would appear on August 4, 1994 to bestow grace on her children.
Virgin Mary told me that every August 4 should be set aside to celebrate a special day of grace, she said.
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