Ipowu Mountain


This is my impressionist artistic representation of Ipowu Mountain in Ogidi, my ancestral birthplace. According to Chief Alphonsus Abiǫdun Ẹhindẹrọ, the Oliha of Ogidi and Baalẹ of Idawẹrọ, Ipowu Mountain is believed to be the highest point in the Kukuruku Highlands, and possibly in both Kogi and Kwara States of Nigeria, with an estimated elevation of about 2,500 feet.

Historically, the mountain served as a strategic natural defence during the Nupe invasion across the River Niger, an incursion largely seen as a reprisal against the Yoruba communities of the Kabba Province in Northern Nigeria for halting their annual tribute of slaves to the Nupe Emirate of Bida. The war ended in 1886.

During the conflict, the people of Ogidi sheltered their non-combatant population, including women, children, the elderly, and the wounded, on top of Ipowu Mountain. The summit, with its fertile and resilient soil, sustained them through that difficult period. Its broad, flat rocky surface served multiple purposes: as a residential area, a marketplace, and a civic centre. Remarkably, the mountain even had its own natural water source, giving rise to the Ologburu Brook.

Today, Ipowu Mountain stands not only as a symbol of resilience and heritage, but also as a prominent tourist attraction, drawing both national and international visitors, particularly during the annual Ogidi Day Festival held each June.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meeting Grace

Image
The first thing that attracted me to Grace was her simplicity and the gentle aura of innocence that characterised her first appearance. She had also come home for Christmas. I liked Grace from the very moment I set eyes on her. I saw her across the road opposite my family home and approached her as if we had met before. This was my usual approach for starting a conversation with any girl I saw, liked, and wanted to know better. She responded with calmness and humility. She had a small camera in her hands, and I asked if she would like to take my picture. With a tone that felt like an unspoken invitation to continue, she said it wouldn’t be necessary. I introduced myself and mentioned that I would like to meet her again if possible. We met a few more times before I left Ogidi for Lagos, but I promised to visit her in Ilorin, where she lived with her parents. Before leaving Ogidi for Lagos, I told my mother I had found the girl I wanted to marry and asked her to find out mor...
Read more

Ogidi’s Quiet Wonder

Image
This painting, Ogidi’s Quiet Wonder, was inspired by a deeply spiritual and serene moment I experienced with my wife in Ogidi, Nigeria, in August 2019. It was around 8 p.m., and we were sitting on the front balcony of our countryside home, immersed in a quiet heart-to-heart conversation, when the moon suddenly rose and cast its luminous glow across Ayọnrọ Mountain. The sight stunned us—it felt like time paused, and the hand of God revealed a piece of heaven. I quickly took a photo, not wanting the moment to slip away. Upon returning to the UK, I translated that fleeting beauty into this 75 x 60 cm acrylic painting on canvas. Today, it hangs in my bedroom and is the first thing I see each morning—a daily reminder of God’s wonder and the grace to witness such beauty. "Beauty is the nature of God," and this piece is my expression of that truth.
Read more

The Birth of Temitayọ

Image
The evening of 6th February 1987 was just another day on my way back from Silsoe. It was a Friday, and Tọpẹ had left her foster parents in Bedford as soon as Grace started her maternity leave. I was rushing home, looking forward to seeing my little daughter. I was also very hungry and exhausted and could not wait to have my dinner. As I was about to put the key in the keyhole to open the door, I noticed that a note had been stuck to our front door. It was dark, so I could not read it properly. I removed it and moved to a place where there was light. It was Grace’s handwriting. She said she had gone to the hospital and that I should go to Akinola’s house—another family friend’s house on the next block—to bring Tọpẹ back home. Akinọla, the first son of one of our Nigerian neighbours, Dr Ọduntan, now deceased, was a few months older than Tọpẹ.  At first, I was nervous. I did not waste any time and went straight to check on Tọpẹ. I met Mrs Ọduntan, who explained that Grace...
Read more