Who readily remembers Logoji River? This was the stream that was highly dreaded during our childhood those days. Back then, we would stroll down to fetch water and swim almost half a kilometer distance from Methodist High School, Okitipupa, for those of us in boarding house. From home, it’s almost a kilometer long trek, always clutching our shinning aluminum colour pails on our head.
Today, Logoji is now literarily inside town, thanks to former Governor Olusegun Agagu who tarred almost a hundred streets(both long and short) and made virtually all parts of Okitipupa motorable. A drive through streets around the vicinity of new site, Apata areas will attest to this. Navigate to streets around Okeloro, Okeraye, Lebi, Royal Road, Oke-Oyinbo, etc,….Don’t stop there, find your way through Ayeka and the connecting flyover leading to Irele/Ajagba and you won’t but thumb up for Agagu legacies because all the Governors that came after him appeared to have halted progress and development in the entire Ikale/Ilaje/Apoi territories. May the memory of Agagu continue to be sweet.
Back to Logoji, I was home few days ago and decided to have a feel of that river. But alas, Logoji appeared to have disappeared, due to climate change and other contributory effects of environmental degradation. Don’t know what happened, all I saw was a narrow stream, having no life again. Not even one bird I could see! Not even one human being on sight. Yes, the vegetative cordoning is still very much around but Logoji is now more known for beautiful houses than for the river. Not even the sight of those Urhobos doing palm oil and their traditional deity worship were seen. Next time I visit, I’d bring updates on Rivers Yewa and Ofe. Abi, which other rivers did you swim in?
