NIGERIA has been asked by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to submit its tourism plan for the Osun-Osogbo Grove to enable the global community benefit from its rich cultural and spirited endowments.

The plan, the world body remarked, must be sustainable and cover the symbolic and ritual qualities of the grove located in Osun State.

Through its World Heritage Committee, UNESCO also wants Nigeria to re-examine the decisions of the committee adopted last July in Durban, South Africa, on the grove and forward any amendment to its secretariat on or before Thursday, October 20, 2005.

In a letter to the Permanent Delegation of Nigeria to UNESCO the Director of World Heritage Centre, Francesco Bandarin, said that the WHC Secretariat was mandated to send to "each state party with a newly inscribed property map of the area(s) inscribed'' with an appeal that "any discrepancies in the information'' should be forwarded to the secretariat in Paris by October 20, 2005."

The National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) in charge of the Osun-Osogbo Grove, was also asked by UNESCO to examine the brief description of the site prepared by ICOMOS and the World Heritage Centre.

"As these brief descriptions will be used in later publications, as well as on the World Heritage web site, we would like to have your full concurrence with their wording. Please examine these descriptions and inform us, by October 20, 2005 at the latest, if there are changes that should be made. If we do not hear from you by this date, we will assume that you are in agreement with the text as prepared."

Mr. Akin Liasu, Acting Director, Monuments, Heritage and Sites of NCMM, confirmed the receipt of the letter. He said that the minor amendment had not been forwarded to the WHC Secretariat. Liasu, who is participating in the on-going UNESCO 33rd General Conference, is however optimistic that the amendment will reach the secretariat soon.

According to him, the NCMM wants on incorporation of "the grove that attracts a lot of people from all part of the world particularly the Africans in Diaspora because of the nature of Osun-Osogbo festival" as part of the grove's descriptions.

Liasu noted that the addition was to underscore the uniqueness of the grove as a tourist attraction. He also remarked that his commission would want the grove to be described as "the tropical rainy forest" as against the current description as "dense forest."

The museum chief said that the NCMM office in Abuja had been contacted to send the amendment to the WHC secretariat in Paris without further delay.

The commission, Liasu said, was putting in place a tourism plan that would take care of the crowd that the site attracts during special festivals.

"We had the management plan of the forest itself. But the WHC is advising that we need a tourism plan for us to be able to get the best of the grove. That is what we are doing. We are also advised to look for a way of putting together in a wholistic manner the management of all the cultural and natural diversity of the forest", Liasu said.

He noted that the focus of the NCMM had been mainly on cultural with little attention on the natural aspect."

He believes that the tourism plan will be ready before the 2006 Osun-Osogbo festival during which the state government is billed to celebrate the new status of the grove.

Liasu is assured that his commission was working on a strategic plan to create Starvation and Buffer zones within the grove. "In the Buffer zone, we expect that a lot of things will be done there. Buildings, craft villages, craft centres where artists carry out their normal works and produce materials for tourists. Hotels that will provide cheap accommodation for tourists are some of the facilities that the commission is working on."

The NCMM director does not believe that the non-membership of Nigeria in WHC will affect the country plan to have more sites inscribed on the UNESCO Site. 'Nigeria is still a state member, so, you have the right to attend all meetings. Though you will not be part of the 21-member states of the World Heritage Committee, but there is access to all meetings and resolutions of the committee as long as Nigeria remains one of the states parties of UNESCO General Conference.''

On the issue of getting more sites from Nigeria inscribed, Liasu said: "This year, we have made arrangements, in our budget, for another two or three sites to be inscribed. For instance, we are thinking of Ehor in Benin, Edo State; Earthworks in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State; Oban Hill in Calabar, Cross River and Ogbonike in Anambra State. Any of these that we are able to work on quickly, we will send them in.''

The WHC has reiterated its commitment to collaborate with Nigeria to ensure the proper conservation of the grove.

According to Bandarin, the inscription of the property on the World Heritage List is an excellent opportunity to draw the attention of visitors to, and remind local residents of the World Heritage Convention and the outstanding universal value of the property.

He said that "in many cases, State Parties decide to hold a ceremony to commemorate the inscription of a property on the list. Upon request to the WHC by the State Party, a World Heritage Certificate can be prepared for such an occasion."

Upon inscription last July in South Africa, the WHC had requested the State Party of Nigeria to consider how the management of the natural qualities of the grove could be strengthened through being integrated into the management of the cultural qualities.

Also requested then was the information, as soon as possible, on the closure of the tarmac road.

UNESCO seeks Nigeria's tourism plan for Osun Grove

From Kabir Alabi Garba, Paris, France . Guardian. 18.10.05

NIGERIA has been asked by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to submit its tourism plan for the Osun-Osogbo Grove to enable the global community benefit from its rich cultural and spirited endowments.

The plan, the world body remarked, must be sustainable and cover the symbolic and ritual qualities of the grove located in Osun State.

Through its World Heritage Committee, UNESCO also wants Nigeria to re-examine the decisions of the committee adopted last July in Durban, South Africa, on the grove and forward any amendment to its secretariat on or before Thursday, October 20, 2005.

In a letter to the Permanent Delegation of Nigeria to UNESCO the Director of World Heritage Centre, Francesco Bandarin, said that the WHC Secretariat was mandated to send to "each state party with a newly inscribed property map of the area(s) inscribed'' with an appeal that "any discrepancies in the information'' should be forwarded to the secretariat in Paris by October 20, 2005."

The National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) in charge of the Osun-Osogbo Grove, was also asked by UNESCO to examine the brief description of the site prepared by ICOMOS and the World Heritage Centre.

"As these brief descriptions will be used in later publications, as well as on the World Heritage web site, we would like to have your full concurrence with their wording. Please examine these descriptions and inform us, by October 20, 2005 at the latest, if there are changes that should be made. If we do not hear from you by this date, we will assume that you are in agreement with the text as prepared."

Mr. Akin Liasu, Acting Director, Monuments, Heritage and Sites of NCMM, confirmed the receipt of the letter. He said that the minor amendment had not been forwarded to the WHC Secretariat. Liasu, who is participating in the on-going UNESCO 33rd General Conference, is however optimistic that the amendment will reach the secretariat soon.

According to him, the NCMM wants on incorporation of "the grove that attracts a lot of people from all part of the world particularly the Africans in Diaspora because of the nature of Osun-Osogbo festival" as part of the grove's descriptions.

Liasu noted that the addition was to underscore the uniqueness of the grove as a tourist attraction. He also remarked that his commission would want the grove to be described as "the tropical rainy forest" as against the current description as "dense forest."

The museum chief said that the NCMM office in Abuja had been contacted to send the amendment to the WHC secretariat in Paris without further delay.

The commission, Liasu said, was putting in place a tourism plan that would take care of the crowd that the site attracts during special festivals.

"We had the management plan of the forest itself. But the WHC is advising that we need a tourism plan for us to be able to get the best of the grove. That is what we are doing. We are also advised to look for a way of putting together in a wholistic manner the management of all the cultural and natural diversity of the forest", Liasu said.

He noted that the focus of the NCMM had been mainly on cultural with little attention on the natural aspect."

He believes that the tourism plan will be ready before the 2006 Osun-Osogbo festival during which the state government is billed to celebrate the new status of the grove.

Liasu is assured that his commission was working on a strategic plan to create Starvation and Buffer zones within the grove. "In the Buffer zone, we expect that a lot of things will be done there. Buildings, craft villages, craft centres where artists carry out their normal works and produce materials for tourists. Hotels that will provide cheap accommodation for tourists are some of the facilities that the commission is working on."

The NCMM director does not believe that the non-membership of Nigeria in WHC will affect the country plan to have more sites inscribed on the UNESCO Site. 'Nigeria is still a state member, so, you have the right to attend all meetings. Though you will not be part of the 21-member states of the World Heritage Committee, but there is access to all meetings and resolutions of the committee as long as Nigeria remains one of the states parties of UNESCO General Conference.''

On the issue of getting more sites from Nigeria inscribed, Liasu said: "This year, we have made arrangements, in our budget, for another two or three sites to be inscribed. For instance, we are thinking of Ehor in Benin, Edo State; Earthworks in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State; Oban Hill in Calabar, Cross River and Ogbonike in Anambra State. Any of these that we are able to work on quickly, we will send them in.''

The WHC has reiterated its commitment to collaborate with Nigeria to ensure the proper conservation of the grove.

According to Bandarin, the inscription of the property on the World Heritage List is an excellent opportunity to draw the attention of visitors to, and remind local residents of the World Heritage Convention and the outstanding universal value of the property.

He said that "in many cases, State Parties decide to hold a ceremony to commemorate the inscription of a property on the list. Upon request to the WHC by the State Party, a World Heritage Certificate can be prepared for such an occasion."

Upon inscription last July in South Africa, the WHC had requested the State Party of Nigeria to consider how the management of the natural qualities of the grove could be strengthened through being integrated into the management of the cultural qualities.

Also requested then was the information, as soon as possible, on the closure of the tarmac road.