It was noon on Christmas day. A call came in from a friend in Lagos who wanted details of the Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko's fun Park.Dele was insistent and wanted to know what's so special about the park because according to him, his 12-year-old daughter had received a call from a friend of hers who is resident in Akure about ' a colourful Park where Jesus was born.' The friend had visited the park and narrated her experience and since then peace had ceased in Dele's home following the insistence of the daughter that she must visit the park before the end of the yuletide season.Before he takes the entire family on a journey to the Ondo state capital, Dele wanted to be sure the trip was really worth it.At the time of Dele's call, coincidentally, a neighbour was narrating his family's experience at the same park when they visited on Christmas eve. The neighbour had gotten wind of the Park from his son who had insisted that the family visit the spot as part of their Christmas celebrations.According to Dele, the family would be in Akure for the New year celebration to fulfil the aspiration of the daughter. But for those who have been to the Park, it's been a worthwhile experience.The Ondo State government has not been left out in the efforts at making Christmas and New year blissful for the people and also changing the face of the state, particularly, Akure, the capital during the yuletide season. It all started last year when the residents of the town woke up one day and discovered that almost all the poles of the streetlights in the major roads of the town had been decorated with ribbons and cloth depicting the mood of the season. Apart from this, Christmas lights were tied around almost all poles in the city and were being powered by generators that served dedicated metres of the road. Also, a section of the road along Alagbaka, in the cenotaph area, was also decorated with Christmas lights and writings that expressed the logo of the state, 'Ise l'oogun ise'.This innovation was then strange in the state and it added colour to the celebration of Christmas in the capital as people came from far and near to snap pictures at the decorations put in front of the Government House to depict the place of birth of Jesus Christ. It was a beautiful sight. For the period that the lights were on, Akure wore a new look and the people had a wonderful Christmas celebration.With the experience of last year, residents of the town were on the lookout for a repeat of the situation and were expecting the street light poles to again wear clothes and have Christmas lights on them. However, the development took a new turn this year as the poles did not have Christmas lights on them but were given better decorations that caught the attention of people.The government decided to establish a park in front of the Government House, Alagbaka, which serves as a centre of attraction for the people of the town. The park is a portion of land directly in front of the Government House that had been lying fallow since the creation of the state. The large expanse of land was early in the year cleared with lush green grass put on it and provision made for the automated wetting of the arena to make the grass maintain its colour.As Christmas was approaching, the park was turned into another 'Mecca' that residents of Akure and beyond trooped to at night to have a feel of what it looks like. While the park is a beauty to behold at day time, visiting the place at night also gives people a fascinating experience.The trees in the arena were decorated with Christmas lights of different colours, sizes and shapes, while in the heart of the park is a specially designed apartment, a replica of the place where Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, the Manger.The park has become a tourist attraction in the town as many people have turned the arena into a place where their family members can have a nice time and also feed their eyes with the beauty of nature and the decorations that add glamour to the arena.Apart from this, the park is also a money spinning centre for photographers, snacks and soft drink sellers that make quick money by taking shots of people that came calling. Families took their turn to take photographs in different parts and portions of the park especially the Manger. One of such families is that of Mr. Wale Oguntimehin, a banker, who was in the park on Boxing Day with his wife, Temitope and children George and Oluwanifemi. The family got to the park at about 7pm and did not leave until around 10pm. The excitement was so much that when it was time to go home George, a three year old refused to go and he had to be appealed to and cajoled before leaving.Another family that came to the park to have a feel was that of Segun Dada, a lecturer at the Federal university of Technology, Akure (FUTA). Dada came to the park with his wife, Bola and two children to also experience what the area had to offer. According to him, it was a great thing that the state government has foresight to turn the hitherto abandoned arena into a beauty to behold. He said, 'This is one of the things to show that a government is working, this place was like a forest and we have been having governments in this state year in, year out that have not thought of utilizing it. It provides opportunity for people to relax and also take time out of the hustling and bustling associated with our daily lives'.Relishing his experience another caller at the park, Mr. Niyi Adetola, said he got wind of the new park through a friend and decided to come and have a feel, describing it as a good innovation that had changed the landscape of the area.Also speaking on the benefit of the new park to the people, one of the photographers in the arena, Soji Ogedengbe, was full of appreciation to the state government under the leadership of the Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, saying the step had further provided opportunity for people like him to sustain his means of livelihood. According to him, since the creation of the park and with people trooping there every night to experience the illumination, photographers have been making money and smile back home as people always want to take photographs to keep their experience there permanently.The Commissioner for Information and Strategy in the state, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, said the park is one of the demonstrations of the commitment of government to the development of the state and also to the well being of the residents.He said, 'The park, apart from coming in the spirit of the yuletide, it is part of the efforts of the Mimiko led administration to position the state as a tourist attraction and a conducive place for people to conduct their businesses. We want to make the state attractive to tourists because we have discovered that since the coming of this administration most of the indigenes living outside the state have been trooping in every weekend and that is why hotels are always fully booked, so we need to give them what will make them want to stay.'So the park has been serving as a place of leisure for people to spend their holiday as families have been coming and staying till late at night to have a feel of what a responsible government could offer, that is one way to demonstrate that we are committed to the development of tourism'.Akinmade explained that the arena used for the park had been existing for years without any attention from successive government to develop it and turn it to what it is today, saying that the Akure park would not be the end of the innovation of government in this area.The commissioner said, 'The place has been there untapped until the governor discovered the potential, work has been on in the area for sometime, clearing was done before the new grasses and others were put there. It is one of our tourist attractions and we will not stop at that of Akure as we want to put in place one in every major towns of the state in the three senatorial districts. The Akure Park will just serve as a model just like our other programmes like the Mega market, mega schools, mother and child hospital that took off from Akure before being replicated in other parts of the state'.
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