This is River Benue which is located in Nigeria, a country in West Africa. The river is approximately 1,400 km long and serves as a transportation route. Surrounding the river is a beautiful topography made up of rocks which could serve as a good tourist destination. One particular rock design caught my attention and I was really fascinated by the cave like appearance.
From my standing position, I could take in the breeze from the surrounding waters and I felt like I was in paradise. The trees danced to the direction of the wind and the surrounding clouds looked like it was about to drop from the sky.
Unfortunately, this beauty of nature has been transformed into what looks more like a dump site. Close to the bank of the river is a collection of dump which consists of household waste. To the left of this dump site is a farmland which is presently being used for cultivation.
Grasses are competing with the rocks and are gradually taking over the place. In fact, some of the rocks have been hidden behind the overgrown grasses. Residential structures stand erect and by the looks of things, more structures are on the way.
With the beauty of nature being celebrated all over the globe, one can't help but wonder why this once beautiful scenery could be neglected so much that what is left of it is now an eyesore.
I wondered if the inhabitants were aware of the gold that lies within. A quick chat with a resident who preferred to speak off camera confessed that he acquired his residential land illegally and was not ready to vacate the premises for anything in the world. When probed further, he reiterated on the need for the central government to jettison any idea of transforming the place into a tourist center, as it would cost him his house which he wasn't ready to lose.
Even though I couldn't get any government official to speak on the matter, the question is: For how long will this beauty of nature be neglected?
We should all bear in mind that nature forms the beauty for human existence. The beauty of nature lies in our ability to preserve it, maintain it and pamper it in order to make it better. It is therefore the responsibility of everyone to preserve nature so as to make our world a better place to live in. #mayibtalks
