Ilorin, the present day Kwara State capital city, located in the North Central region of Nigeria and one of the ancient cities in the country, is known with many artefacts and historical items which many especially the younger generations do not know much about.
The stone called Okuta Ilorin (stone for sharpening metal objects or iron) is one of such historical items in Ilorin which is also listed as one of the tourist attractions in the state by the state government for possible development.
The stone, according to Daily Trust findings, has a clue as to how the town 'Ilorin' derived its name. It is the stone that one of the founders of Ilorin, known as Ojo Isekuse, used to sharpen his iron tools.
In the past, the stone was deified and worshipped but nowadays it is preserved onlyas a historical piece and no longer worshipped.
One of the elders living in one of the surrounding compounds where the stone is located and who conducted our correspondent round the artefact, Alhaji Idris Magaji Nda, said he grew up to know the stone and heard a lot about it.
"I grew up to know the stone. In 1948, as a young man, the stone used to be a demigod that some people worshipped.
Then we were using clay plates and calabash and every morning we will see palm oil, cock, goat, money and all sorts of edibles placed by the stone. When we made inquiries about it from our elders, we were told the story behind it; that the stone is where Ilorin, today's Kwara State capital's name emanated from which was why they turned it to a demigod that they were serving and making sacrifices to.
"A man named Ojo Isekuse, a hunter, came to Ilorin from Ilesha side which is in Osun State now and he stopped at Alase's compound not too far from where the stone is located. Another man named Eyinla who is also a member of Alase's compound was living in Ilorin's compound where the stone is located. Anytime Isekuse is around, he usually visits Eyinla, discussed and played with him. He will then sharpen his cutlass and other sharp iron objects on the stone.
"It became Isekuse's daily routine anytime he was in Ilorin. Whenever they were looking for him from Alase's compound and couldn't find him, when he returns and they asked him where he had been, he would tell them he was where hewas grinding his irons (where he was sharpening his iron objects)," Magaji Nda narrated.
He further explained that it became a slang that anytime he was going out and they asked him where he was going, he would tell them he was going to 'grind his irons' meaning to sharpen his irons.
"Whenever peoplewere looking for him, those who knew him would tell them to go and check him where he was grinding his irons.
"Other people around also started using the same spot to sharpen their iron objects which later became popular among the people living in the area," the elder said.
Magaji Nda added that Eyinla, from information available to him, was said to be the founder of the area where the stone was located and that he lived there with many of his younger ones.
"It was long after them that Afonja came to Ilorin. Other people met Eyinla in Ilorin who also came from Oyo. Aare Ona Kakanfo, a warlord who is Afonja migrated to Ilorin from Oyo when he had misunderstanding with the then Alaafin where he met Eyinla at the Ilorin compound," he said.
The stone which extended to different parts of the area began to reduce to a very small size as people kept breaking it to build houses or for other things. The small part that still remains stands at the entrance into one of the buildings at Ilorin compound in Idi Ape area of Ilorin.
On how the sacrifice and worship of the stone ended, Magaji Nda said the 8th Emir of Ilorin, Sheik Abdulsalam Atanda, the father of the 10th emir of Ilorin put a stop to placement of sacrifice on the stone.He also ordered that the main spot where irons were sharpened in those days should be left and that nobody should build house on it or break it.
He said, "those brought the sacrifices had also embraced Islam which made is easy for them to abide by the emir's directive."
The stone has become one of the artefacts and historical items in Ilorin which many tourists from far and near have continued to troop in to see and write about it.
But neither the state nor federal government has made any move to do anything about it,other than promises not fulfilled.
"We keep hearing so many things about government's plan on it. Students from different schools have also visited this place. There is no misunderstanding between family members of the compound where the stone is located. It is only that government has not shown any serious concern about it which they ought to do. Although, when late Muhammed Lawal was governor, he showed sign of seriousness about it but he died shortly after.
"There is no special care for the stone like they do to others in some parts of the country except that the people living around the stone usually narrate the story behind it to any visitor who is interested to know about it. Some usually appreciate them while some do not but we don't charge anybody a kobo for visiting the place and we are not allowed to build on it.
"Some tourists have come, broken and taken some pieces of the stone away. In fact some white men who visited here had wanted to remove and take it away completely while some herbalists and traditionalists usually break and took part of it for God knows what but that has been stopped now," he said.
When asked if the family would allow government to take charge of it, he said, they will definitely accept because it will be of great benefit to them since everybody wants development. "They are ready to support government's decision at developing the area for tourism," he said.
Meanwhile, the Kwara State government said it is working to develop all tourist sites in the state to generate more revenue and Okuta Ilorin is one of the proposed sites identified for development.
The special assistant to Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed of the state, Mr. Femi Adebayo, said they are already looking for investors that will partner with state government to develop the tourist sites in the state.
"We have seen some investors who showed interest in partnering with us but we want to be sure they are serious about it after which we will meet the family and discuss modalities of how we are going to develop it with them," Adebayo said.
With the development in and around Okuta of Ilorin, many wonder how its development will be because many family and houses would be affected.
When next you are in Ilorin, Okuta Ilorin is a must visit tourist site for every visitor who cherishes history.
