OLONILUA
When
passing
through
Alagbaka in Akure, one cannot but notice
the edifice on Fiwasaye Roundabout, which
was built about six months ago. The
structure is ringed with silver railings and it
has about three openings that serve as
entrance and exit points.
In the evening, the roundabout comes alive
with funseekers, who troop there to
unwind. The place is usually busy during
the weekend, especially on Sundays.
A resident, Jimoh Rasheed, compares the
roundabout to other structures in overseas
countries and says it is better to hang out
there than to visit a pub.
“I live in Akure and I have been here since
1992. I like this roundabout because this is
what people see in other countries that
makes them say it is very nice. Some
people come here to play, relax and spend
their leisure time. I like this place because
instead of people going to places like beer
parlours to drink, they can just come here
to relax.
“I come here every Sunday. After church I
come here to relax, play a little then I go
back to my house,” he says.
A student who has lived in the city for
about five years, Joan Ilevbaoje, is having a
picnic at the roundabout with her sister.
Having been absent from Akure for a while,
she is clearly surprised at the
transformation of the roundabout. Her
sister, Success, thinks the roundabout has
brought residents of the state capital closer
to nature.
Joan says, “This place is really beautiful. I
was surprised when I saw it. The last time I
was here, this structure was not here.
Instead of going to an eatery, you can come
here to relax and have fun. No fee is
charged and the place is very nice.”
For Success, who enjoys hanging out in the
open, there couldn’t have been a more
attractive place than the new-look
roundabout. “I have passed by on many
occasions, but this is my first time and I am
enjoying myself,” she says.
A photographer, Salami Richard of Zeehtini
Studio, describes the roundabout as a good
initiative from the government aimed at
developing tourism in the state, and a
source of income to him.
“This place is a tourist attraction. People
come here to relax after a hard day`s
work. It is a place to hang around in and
let off steam. It is a source of steady
income to those of us who are
photographers. I have been working here
for about four months,” he says.
A businessman, Emmanuel Tony was
spotted at the roundabout having fun and
posing for photographs with his children.
He is also a regular visitor to the park.
Tony commended the state government for
providing a relaxation spot of this type for
residents of Akure. His daughter, Favour,
urged the government to build more
structures like the one at the roundabout in
the state so that other kids could benefit
from it.
“The roundabout is fine and beautiful. This
is my first time here and I am enjoying it. I
want the government to build roundabouts
like this in other parts of the state so that
other children and their family could play
there,” Favour says.
The Commissioner for Information, Ondo
State, Kayode Akinmade, said the
roundabout was built six months ago. He
says it is part of the government’s Urban
Renewal Initiative. The project cost the
state N18m.
“Governor Olusegun Mimiko believes that
we can rebuild our environment and add
beauty to it without displacing the people
in the area. To a large extent, we have
been able to achieve the purpose for
constructing the roundabout. If you are a
regular visitor to Akure on a weekend, you
will see families going there to relax. You
will see them posing for photographs. All
those overseas countries we go to, some of
the fountains in Akure are better than what
they have.
“We have been able to create a leisure spot
for our people because everything is not
about work. You must have a place where
you can drive your family to during the
weekend and have a picnic. You would
relax, unwind and you move closer to
nature,” Akinmade says.

http://www.punchng.com/feature/sights-signs/fiwasaye-park-thriving-fun-spot-in-akure/