The Nigerian Field Society

Lagos Branch

Ogidi - 03-2003	Okomu - 05-2003
Oshogbo - 07-2003	Badagry - 08-2003
Palm wine tasting - 08-2003	Sukur-Lake Chad - 09-2003
Niger Republic- 10-2003	Ibadan - 11-2003
Kano/Katsina - 11-2003	Ikorodu Backwaters - 12-2003
Trips & Talks

A Day in Ibadan

15th November 2003

Twenty eager members convened outside Wil's place for a prompt eight o'clock departure. The leisurely pace of the journey allowed us to admire the view along Third Mainland Bridge overlooking the lagoon and enabled us to observe what was going on along the road to Ibadan. At the last toll-gate into town, we were met by our guides who are also NFS members - of the Ibadan Branch. First stop was the National Museum, a neat building with nicely cultivated gardens. The President of the NFS, Nat Oyelola, welcomed us. His wife Pat gave an excellent introduction with regards to NFS and the Museums, their inceptions mainly attributed to the late Kenneth Murray and co. After a good tour in the museum with full commentary by the curator on the artefacts displayed, we proceeded to the adjacent nursery. This is an innovative idea started by the Ibadan NFS members to reintroduce nearly wiped out indigenous species of trees. Some of these are Iroko, Ayo seed and Kapok trees. Robert Warren, our chairman, was given the honour to plant a tree to mark our visit.

The next stop was at the Dominican Fathers Convent. Father Ben, a student priest, gave us a talk on beekeeping. Amongst the many things we learned, one thing that bees seem to model for us is teamwork. Likewise, bees are ruthless to drive out unproductive, no longer needed, members of the colony like the drones. An average honey yield of a hive is about five litres and a big hive can yield as much as 10 litres. After looking at the Kenyan Bar top method of hive they use, we trundled along and settled under the canopy of tall acacia trees, an ideal spot for our picnic. It was very pleasant as we munched through our lunch to listen to classical music filtering from the recreation room, produced by a student practising his piano pieces.

The picnic was followed by a visit to a garden centre on the Eastern side of town. Quite an oasis of colours and scents from a well established collection of bougainvilleas, hibiscus, anthuriums to name a few. It is a well-thought out garden with careful use of land to achieve a certain bio-diversity. The pond, as a source of water for watering the plants, is also teeming with fish life. With its wide collection of ornamental plants, Rainbow Q Garden provides an ideal source for any landscaping needs. It was a surprise treat to have a refreshment of cold fresh juice, coconuts, pineapples and bananas to conclude the tour.

Veronica Snoxell (Philippines)