Wild animals, hot springs: welcome to Yankari Park
A safari in Nigeria? It is not the first thing that comes to a tourist's mind when he thinks of the main black gold producer on the African continent, but it is the challenge of Yankari National Park, in the northeast of the country: to do discover its lions, elephants or hot springs.
“It has become too expensive to go to London, Dubai or America. So come on vacation to Yankari, ”says Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, the governor of Bauchi where the reserve is located, in a series of tweets. "We need to diversify our income and tourism is still a green fruit," said Mr. Abubakar, who describes himself as the "marketing director" of Bauchi, which was the target of the Islamist group Boko Haram.
300 elephants and sources at 31 ° all year round
The revenues of Nigeria, an African giant, have melted with the fall in oil prices on world markets and the country sees tourism as a new financial windfall. Safari drives account for 80% of trips to Africa and generate revenues of $ 36 billion (31 billion euros), according to the October 2015 report from the African Development Bank.
With nearly 300 elephants, countless birds and crystal-clear hot springs at 31 ° C all year round, Yankari hopes to attract foreign currency and eventually fill the state coffers, as the price of the naira continues to plummet. . “Bauchi is Africa's best kept secret. I see in Yankari a piece of paradise ”, says Mr. Abubakar.
In Yankari, almost everything has to be (re) done
But years of mismanagement have left the 2250 km2 reserve empty of infrastructure and tourists. Almost everything needs to be redone. The two major projects relate to the development of the road network to allow the observation of fauna, like the Kenyan reserves, and the installation of electricity in the main camp.
For Habu Mamman, the sole administrator of the reserve, progress is already visible since Mr. Abubakar, who worked in Yankari as a legal adviser in the 1980s, became governor.
“The governor knows that if Yankari works well, it can generate a lot of money”, analyzes Mr. Mamman around a dinner of chicken and rice in a patio overlooking the huge empty park, with the exception of a few warthogs which occasionally glance curiously. “Most of the former administrators were much more interested in lining their pockets. But he (Abubakar) is looking for a way to put Yankari seriously on the world map, ”he adds.
Security, a major issue in Nigeria
President Muhammadu Buhari, elected in 2015, has embarked on a vast operation to fight corruption, endemic in Africa's leading economic power. Security is also a major challenge for Nigeria which wants to attract tourists and foreign currency.
The authorities consider that the Islamist group Boko Haram, whose insurgency has killed more than 17 people in six years, is “technically” defeated. But sporadic attacks continue to be observed in the northeast of the country.
Yankari, a territory to rediscover
Isolated from the country and preserved from poaching, the Yankari reserve has not been targeted by Boko Haram. The animals roam freely and you have to be patient to hope to find an elephant or a lion. “The safari is a game of luck, the safari is a game of chance”, philosopher guide Haruna Dandango.
In the 70s, Yankari had some success: nearly 20 visitors a year, mostly expatriates, went there to bathe in the hot springs or explore the 000 human-sized caves dug in a swamp forest. where baboons keep watch.
“There was no real security problem, we could drive through the Sahara, go to the Yankari hot springs before continuing to Cameroon, then Bangui in the Central African Republic - it was on the way -, then in East Africa and further south, ”said Phil Marshall, 66, who worked on the reserve. “It was a whole different world”.
