TUNDE ADELEKE, Osogbo
The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO-recognised site, the Osun-Osogbo sacred grove risked being delisted as a world heritage site over the influx of land grabbers at the buffer zone of the grove.
It would be recalled that the Osun-Osogbo grove located in Osogbo, Osun state, was listed as UNESCO heritage site in 2005 after the land was acquired and gazetted by the Federal Government.
However, activities of land grabbers have seen residents encroaching into the sites, as our correspondent who visited the site on Tuesday, discovered that many buildings have been built along the buffer zone of the grove.
Daily Champion also gathered that at one of the entrances of the grove a hotel is presently being built with work reaching an advanced stage as at the time of the visit.
Meanwhile, traditionalists in Osogbo Ogundeji Elebuibon, while commenting on the development, accused both the National Museum and Monument, as well as prominent indigenes of the town of being lackadaisical over the activities of the land grabbers.
His words, “The situation at the grove is very unfortunate and one fears that if the development is not checked would not lead to the delisting of the grove as a UNESCO heritage site.
“The South entrance has been encroached completely with residential buildings springing up in the area. And on a daily basis ,more areas are being cleared for new structures to emerge. Yet, government at various levels, including local, state and the federal government, are just watching without taking any action”.
When contacted, the Curator and Site Manager, National Museum and Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, Aworeni Joseph stated that the agency is taking serious steps to check land grabbers activities in the area.
According to him, “We are not lackadaisical about it. We are aware of the development, especially in the buffer zones around the grove, and steps are being taken to bring those involved to book. I was personally there to inspect the development, but we faced a lot of legal impediments to stop construction work from continuing in the areas.
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