Oguta

Oguta Lake is the largest natural lake in the South-Eastern region of Nigeria, it is situated within the all-encompassing east bank floodplain of the River Niger downstream of Onitsha. The lake is popularly known for its mysterious property, of Urashi and Ogbuide river not mixing.

Understand
Oguta Lake is a fresh water lake. It gets enduring seepage from Rivers Njaba, Utu and Awbuna, which have their source in the Awka-Orlu Cuesta in the north-central of Imo State. It additionally gets water from the Niger River. Lake Oguta channels into the River Orashi, a principal stream on the east bank floodplain of the Niger and which passes on River Niger's floodwaters straightforwardly to the Niger delta. The major source of inflow of the Oguta Lake is the Njaba River. The other three sources of inflow of the lake are Awhana, Utu and Orashi.

Oguta Lake is the largest natural lake in south eastern part of Nigeria within the equatorial rainforest region of Niger Delta. The lake is situated in a natural depression within the extended east bank alluvial plain of the Niger River downstream of Onitsha. The lake is located in the Oguta LGA in western Imo State. The lake is encircled by green trees of the rain forest.

This area gets a lot of rain in the rainy season, so the water level in the lake can be about 3 metres higher in the rainy season than in the dry season. The lake contains 258 types of phytoplankton in 107 genera.

There are three historical stories about Oguta Lake. Firstly, the story based on traditional belief is that the two rivers, Urashi and Ogbuide, have brown and green colours. Although the origin of the lake is quite unknown, it is distinct in an amazing way probably because there is a confluence in the lake with the River Niger. These two rivers would be expected to intermix but astonishingly and mysteriously, they never did. It is said that the Ogbuide is female while the Urashi River is male, and over the years, the traditional story behind the mystery of the water not mixing is that the two rivers were once married but they had marital problems which made them separate and never mix again.

The second chronicled story is that the lake served as an entrance passage to the British in entering the Igbo hinterland.

The latter is that the lake was utilized as a base by the Nigerian Navy during the Biafran war, which is the reason there is a shelter in the hedges encompassing the lake. There are additional records of the previous Biafran war boots to be found in different regions encompassing the lake.

The lake is of great importance to the people of Oguta. It is the source of transportation, food, and source of income for them. In addition, The lake supports the travel industry and a fishery, it is also the outlet for urban sewage. The lake is repetitively dug for development sand. For a very long time, the natives of the area have gotten used to the traditional worship to the two river deities. Some community members believe there is a deity associated with it, hence, the reason why they worship at the two shrines located by both sides of the lake.

Get in
There are two ways to get into Imo State by plane and bus.

By plane
You can go by air by taking a direct flight from the Lagos Airport to Sam Mbakwe Airport in Owerri state (1 hr 15 min). A connecting vehicle will be needed to get into Imo state, the drive time is 35 min.

By bus
In addition, several bus companies like God Is Good Motors (GIGM), ABC Transport,The Young Shall Grow offer daily services from almost all major cities around the country to Imo State. While buses usually are quite comfortable, journey times are very long.

A connecting means of transportation will be needed to finally get to Oguta lake either by taxi, public transport or a shared taxi has to be boarded from the bus park or upon arrival at the airport to the lake.

Get around
The easiest way to get around in Imo state is by Tricycle, some tourist may prefer a taxi but most tourists prefer the tricycle because it is more fun and easier to get than a taxi. Taxis are mostly found in parks or major roads, but the tricycle is more mobile and can be found within streets, by the roadside, they are almost everywhere.

The tricycle offers hire service or you can decide to share with other people, the price varies from driver to driver, but it should be around ₦100-200 per hour most charge for each drop-off, you will be expected to haggle. Talk to the drivers and find one you feel comfortable with, this will make you start a conversation, as they will be able to tell you historical stories.

Taxis also offer both drop-offs which can be shared with other passengers or a private trip. The service charge is around ₦100-200 per trip (drop-off) and ₦500-1000 for a private trip, most trips have fixed prices (shared-vehicle) except you are going for the private service.

Talk
The local people who live in the Oguta region are called Oguta-Ameshi, or simply Ameshi, and they speak the local Igbo language, but everyone also speaks English. You may want to use the Igbo greeting, "Dalu oo", which means good greetings, thank you, good morning, farewell, etc.

See
The most thrilling thing to see at Oguta lake is the unique confluence between Ogbuide river and Urashi river, which without argument is the most striking feature that drives tourists to Oguta Lake.

Visitors and tourists to the Oguta Lake will have the leisure to explore the area and have great fun and adventure. Some of the beautiful things visitors and tourists can explore in around the lake vicinity include:


 * Have a boat or canoe cruise and ensure you get to see the unique confluence because it is the most striking feature that welcomes tourists to Oguta Lake.
 * Swim at the shallow edges of the lake if he/she has the temerity.
 * Snap pictures of the confluence and other photographs for memorial.
 * Have a taste of the traditional food of the people of Oguta which is pounded yam and nsala soup, popularly known as white soup.

Do

 * Have a canoe or boat ride is the go-to activity at Oguta lake, if you daring, you can take a swim at the shallow edges of the lake. Capture images of the confluence and other photographs to keep the memory. Fishing is another activity that can be done, rental of a fishing rod (₦2000 including bait) is possible.


 * Food is also another thing to have in mind when in the Oguta community, you can enjoy a bowl of pounded yam and ofe nsala, also known as white soup since it is the traditional food of the Oguta people.

Eat
The main road around Oguta Lake is lined with small restaurants of varying quality. Most restaurants in Oguta are located either on the main road or in hotels. The hotels offer some western dishes, whereas the local restaurants offer traditional dishes. Many hotels will include a basic breakfast of coffee and either boiled yam egg or fried noodles.

Drink
A bar often referred to as a 'bar parlour' in the South-Eastern region of Nigeria, can be found in hotels or on the main roads of Oguta.

Stay safe
The local Oguta people are very busy and go on about their day. While it is rare for a tourist to be affected by violent crime, it's still a good idea to be alert.

Go next

 * Owerri