Igbeti town in Igbeti Local Government Area of Oyo State is noted for its richness in mineral resources, especially in marbles. Unfortunately, these resources remain untapped.
Igbeti, located in the northern part of Oyo State, is a purely agrarian town. On entering the ancient town, one is welcomed by rustic buildings and the huge rocks. Conspicuously displayed are huge billboards proclaiming: ‘Welcome to Marble City’. It is also called ‘Onile oye’. The town is called ‘Marble City’ because almost all its land is rich in marbles. It derives its ‘Onile oye’ (the land of winter) tag from its endless its cool weather. In the afternoon when the sun is at its peak, the weather is cool, and it becomes colder during the winter period because of the marble deposits in the land. Residents always wear thick cover clothes to drive the cold away.
According to some of the chiefs, during the harmattan, especially from November to January, the town becomes cold and chilling. Igbeti is home to all ethnic groups as it does not discriminate. At the Sabo, one could find the Hausa man selling suya and the Ibo doing business of selling spare parts.
Standing majestically are mountainous rocks surrounding the town. According to Adebayo Rasaq, a cell phone engineer who used the marble to line the stairs leading into his shop, “We just see marble as ordinary stone; we don’t attach much value to it. We pick them like fowls here. This marble you are seeing fell from a truck and I used it here as a step into my shop. We learnt this is of great value when they are taken away from this place but of what use are they for us when no building uses it here?”
A neglected goldmine
We all know what marble is used for.Oyo State Nigeria is full of marbles but they are blind to see that they are in the midst of marbles.
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