The angry mysterious Oguta Lake that flows together but don’t mix

Oguta Lake is the largest natural lake in Imo State and is supposed to have originated from a natural depression. This region is located within the equatorial rain forest belt with an average annual rainfall of 3,100 mm, but most of the rain forest has been replaced by oil palm plantations especially around the lake.

The lake has a high diversity of phytoplankton community. It contains as many as 258 species of phytoplankton which fall in 107 genera. The lake is of immense value to the people of Oguta, Orsu, Nkwesi and Awo. In fact, the lake is the identity and pride of the Ogutaman. They draw their water from it.

They obtain 80% of their protein from it. The lake serves as a septic pool for domestic urban sewage. The local people also dredge the lake for sand which is used for the construction industry. The Oguta Lake Motel with a tourist resort is a 3-star hotel aimed at attracting tourists to Oguta. In the colonial era, the Oguta Lake was a port for the evacuation of palm products. The relics of the jetties used by the United African Company (U. A. C.) still exist today. During the civil war, the Oguta Lake was a marine base for the Biafran Navy.

There are many mysterious lakes in Nigeria and Lake Oguta is no exception. This lake is considered mysterious because it consists of two different bodies of water, one part of the lake is brown and the other is greenish. The specialty of these two lakes is the fact that they flow together but do not mix or blend. The two lakes are identified as two angry lakes that flow from each other but never unite.

Like every mysterious lake in Nigeria, there is always a unique story. According to locals in the area, they believe that the lake is a male and female pair. The greenish lake is known as the female, called Ogbuife, the brownish water is known as the male, called Urashi. According to the legend of the lake, Urashi and his wife Ogbuife who were legally married, quarreled and became enemies and therefore did not run together or mix.

Lake Oguta is now considered a male and female god, and two special shrines are dedicated to them. Sanctuaries are on both sides of the lake where their worshipers make sacrifices and glorify them. Although the lakes did not mix with each other, the pilgrims were engrossed in each other.

Oguta is a popular tourist attraction and many people flock to the area to see the mysterious lake. People living near the lake see it as a source of food and a means of transportation.

Another thing that makes this lake Oguta unique is the fact that it was one of the theaters of war during the Nigerian civil war. There was a bunker used by Biafran during the Civil War, but the bunker was blocked. The Nigerian army also uses the lake as a base, which makes the place different.

And until a benevolent god decides to settle the dispute between the previously married lakes, Lake Oguta still remains the swift angry water flowing together without mixing.

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