New Telegraph

Conservation Action Network tasks Gov Obaseki on pillage of Okomu National Park

An environmental group known as Conservation Action Network (CAN) in a recent Facebook post lamented the calculated attempt by government officials and other power business interest in Edo State to pillage Okomu National Park, one of the nation’s seven national parks located in Udo village of Ovia South-West Local Government Area of the state. Their major concern is the poaching activities, especially of its flora, unchecked, a situation which they blamed on the uncouth activities of the forestry division of Edo State Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

To save the park from extinction, they are calling on the state governor, Godwin Obaseki, to step in immediately by declaring a state of emergency on forestry in the locality and other parts of the state. Excerpt… There is raging emergency situation in our forestry in Edo State. This has now reached a tragic level where we will soon kiss goodbye to Okomu National Park, as it will all be gone any time soon. There is serious ongoing plundering of the park as we speak, through excessive logging as many of its forest’s compartments are already completely decimated.

Compartments 89, 90, 91, 92, and 93 are all tragic carcasses of what national park should be. Okomu National Park is the smallest park in the country with only about 200 square kilometers, but a veritable ecological treasure as a biodiversity hotspot. Cross River National Park is about 4,000 square kilometers but better protected compared with Okomu National Park. All the rare endangered wildlife in the park are in near extinction, as a baby elephant ran into a plantation recently and later died.

The famous white throated monkey which is the symbol of the park would soon become another reference to a wasted heritage, with cumulative loss to the park’s ecotourism attraction. Governor Godwin Obaseki should please summon all stakeholders to read out the riot act to them, especially to leaders of host communities, forest administrators, security agencies, community based organisations and relevant NGOs. An eminent donor like AP Leventis, who single – handedly financed the infrastructural development and administration of this park for many years is now totally frustrated. He had prepared plans for another ornithological institute like he had established in the University of Jos, but this is now put on hold and a signal to other international partners to blacklist Edo State if urgent steps are not taken by the governor to arrest the situation. The current Conservator of Park (CP) at Okomu is already in custody of several lorry loads of impounded illegal logs, including a catapillar, as well as huge flotila of logs in the river. The man is simply going to be overwhelmed if help does not get to him quickly. This situation is an international embarrassment for Nigeria. Therefore, we recommend among others: For the state government to create a substantial buffer zone for the park; All areas where logging is outlawed should have maximum punitive measures for forest officers whose hammer or stamp is found to have been used for facilitating the movement of illicit logs; and Drones should be used for patrol such that can take pictures and has an alarm system such as siren.

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