From David Onuoja, Abuja
The National Park Service (NPS), has called for a stronger collaboration with environmental journalists to expose illegal activities in Nigeria’s forests and protected areas, as insecurity, illegal mining and wildlife trafficking continue to threaten conservation efforts.
The Conservator-General of the Service, Mr. Ibrahim Goni, made the call on Monday when members of the Environmental Media Correspondents Association of Nigeria (EMCAN), paid a courtesy visit to the Service’s headquarters in Abuja.
He described environmental journalists as strategic partners in protecting Nigeria’s natural resources and wildlife, noting that increased media attention would bring conservation challenges to public discourse and spur action by relevant authorities.
Mr. Goni identified illegal mining, illegal hunting, timber exploitation, banditry and kidnapping as major threats to effective management of national parks. He explained that the interconnected nature of Nigeria’s forests makes it difficult to isolate parks from criminal activities in surrounding reserves, as adjoining forests provide alternative hideouts for criminals even after successful security operations in parks.
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On enforcement, the Conservator-General disclosed that the Service, in collaboration with the Nigerian Army, recently closed two illegal mining sites in sectors of Gashaka-Gumti National Park in Taraba and Adamawa States, resulting in the closure of extensive mining pits and dislodgement of over 4,000 miners.
He also cited arrests of about 17 miners in Rivers State and ongoing collaboration with the Ministry of Solid Minerals to address illegal mining in Oyo State. He warned that dislodging miners could generate resistance, hence the need for alternative livelihoods for host communities.
Mr. Goni also raised alarm over Nigeria’s role as a transit route in illegal wildlife trafficking, with smugglers moving specimens from Chad, Niger and Cameroon through Nigeria to seaports. He said an inter-agency committee comprising the Nigeria Customs Service, National Park Service, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Nigeria Police Force had been formed to combat the menace, leading to seizures of live animals, carcasses and other wildlife specimens.
Beyond security and wildlife crime, the Conservator-General equally expressed concern over forest loss, saying Nigeria loses close to 300 hectares of forest reserve daily to illegal logging and hunting, which could accelerate desertification and environmental degradation. While noting that Nigeria now has 17 national parks, 13 of which are operational, following the creation of 10 additional parks during the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, aimed at restoring degraded vegetation and meeting climate commitments.
Responding, EMCAN Chairman, Joycelyn Adah, said the association was committed to bridging the communication gap between environmental agencies and the media. Saying, only three or four media organisations regularly cover NPS activities despite over 35 members in the association, limiting visibility of the Service.
Adah therefore, pledged EMCAN’s readiness to publicise conservation initiatives and educate Nigerians on the mandate of the NPS, while Mr. Goni pledged to support training and capacity building for members within the Service’s budgetary framework.
