The Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Forestry Association of Nigeria (FAN), Chief James Bola Odebiyi and the President of the association, Ahmad Rufai Ibrahim, have called on the federal government to rescue Nigeria’s forest estate from the hands of bandits, kidnappers and terrorists.
They also advised the government to embark on aggressive tree planting to reduce the impact of global warming on the country due to the effects of deforestation.
Speaking at the International Day of Forests days after concluding its 43rd annual conference, the duo noted that Nigeria must jettison the jamboree which consumed the initiative of the association towards tree planting and be deliberate about it in order to ensure sustainable development.
According to Chief Odebiyi, the “continuous rise in world population every year, and the evil of human activities in the form of deforestation and pollution, have made it difficult for the world community to observe the activities of every individual, and the issue has always been of concern and provocative.”
On his part, the President of the Association, Alhaji Ibrahim lamented that insecurity was affecting research and legitimate activities in the forest estates of Nigeria, as hoodlums had taken over, urging the government on the need to rescue and reclaim it from criminals.
“A dangerous trend that has bedeviled our forest estate today is the issue of insecurity. It started gradually in 2003 and, today, has become a hydra-headed monster that has made our forests worse. Our researchers could no longer have access and legal activities could not take place because hoodlums have taken over the forest estates.”
On their part, the national and assistant secretaries, Professor Olukayode Ogunsanwo and Dr Dapo Adewole, noted that “Nigeria’s forests are currently managed below international levels of standards, criteria and indicators, thereby negatively affecting ecological, social and economic values of Nigeria with attendant environmental degradation, poverty, hunger and insecurity.
“Nigeria is facing non-sustainability problem of her forest resources. There has been huge pressure on wood resource in making forests in Nigeria to be exposed to indiscriminate exploitation of familiar economic woods.
“We need to secure our forest estate resources for sustainable development.
“Above all, hoodlums, bandits, kidnappers and terrorists have hijacked the forest space and, unless flushed out, may have adverse effect on sustainable development.”
