The spate of deforestation occasioned by illegal logging has elicited a 7 day ultimatum to all persons indiscriminately cutting down timber across the vast forest reserves in Cross River State, southern Nigeria.
Cross River State is home to a vast rain and mangrove forests, which were at a point described as one of the 25 bio-diversity hotspots in the world.
Due to this characteristic, the Cross River State government under Governor Liyel Imoke in 2008 imposed a ban on logging, which resulted to the launch of an anti-deforestation task force to ensure compliance.
The ban was to amongst other things protect the ecosystem, contribute to tackling climate change by sustainable management of forests, conservation and gain carbon credits through the United Nations REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation).
However, successive deforestation task force failed in enforcing the ban rather Cross River State within the past eight years under the Governor Ben Ayade administration recorded a new high in deforestation and increased illegal logging as more than 30 trucks of different sizes leave the forest, some times with heavy security escorts.
Only recently, the newly sworn in governor, Senator Bassey Otu lifted the ban on logging as well as constituted a 21- man special task force on anti-deforestation with the mandate to check the activities of illegal loggers across the state’s forest reserve, a task which led to the arrest of 32 trucks conveying processed wood.
Community partnership
Governor Otu represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr. Emmanuel Ironbark, conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the trucks in Ejiraga community, a boundary village within Yala local government area near Ebonyi State, in Nigeria’s south east region.
Otu, who reiterated his administration’s commitment to fight illegal logging and other adverse environmental activities in the state, advised all illegal loggers to utilize the window of opportunity offered to regularise their operations in Cross River State.
He said, “the community, Ejiraga were able to mobilised themselves and impounded the trucks we have seen here. We have 32 trucks here, which the community alongside security agents comprising the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Army intercepted and impounded.
“The government is indeed happy that the Ejiraga community has embraced the government’s decision to tackle illegalities in our forest, which was why government lifted the ban on logging.
“The state government is determined to protect our remaining forest, protect our environment and join in the fight against climate change and degradation of our environment. What illegal loggers have done to our forest is appalling. To see this number of trucks almost on a daily basis carrying our timber away is worrisome,” he lamented.
He urged the public especially forest communities to support the government’s effort to end illegal logging, saying “it is good for the people to partner with the state government by providing useful information regarding activities of this nature across the state. Providing useful tips and information would enable us take the right action.”
The governor has further directed all owners of seized trucks with illegal sawn timber and logs to report to the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Cross River State Forestry Commission, within 7-days for necessary compoundment of their trucks.
“Failure to adhere to this directive will lead to final confiscation and auction of the impounded trucks and timbers,” he added.
Confidence Okwuchi
