Cross River and wild life policy

Earlier this year, environmentalists stood  up to challenge Professor Ben Ayade’s decision to construct a proposed ‘Cross River Superhighway’.

It did not matter that the idea seemed beautiful on the surface – a 260-kilometers long highway with anti-slip features, speed cameras and, to crown it, high-speed internet connectivity.

Debates here and there followed. The conflict was not on the basis of the proposed huge sum of $3.5 billion to be spent for the construction; it was not the dispute over who should get the contract, neither was it the fear over how long the project would span, entwined with the willingness (or not) of subsequent administration(s) to complete such pioneering project.

The imminent degradation of Nigeria’s rich biodiversity, the destruction of its ancestral heritages, the possible extinction of wildlife like the Cross River gorillas and further threats to the diminishing population of chimpanzee, pangolin, and forest elephant were the issues that attracted international attention over the construction of the superhighway.

Records have it that the world’s largest decline of any subspecies of great ape recorded is the Cross River gorillas. Between 1995 and 2010, there was a 59 per cent decline rate in their population.

The Cross River superhighway could have, in a few months, raised that percentage by another 41 per cent, thereby causing this endemic species of gorilla (with less than 300 left in the wild) to be entirely wiped off.

The decision to reroute the highway is a big win considering the fact that Nigeria is viewed as a ‘democratic’ country where people in power take decisions with or without long-term consideration of the effect of such actions or policies.

The selfless act of passionate environment conscious individuals, organisations and related agencies across the world that stood up and spoke loud enough concerning this issue is highly commendable.

Lastly, we sincerely thank President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Ben Ayade for this. The decision to reroute the highway and to suspend plans for the superhighway’s 20km-wide buffer through some parts of the Cross River National Park is a win for our irreplaceable wildlife, a win for posterity, a win for Nigeria’s biodiversity and a win for the world at large.

• Adebote ‘Seyifunmi

Abuja