FG to issue order against illegal tree felling, establish environmental crimes tribunal

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With Nigeria’s forest cover put at about 3.7 percent as against the recommended figure of 25 percent, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal has said that the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) has a critical role to play in the Federal Government’s efforts to arrest forest degradation.

The minister said this during a familiarisation visit to FRIN headquarters in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Thursday.

The minister, accompanied by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Mahmud Ahmed Kambari, said: “The forest cover of Nigeria is about 3.7 percent. That is a far cry from the 25 percent minimum for each country.”

He said the government is coming up with several policies to address the issue. “One is to plant as many trees as possible across the states.”

He said that the World Bank-supported Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project would partner with FRIN to supply seedlings for the former’s land restoration activities, especially in the North.

The environment minister added that other initiatives, such as the Pan-African Great Green Wall, which comprises 11 countries including Nigeria, were also in place to establish forest cover that would prevent further the encroachment of the Sahara Desert southwards.

“We are also looking at the issue of illegal felling of trees.” He hinted that the president would soon sign an order to address this issue. “The president is very keen on reviving our forests and he has shown that we need to take drastic measures against illegal loggers,” Lawal said.

The minister added that efforts were being made to address the poaching of wildlife in forests and the use of forests for criminality, such as kidnapping. He added that the ministry was also pushing for an environmental crime tribunal to address crimes against the environment.

“Like I told the management staff during my meeting with them, forests are now the in-thing the world over. Internationally, nationally and even the private sector must think about caring for forests. I have encouraged the private sector to invest in forests for tourism and other things.

“FRIN is central to what we are doing about forests,” Lawal said.

Earlier in his interaction with the management, the environment minister urged all the staff to keep the peace in the institution, noting that that was the only way FRIN could achieve its potential.

The minister also inaugurated FRIN’s new research building and visited the Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan and Agodi Botanical Garden, Ibadan, during his one-day visit.

The Director-General of FRIN, Professor Zacharia Yaduma, expressed delight at the minister’s visit and sought the ministry’s support in upgrading its research facilities, funding and tackling issues of encroachment on its land at its colleges, outstations and the headquarters itself.

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