Osun sets up committee to boost revenue from forests

As part of efforts to boost the state’s revenue through forestry, Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun has set up a six-man committee to reposition the sector.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Adeniyi Adeshina, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor,  made this known in a statement on Sunday in Osogbo.

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Adeshina said that the committee headed by Prof. Bayonle Olorede, the Provost of  Post Graduate College of the Osun State University, Osogbo, had been given three weeks to submit a report on how to stimulate the sector for optimum performance.

According to Adeshina, the committee is expected to resolve issues relating to the closure of the forests since 2018 and other outstanding matters among stakeholders in the sector.

He said the committee would  also suggest ways to enhance Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from forestry and give other recommendations that may be necessary.

The statement also quoted  Olorede as saying that recommendations that would enable the state to maximise the potentials in the sector would be presented to the governor.

“We are ready to find out the remote and immediate causes as regards why forests were  closed since 2018 in the state,’’ he said.

He added that the  task of the committee was  premised  largely on how the state could  generate revenue and block leakages by building a robust and improved forestry management system  in the state.