of the parks is also shrouded in secrecy, as officials refuse to give information on goings on at the parks.
Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, recently raised the alarm that unless urgent steps are taken, a new Sambisa forest is in the making in the North West zone.
According to him, investigations revealed that the cattle rustlers in the zone reside in Kamuku National Park and that unless urgent action is taken, the park may turn out to be a hub for cattle rustling.
“Unless we have a secured zone, we are not going to make any progress …most of the cattle rustlers reside in Kamuku forest which we concluded will be the next Sambisa unless we take these guys out of there,” the governor said.
The alarm by el-Rufai followed an earlier meeting of governors of the states bordering the dreaded Kamuku Forest in Kaduna where series of criminal activities have been ongoing for years. The governors said the meeting was to find solution to rising fears that the park may become a future nest for Boko Haram insurgents.
Kamuku National Park is one of the seven national parks designated by the Federal Government and is located in the centre of Kaduna, Niger, Katsina, Kebbi and Zamfara. The other national parks are Kanji National Park Niger State, Old Oyo National Park Oyo State, Chad Basin National Park Borno State, Cross River National Park Cross River State, Gashaka Gumti National Park Taraba State and Okomu National Park, Edo State.
The Nigeria National Park Service has the statutory responsibility to among others, preserve, enhance, protect and manage vegetation and wild animals in the National Parks; advise the Federal Government on the development and preservation policy of the National Parks including the financial requirements for the implementation of such policy, and; advise the Federal Government on the declaration of areas which for the purpose of protecting wildlife species, biotic communities, sites of special interest or of aesthetic value, the service considers may be declared as National Parks under this Act.
The National Parks Service also has the mission to manage and regulate the use of these unique ecosystems designated as National Parks by such means and measures to preserve and conserve Nigeria’s heritage, particularly the fauna and flora, the habitats they live in, and the unique sceneries they afford and provide human benefits and enjoyment in such manner and by such means so that these are left unspoiled for generations to come.
At the time it was set up, the vision of the National Parks Service was to develop a network of National Parks that can compete favourably with other National Parks in the world and to achieve this, the Park Service said it is making efforts to put in place operational management plans for each park, and systems plan for the entire country.
A visit to the national parks across the country however proves that the vision and mission of the National Parks Service is far from being met. From the South to the North, the story is the same.
While some of the parks have been taken over by criminal elements and are used as hideout, activities of poachers and hunters in the parks have also remained a huge challenge for the authorities.
LEADERSHIP Sunday recalls that in 2014, former President Goodluck Jonathan approved the classification of the National Park Service as a paramilitary organisation in order to ensure adequate security at the parks.
This followed complaints by park rangers that they had over the years been faced with the herculean task of battling unwholesome activities of poachers, militias, intruders and herdsmen who often trespass into parks to wreak havoc. There were reports in the past that some park rangers were killed and others fatally injured in the course of warding off the intruders, most of who were usually armed with superior arms, making the park rangers, some of whom were unarmed, vulnerable to attacks.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP Sunday in Gashaka local government area of Taraba State were the Gashaka Gumti National Park is located, the conservator of the park, Mr. Oladipo Ojo, said attacks by poachers and herdsmen are the major challenges the park has been faced with.
Gashaka Gumti National Park is located in the remote mountainous region of north-eastern Nigeria, which shares boundaries between Adamawa and Taraba state, is ecologically situated in the sub-sahara Guinea Savannah Zone of Africa, is the main watershed/catchment area of the Taraba River and the major tributary of Benue River and covers a landmass of 6,731 square kilometres of undulating and terrain deep rolling valleys. It is divided into Gumti Sector in the north (Adamawa State) and Gashaka Sector in the South (Taraba). Gashaka Gumti which is among the seven national parks in Nigeria is the largest, most scenic and biologically diverse conservation enclave. It also shares international boundary with Republic of Cameroon, adjacent to Faro National Park in that country.
According to him, any attempt by the park rangers to stop the intruders from trespassing always ends up in fights, during which the rangers are wounded, maimed or killed.
He stressed that the Gashaka Gumti Park which shares boundary with the republic of Cameron is now perceived by tourists to be a risky place due to problems of insecurity in the country, most especially in the North-East states.
“Gashaka Gumti Park which was an attractive place for tourists is now seen to be situated in a zone where Boko Haram operates freely and that is discouraging most of them from visiting this place now,” Mr Oladipo said.
He explained that the park faces its major security threat during the peak of dry season, when herders and poachers trespass for grazing and hunting.
He however said they were prepared to confront the intruders this dry season 270 rangers had been trained to check their activities and ensure adequate security.
“It is not always easy for us. Our majority challenge is that we are not equipped with sophisticated weapons. Most times, these hunters and herders have more sophisticated weapons than us,” he lamented.
He said between 2014 and 2015, the park has lost four of its staff and several others butchered by poachers and the militia, adding that apart from the killings, they also set some places ablaze.
“Like the Mayo road bridge and our patrol post was set ablaze by the herdsmen three months ago,” he informed.
He called on the federal government to pay more attention to the tourism sector.
The Okomu National Park is located in the deep forest of Ovia South West local government area of Edo State. Bounded in the west by the Okomu River, it is home to different species of animals. A journey into the deep forest takes about two hours’ drive as a result of the difficult terrain, coupled with the bad road leading to the tourist site.
Access to the park is gained mainly through the park gate at Iguowan along the Udo to Nikorogha road. The park gate is about eight kilometer from Udo. However, there is an alternative route from Benin City straight through Siluko road.
The park is part of the former Okomu forest reserve gazetted in 1935, the presence of the white –throated monkey and forest elephant in particular, led to the creation of a wild life sanctuary in 1985 to protect these and other endangered species. In 1999, its status was elevated to a national park.
However, as a result of the low level of awareness and poor funding of national parks, zoo’s and tourist sites in Nigeria are not given the desired attention thereby denying the country the income it ought to have generated like other countries of the world and in Sub-Sahara African.
What is mostly considered as a gift of nature by eco-tourist patrons should have been developed into a huge money spinner that will also create jobs opportunity to our teeming unemployed because most natural sites or parks all over the world charge fees for recreational purposes if the proper mechanism are put in place for these protected areas.
When LEADERSHIP Sunday visited the administrative office of the park located in Udo, the premises was desolate but for a handful of staff and guards at the gate to attend to visitors. Some secondary school students were also sighted leaving in a school bus accompanied by staff of the park, obviously on an excursion to the park.
A ranger at the park declined to make an official comment on the state of the park.
A top management staff of the park also declined comments when contacted on phone.
“Mr journalist, we expected that before coming we should have been notified ahead so that we can make arrangement to take you round the park for you to see and appreciate things yourself. Please, I will communicate to you in few days’ time when to come,” he said. He however did not confirm a new date for the appointment two weeks later and didn’t pick subsequent calls to his telephone number.
The ranger however pointed out that security of the park has been one of the major issues confronting its operation, apart from other challenges such as poaching, illegal logging and encroachment from neighbouring and host communities. The source however said the park management was already with talks with leaders and youths of the host community over the issues.
A community leader representing Udo ward in the legislative arm of Ovia South West local government area, Hon Efosa Agho, tasked the management to wake up to their cooperate responsibilities especially to the host communities.
He decried the alleged situation where employment into senior management cadre is reservd for non-indigenes especially from the north and western parts of country while only menial jobs are given to the host community. He, however praised the staff of the park for what he described as their “friendly disposition.”
Located in Niger State, the Kainji Lake National Park after about 36 years of existence is yet to reach its full potential.
Established in 1979, the park which occupies 534.82 square kilometres from official claims, still conserves some biological diversity , providing the needed practical avenue for the Federal College of Wild Life, Kainji.
It was gathered that most of those who visit the park are those on research. Tourists visits LEADERSHIP Sunday learnt, are rare, with most of the tourists visiting between October and December.
Findings revealed that visitors are received about that time of the year because the animals usually come out enmasse to their natural habitat to feed as their feeding patterns are not domesticated.
Some officials at the park confided in our correspondent that funding was one of the challenges hampering proper management of the park.
Some of the officials confided in LEADERSHIP Sunday that even when funds are allocated for the management of the parks, timely disbursement is usually an issue, hence the poor state of the park.
The Old Oyo National Park is one of the national parks of Nigeria, located across northern Oyo State and southern Kwara State, Nigeria.
The Park is made up of two previous Native Administrative Forest Reserves, the Upper Ogun (1936) and Oyo-Ile (1941) Forest Reserves. These unique ecosystem and historical relics were converted to Game Reserves in 1952 and finally upgraded to the present status of a National Parks. The Old Oyo National Park is one of the seven national Parks in Nigeria initially created by Act No. 36 of 1991 which was later repealed and replaced with Act No. 46 of 1999.
The Park takes its name from Oyo-Ile (Old Oyo) the ancient political capital of Oyo Empire of the Yoruba people, and contains the ruins of this city. The administrative head office is located in Oyo, Isokun area along Oyo-Iseyin road, where necessary information and booking could be made.
When LEADERSHIP Sunday visited the head office, the Controller General of the Park was not available but it was gathered that the landscaping and organised space within the large yard has made the facility very endearing to the public.
A staff at the park however informed our correspondent that the park is rich in plant and animal resources including buffaloes, bushbuck and a variety of birds. The staff added that the Old Oyo National Park was previously habitat for the endangered Painted Hunting Dog and Lycaon pictus but none of those were still in existence at the park due to hunting pressure and the expanding human population in the region.
The staff said incessant killing of animals by local hunters and some inhabitants who freely entered the park to perpetrate havoc had remained a huge challenge, but added that to address the security concerns, apart from the regular security operatives who were stationed at the park, the management had also engaged the services of private guards.
Because of its natural serenity and beauty, the Cross River National Park is a tourist’s delight.
The park, which was created from the two existing forest reserves of Bashi-Okwango and Oban, is approximately five minutes’ drive from the spot where President Muhammadu Buhari recently performed the ground breaking ceremony of the 260km super highway project in Obung village, Akamkpa local government area of Cross River State.
The park is famous for its unique rainforest vegetation which, according to conservation experts, is one of the richest in Africa.
LEADERSHIP Sunday reliably gathered that the park contains the last remaining rainforest in Nigeria, which is being preserved with the support of Nigeria Conservation Foundation.
The National park, which was designed to protect and conserve the last vestiges of the remaining rainforest ecosystem and to promote ecotourism in Nigeria, is also an hour drive from Calabar, the Cross River state capital.
According to a rancher, Mr. Jonathan Ntui, the park has in its kitty herd of forest elephants, white-faced monkeys (indigenous to Nigeria), baboons, buffalo, leopards and lowland gorillas, besides over a thousand other animal species.
Other species found in both sections of the park include antelopes, chimpanzees, high forest monkeys, high forest elephants, manatees and bush pigs. For many endangered species, the park is their last stronghold in the whole of West Africa.
In spite of its potentials however, the park, Ntui further said, is presently confronted with a myriad of challenges such as absence of telecoms services therein, occasional invasion by local hunters, poor road network, inaccessibility to treated water, as well as the absence of electricity supply.
Ntui, who decried the occasional incursion into the forest, noted that the absence of telecoms services remains the major challenge the rangers are faced with.
“Although, sometimes local hunters invade this place, the major challenge we have now is the absence of network. We cannot communicate whenever there is any important issue. Sometimes we arrest the hunters and hand them over to the authorities in Calabar. Concerning water, we get our drinking water from the stream,” he said.
He however pointed out that in spite of the challenges, the park records an average of 50 local and national visitors on a monthly basis, especially students on excursion, while about three tourists of diverse nationalities also visit the park within the same period.
Also speaking, another ranger in the park, Mr. Joseph Erim, said the park’s management enjoys a cordial relationship with members of the host community.
Erim, who attributed this development to the cultural affinity between most of the rangers and members of the host community, described the host community as ‘friendly and accommodating.’
“We do not have problem with the people; may be it is because we all speak Ejagham. The only problem is the offensive activities of some local hunters that happen once in a while,” h noted, adding that the activities of the hoodlums notwithstanding, the locals who are predominantly cassava and banana farmers, are peace loving in the pursuit of their economic endeavours.
Corroborating Ntui’s position on visitations to the park, Erim also said the park play host to an annual event in the local government area, Mr. & Mrs. Akamkpa pageant competition.
At the time of filing in this story, the Park’s manager was not on seat to give an official statement.
Meanwhile, one of the rangers, Mr. Ntui, confirmed that the 260km super highway project has not in any way encroached on the park’s territory.
Efforts to get a reaction on the issues raised from the office of the conservator general at the National Parks headquarters in Abuja proved futile.
A letter written and addressed to the conservator general, dated November 23, 2015, requesting information on what the office is doing about the security challenges at the parks, the annual budget for maintenance of the parks, how it was utilised, plans to reposition the parks for revenue generation and collaboration with security agencies in securing the parks was not responded to at the time of going to press. The letter was after a two week exchange of phone calls and e-mails between LEADERSHIP Sunday and the service.
Private sector involvement has been said to be one way out of the woods in the management of the parks. In 2014, nature conservationists and tourists, worried by the various challenges facing the National Park as a result of heavy poaching, habitat degradation, infrastructure decay as well as managerial and administrative constraints including weak human and technical capacity and poor funding among others, resolved to facilitate private partnership involvement in the Nigerian National Parks.
LEADERSHIP
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