While speaking with journalists after the budget defence of the Ministry of Environment, the co-Chairman of the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Environment, Terseer Ugbor agreed with the minister that Nigeria has the National Park Service that is responsible for monitoring and managing National Parks.
According to him, the parks, including forest areas and forest reserves, have become hiding places for bandits and banditry activities.
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Ugbor said the committee was satisfied with their presentations, but not satisfied with the budgetary provisions for the Ministry, saying, “historically the Ministry of Environment has been underfunded. We have known this for quite a while and we hope something will be done”.
Since the Environment Ministry is in charge of the forest, we are arguing that there is a direct relationship between security and the environment. You are undoubtedly aware that the majority of banditry-related problems, such as Boko Haram, are dormant in the forests. You are referring to the forests in the North East and North West, Sambisa and Kamuku.
He noted that the main problem they were having was that insecurity was impeding the Great Green Wall project since they were not letting the people plant the trees that they were meant to.
Terseer Ugbor, the co-chairman of the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Environment, concurred with the minister during a press conference following the Ministry of Environment’s budget defence that Nigeria’s National Park Service is in charge of overseeing and maintaining National Parks.
He claims that the parks—which include forest reserves and areas—have turned into havens for robbers and banditry.
Ugbor stated that although the committee was pleased with their presentations, they were not pleased with the Ministry’s financial allocations, stating that “the Ministry of Environment has historically been underfunded.” We hope that action will be taken because we have known this for a while.
