UMUAHIA — Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has endorsed the establishment of the first national park in the South-East and directed relevant authorities to identify a suitable forest reserve for the project.
Otti gave the approval on Wednesday when he received a delegation from the National Park Service, led by the Chairman of its Governing Council, Dr Kingsley Ononogbu, at his office in Umuahia.
The governor said the proposed national park was in line with his administration’s efforts to identify, preserve and sustainably manage the state’s forest reserves.
He disclosed that he had earlier approved the tracing and identification of forest reserves across Abia State, noting that the exercise would provide a basis for determining an appropriate location for the proposed park.
According to Otti, Abia State has 19 forest reserves, with 18 currently available for consideration for conservation and other environmental purposes across the state’s 17 local government areas.
“Earlier this morning, I approved a request from the Honourable Commissioner for Environment for the tracing of forest reserves. Clearly, there is somewhere to start from,” the governor said.
Otti directed the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Philemon Asonye Ogbonna, to collaborate with the National Park Service and relevant environmental experts to identify the most suitable location for the proposed national park.
He further disclosed that the state government would constitute a team of climate change and environmental experts to support and drive the initiative.
The governor stressed the importance of environmental conservation, noting that the protection of forests and other natural resources remained essential to the long-term wellbeing of the state.
“Nature is something you cannot do away with. Sometimes, when you think you have overcome nature through technology, nature will still rise. That is why conservation is very important,” Otti said.
Earlier, Ononogbu said the delegation visited the governor to remind him of his earlier commitment to establishing a national park in Abia State.
He noted that the South-East was currently the only geopolitical zone in Nigeria without a national park, describing the situation as an omission that needed to be addressed.
“The South-East has zero in having a national park. This is a glaring omission that must be corrected, and Abia State, under your leadership, is best positioned to pioneer this change,” Ononogbu said.
The National Park Service chairman urged the Abia State Government to identify a suitable forest or game reserve that could be developed into a national park.
He also called for the establishment of a joint committee comprising representatives of the state government, the National Park Service and other relevant stakeholders to oversee the process.
Ononogbu further advised the state government to forward a formal proposal for the project to the Minister of Environment or the Conservator-General of the National Park Service for consideration and further action.
The meeting was attended by the Commissioner for Environment and other members of the Abia State Executive Council.
