The Chairman, Nigeria National Park Service, Dr Kingsley Ononogbu, has expressed concern over the absence of a national park in the South-East, stressing the urgent need to address the situation.
Ononogbu stated this when he led a delegation of the governing council of the service on an advocacy visit to the Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, at his Nvosi office.
He said, “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.”
“Beyond ecological value, such a park would deliver immense socio-economic benefits to the state, including job creation, revenue generation, investment attraction, enhanced security and crime reduction.”
He urged the state government to identify a suitable forest or game reserve for upgrade to such a park and constitute a committee to work with the service towards realising the proposal.
Ononogbu, who appreciated the governor for his commitment to transforming the state, assured him of the cooperation and support of the service.
In his response, the governor, who expressed support for the proposal, assured the delegation of the government’s full support for the initiative, describing it as timely.
He noted that he had earlier in the day approved a request from the Commissioner for Environment for the tracing and identification of forest reserves across the state.
“Sometimes, when you think you have overcome nature through technology, nature will still rise. That is why conservation is very important,” Otti noted.
To drive the process, he directed the commissioner to work with the service and relevant conservation experts to identify a suitable location for the proposed park.
