Communities protest fresh threats on Cross River tropical forest
Communities in Cross River state have petitioned President Mohammadu Buhari over fresh threats on Nigeria’s remaining rainforest area in Ekuri, Akamkpa council.
Experts estimated that Nigeria may have lost about 90 per cent of original forest cover due to human activities over the years as a significant portion of remaining tropical forest is found in Ekuri communities.
Ekuri community forest consists of 33,600 hectares, the largest and best communally managed forest in Nigeria is threatened by increasing deforestation due to unsustainable illegal timber exploitation and road construction across the forest.
The petition dated May 4, 2021, by the Ekuri communities, which was signed by the Clan Head of Ekuri Clan, Chief Abel Egbe, the Village Head of Ubioform, Chief Edwin Ogar and 22 others reads: “We wish to inform you that the threats to Ekuri community forest are not over as another superhighway project aimed at logging has been approved by the state’s Forestry Commission (CRSFC).
“It is sad to inform you that the government of Cross River State through the Forestry Commission headed by High Chief Tony Undiandeye, has completed the re-validation of the 20,000 hectares illegal lease of Ekuri forest to Sibawood Industry and Agriculture Nigeria Limited to log against the extant injunction and other government policies, which the commission is supposed to enforce but rather has abused them.
Consequently, Sibawood has deployed bulldozers and commenced the construction of lyamitet – New Ekuri road and have begun marking hundreds of trees in Ekuri forest for logging, threatening livelihoods, ecosystem services and mitigation of climate, which this forest has been contributing to the well-being of Ekuri, Nigeria and the world at large.”
They argued that “the customary rights of Ekuri community to her ancestral forestland has been treated with contempt and impunity by the government as our Free Prior and Informed Consent were not sought and obtained right from conception, re-evaluation, re validation and the approval.
Furthermore, since 2019 till date, there have been intensified logging in the community forest at Old Ekuri axis by loggers…The logging, which consist of timber and round logs is an eyesore, worrisome and catastrophic as our petitions to the Governor of Cross River State and the Forestry Commission have yielded no positive responses. Even our local efforts have failed, rather, logging is still continuing as business as usual.
“This action of the government against us is a violation of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention 169 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP), which Nigeria is a signatory. It is also a violation of African Charter on Human and Peoples.”
The Ekuri people appealed to the president “to stop this illegal re-validation of an illegal lease and end the current logging onslaught to destroy the famous Ekuri community forest which has promoted Nigeria’s image globally in terms of conservation, indigenous people’s involvement, livelihoods and climate change mitigation.
“Your intervention will save the rainforest of Ekuri community from being wiped away and posterity…We have been applauded locally, nationally and internationally for demonstration of passion, commitments and efforts over the years in conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity that meets our daily livelihoods and benefiting present and future generations.
“When the threats from the superhighway project in 2016 threatened Ekuri community forest and our existence, you came to our rescue that the superhighway be detoured from Ekuri forest. This you did because of the richness and iconic status of this forest, which also contributes in meeting Nigeria’s commitments to international environmental agreements”.
The Chairman of CRSFC, Tony Undiandeye, had pledged supports towards the completion of lyamitet New Ekuri road but maintained that with the lapse in time, and the moratorium now in place, granting of concession for logging will no longer be feasible.
