The high level of deforestation activities through tree produce collection has become the proverbial bone in the neck of the Niger state government. The government, over the years, has complained about the indiscriminate felling of trees in Niger State. JUSTINA ASISHANA examines the illegal deforestation activities in the state and its effects.
Challenges faced by the Taskforce in the fight against deforestation
Lankpene explained that they are faced with various threats in the fight against deforestation along with sabotage from some members of the staff who are out to make fast gains.
He explained cases where he and his men were almost run off the road by vehicles driven by those who were involved in the charcoal business, “imagine that you are on a motorcycle pursuing and someone who is driving a vehicle that carries charcoal, and you try to cross him to stop him, and he knows that if you arrest him, he will be in trouble, he will hit you and go. So many of my boys and even me have been hit by these trucks but luckily, we survive but not without injuries.”
He explained that there would have been a remarkable success in the fight against deforestation but for the saboteurs in the system who is making it difficult for them to make remarkable improvement.
“It gets to a level that sometimes, I feel there are so many saboteurs. If you block a road to stop these defaulters, you will be surprised that most of the officers on the road who are supposed to protect the roads will be the ones telling these defaulters the roads to follow because of the peanuts they collect. I have been able to arrest some of our boys who are involved in this sabotage and the ministry of environment is not taking it likely on them.”
Lankpene stated that another challenge is the unavailability of vehicles to track these defaulters adding that mobility is the backbone of the taskforce as “Without mobility, they cannot do anything in the forest.”
Niger State Forest guards and the Law against Deforestation
There is currently no law against deforestation in Niger state but a bill for the Prohibition of Indiscriminate Felling of Tree has been in the state House of Assembly since 2016, this was recently being deliberated upon in a bid to turn the bill into law.
The Bill states that no landowner shall fell a tree on his land except with the authorisation of the state government and that when the execution of a purpose or the improvement of land entails the felling of a tree, the appropriate authority needs to be informed and approval given.
The Bill further states that any landowner who fells a tree in contravention of the law will be fined N30,000 for each tree felled or imprisoned for three months while anyone who is not the owner of the land and is guilty of felling a tree without approval would be required to plant two trees in replacement.
Also, fines for anyone who guilty of felling trees by the roadside in an urban area will be fined N100,000, while if it is in a non-urban area, it would be fined N150,000 or imprisoned for two years. Also if the tree fell is an economic or service tree, the defaulter will pay N150,000 or imprisoned for two years.
The Bill empowers the forestry officers to arrest anybody found felling, fell or transporting a tree produce in commercial quantity without the adequate permit, such a defaulter will be fined N150,000 for each tonne of the tree produce or imprisonment of two years.
The Coordinator of the Taskforce on Forest Protection, however, lamented that they are limited to seizing the goods and not being able to arrest the offenders until the law is passed to this effect.
“I think it is because we have not been arresting them that is why they are still bold to continue with the business but if we start arresting them when the law is passed, then there will be a total end to deforestation activities in Niger state. but if we only seize their goods, they will return with more goods and continue as if nothing had happened.”
Forest Guards
520 forest guards were employed under the defunct Sure-P initiative in Niger state in 2013 and were disengaged when the initiative was put t halt but the Niger state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar in 2016 re-engaged the 520 former casual forest guards to protect t the forest from deforestation.
The duties of the forest guards involve overseeing what goes on in the forest and checkmate who goes in and who comes out.
But despite the engagement of these forest guards, the activities of deforestation in the forests continue unabatedly until the coming of the Taskforce on forest protection.
The Coordinator of the Taskforce on Forest Protection lamented that while 520 forest guards were engaged, those who are doing the work are not more than 100 adding that he has been to the forests in several parts of the state and those he sees on duty are very scanty.
“I have gone round two zones to all the axis, zone A and B in the state. We are supposed to have over 500 green guards or forestry guards but the ones operating are not up to 100.
“This is sad because the government want the forest to be protected and to this end, every month, they release money for the 500 guards. But being on the field and forests, I haven’t seen 500 people.”
This has given to the rise of the Ministry of Environment screening the forest guards, the screening is currently ongoing and those who have been discovered not to be working will be removed and replaced with new guards”, Lankpene said.
The Impact of Deforestation on the climate and socio-economic lives of the people
Deforestation can result in watersheds that are no longer able to sustain and regulate water flows from rivers to steams. Trees are highly effective in absorbing water quantities, keeping the amount of water in watersheds to a manageable level. The forest also serves as cover against erosion. Once they are gone, too much water can result in downstream flooding, many of which have caused disasters in many parts of the world.
Niger state is currently one of the states in Nigeria that is massively devastated with flood yearly, this, a Lecturer in Urban and Regional Planning Department in the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Mr Samuel Medeyese explained may have been caused by deforestation.
According to him, deforestation is caused by the growing demand for forest products adding that this not only affects the climate by increasing the atmospheric level of carbon dioxide but also affects the environment by inhibiting water recycling, triggering severe flooding, aquifer depletion, soil degradation and the extinction of plant and animal species.
Medeyese further said trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis pointing out that cutting down trees in the forests will cause a decline in the photosynthetic activity which results in the atmosphere retaining higher levels of carbon dioxide.
“Forests also store an enormous amount of organic carbon which is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide when forests are cleared by burning. Deforestation contributes to global warming, depletion of the ozone layer and ocean acidification.”
“Severe flooding which is experienced in most parts of Niger state today can be said to be the result of deforestation because removal of the forest leaves little vegetative cover to hold heavy rains. The inability of land void of the forest to hold heavy rainwater will also trigger mudslides like the ones that have occurred in recent years especially in Mokwa and Lapai areas of Niger state. Severe flooding and mudslides are extremely costly because they devastate homes and communities.”
Professor Dukiya Jehoshaphat Jaiye of the Centre for Disaster Risk Management and Development Studies from the Federal University of Technology, Minna posited that continuous deforestation in a given community will create an imbalance in the carbon space and makes the atmosphere unliveable by causing anomalies in the temperature of the environment which gives rise to a lot of diseases.
He reasoned that since some of the use of deforestation is for the production of charcoal and firewood which is mostly used by the masses due to their financial capability, the government should make kerosene and gas available and affordable to the masses stressing that not doing this will lead to the government losing out in the fight against deforestation.
“45 per cent of the population who live in the rural area do not have access to gas and the kerosene and these two products which are the closest alternative there is too expensive for the masses to buy but the government need to make the kerosene and gas closer, accessible and available to the people.”
He stated that the government need to have a policy framework and inclusive planning whereby the community heads will be enlightened on the need to have a systematic approach to the use of the natural gift of nature which is the forest, “by proper planning and sensitisation of the people on the impact on their lives, they will see the need to make a change and see how they can sustainably utilise the forest for their advantage.
The Coordinator of the Taskforce on Forest Protection said that the Niger state government has produced over six million seedlings for replanting adding that there are also provisions that every offender caught felling trees will be made to plant two trees in place of one tree fell.
Warning to conveyors of tree produce
The Coordinator of the Taskforce, Isah Lankpene warned that he is set and ready to seize any tree produce being conveyed from the forest adding that the eyes of the task force are also on those who sell the charcoal and firewood as the war against them would soon be renewed.
But the charcoal sellers have made a call to the government to allow them to their job which is the selling of charcoal to interested people. they said that they are willing to pay revenue if the government desires but stopping the business is out of the matter.
“Let them stop disturbing us, we are ready to pay revenue if they say we should pay because if they say we should leave this business, we do not know any other business to do. Our government should have sympathy for us. if they are determined to stop us from doing this job, they should get us something more lucrative for us to do. They can’t stop us from this one and not provide an alternative, we won’t leave if that is what they want”, Hassan said
Abdullahi added: “A lot of us here have finished schools; a lot of people who are involved in this are graduates but no jobs, so they have to do what they can do. The government is not even lucky that we didn’t join bad groups to cause trouble for them. so as we are here, they should just allow us to be and continue our business. We are not looking for anybody’s trouble, they should leave us in peace.”
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Support for this report was provided by the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) and is made possible through funding support from Ford Foundation.
