Ononogbu: We’ll Make National Parks Attractive for Tourism, Revenue Generation

The Board Chairman of the National Parks Service, Dr. Kingsley Ononogbu, shares his goals and burning zeal to develop the parks and use them to boost Nigeria’s tourism sector. Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo brings the excerpts

How do you intend to face the challenge of leveraging the National Parks to make Nigeria a tourist destination?

Nigeria has a whole lot of God-given natural parks that can make it a tourist destination. But the first and foremost thing is to study the terrain and have a general overview of what is in existence and what we need to do to develop it to an attractive standard. It may surprise you that many people are not even aware of the diversity of these parks and the sheer number. We’re talking about nine that have been taken in and recognised as national parks. There are more than 15 or 20 other sites that have not been taken over by the federal government and designated as national parks. For instance, there is a mini-park in Abuja where you have live animals. If you have gone to the wildlife Safari in Kenya, for instance, like I have gone, you wouldn’t believe that this thing is in Abuja. There is another one in Lagos, there’s Arochukwu cave, among others. So, my first assignment as we move on, is to create the required awareness for people to even be aware of the existing national parks across the nation, which we are already doing. We will determine what needs to be done, those that can be done in the immediate, those for medium term, and those that are for long term periods. 

Won’t there be funding gridlock in executing your plans for the National Parks? Or is the agency buoyant enough?

What we want to do is to do a total study of what is on the ground and what needs to be done. Naturally, there will be no time you will have all the money to do all the things you want to do at any point in time. The ones that require some kind of budgetary allocations to be implemented, we’ll make sure those things are captured in next year’s budget  preparation. Beyond leisure our National Parks can become another source of revenue generation for the government.

How many of the existing National Parks are likely to be fully developed to the level of becoming a revenue earner for government?

We will prioritise, take two or three at a time and bring them up to, if possible, world-class standard, and create the awareness for people to appreciate that, yes, these things are here. Some Nigerians carry their families and go to Kenya. But if you take your family and go to what we have in Abuja, it may not be totally different from going to Kenya. So, create it where you have advantage as of now. Make it public. And we can measure the level of success in six months time. For instance, some people visit the Abuja mini-park, but very few people that really know about its existence. We can measure, if you create the awareness, on a gap of six months, you can determine the number of people that were coming there before we took over, and the number of people that will come in the next six months or one year with the kind of awareness we want to create.

Nine sites have been recognised and designated as National Parks, but how come none has been developed to an international standard all these years?

Well, I’m not in a position to talk about what was happening before my appointment. But if we are talking in general terms, some of those parks were being managed by state governments before they were taken over and designated National Parks by the federal government. Now, our agenda is to develop them to international standards to boost the tourism industry. It may interest you to know that in the last 30 years, as a matter of fact, this is the only time the government is being intentional and showing commitment to the development of the National Parks.

In specific terms, what needs to be done to make National Parks blossom and fulfill your dream of turning them to world-class tourist attractions and a major revenue earner for the government?

Apart from creating awareness, as I earlier mentioned, the necessary infrastructure like good roads to the site locations and facilities for tourists, have to be put in place. We will be showcasing the type of birds or animals that are in each of these locations so that people will know exactly where to go and admire nature and satisfy their curiosity. There are certain things that should be considered: are there children’s sections that are away from the wildlife, where children can also do parties and things like that? Are there going to be hotels, so that if you attract the tourists from abroad, friends of the animals, is there a place they can stay for two, three days, and they pay? Are the facilities modern enough, or look good enough, for tourists to want to be there. So, tourism is business. It’s a business I’ll be glad to do. That’s my idea. And I think that must be at the back of the mind of Mr. President in making the appointment, bringing in people from the private sector into a government agency.

But the security situations in some parts of the country could pose tough challenges in realising your goal of growing the tourism sector. Don’t you think so?

While implementing our plans, part of the arrangement is to also look at how we can  collaborate with the security agencies – military, police, DSS, Civil Defence – to assure  people of their safety. The forest guards or rangers also provide security for the National Parks, and they also carry arms. But even in the midst of safety in some areas like Lagos and Abuja that are the safest places in terms of number of security, and sophistication, people still don’t visit tourist sites as expected. These, you know, are places somebody can to a very large extent comfortably take his family on a weekend to go and look around. So, we can in the first instance, improve the tourist locations in those places, popularise them, and throw them open to the public.

It appears there are no tourist sites in the South-east or is there any you would want tourists to visit in that zone?

As of today there is none. From what is on the ground the only geopolitical zone that does not have a national park is the South-east. But there are natural sites that can be upgraded to National Parks. We have Arochukwu Cave, Ogbunike Cave, Nri archaeological treasure but none is captured as a National Park in what they have on ground now. Even the Ojukwu Bunker in Umuahia can be developed into a major tourist haven. Arochukwu Cave is supposed to be a tourist site, if well developed, so is Nri and others. Ojukwu Bunker is a national treasure. That’s the line here. If government takes it 1over as a national treasure, as a park, it would attract people who have interest in reading about the civil war and the ingenuity that came with it.

Knowing about the National Parks is one thing but actually patronising them is another. Are you not going to face an uphill task trying to make Nigerians imbibe this culture of leisure given the harsh economic conditions of the country?

I don’t see it that way. I think it’s a cultural thing. Take, for instance, there are people who spend their weekends in beer parlours as tough as things are. And I understood that in Abuja, visiting that Park is just 1,000 Naira, only. So if you imbibe leisure as a way of prolonging your life it becomes a lifestyle. So it’s not like if you say, I’m going to a park, it’s the same as going to the gardens. And when you want to have a quiet time or you are writing a book, such places of solitude as provided by the National Parks will just be what you need for a proper lifestyle. It’s not so much about how much you’re going to pay. That’s one. Two is that in the midst of things being difficult, there are families, Nigerian families here, that can today afford to spend their time in parks outside our shores. And they don’t know such things exist in their own country. Right? So, those people who have interest in a special kind of animals will even save money by remaining here and once in a while go to the parks with their families. It’s not so much about how much, but it’s a question of creating that awareness and consciousness of quality of life. By looking at nature, God’s creation, you can add years to your life.

You were inaugurated as Chairman of the National Park Service recently. How did you receive this appointment?

I regard it as a call to national service. I express my gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, for finding me fit to be called upon to supervise that huge organisation.  And I would also extend my thanks to High Chief Ikechi Emenike for the opportunity that led to my emerging as Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in this state, and to the Abia APC family for the support they have given me so far, which has showcased my little effortlessly that has led to this recognition and call to national service.