Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has said huge investment in the culture, tourism and forestry sectors of the state may help raise its internally generated revenue (IGR).
In recognition of this fact, Fayemi has disclosed plan to invest in cultural tourism, wildlife and forestry with huge ecotourism potential. This is with a view to making the state the epicentres of recreation, attraction and learning.
Fayemi said this in Ado Ekiti yesterday, after receiving the report of a six-month survey of 31 cultural sites, led by an expert, Dr. Babajide Agboola and staff of Ekiti State Forestry Commission.
Fayemi, who was represented by the Chairman, Ekiti State Forestry Commission, Mr. Kayode Olaosebikan, assured the people that some sacred places like Ogun Onire Groove, Esa Cave, and 29 others with forest and cultural potential, would be designated as “Community Protected Areas,” in line with the 2016 Ekiti State Forest Law.
Further, to curb illegal deforestation and insecurity, Fayemi said his government would recruit more guards to implement forest laws in the state to curb bandits using forests as safe haven for nefarious activities and checkmate illegal logger depleting the forests.
Fayemi added that, “The government is not unaware of the dreaded activities being perpetrated by some criminals in the forests,” saying efforts were being put in place to arrest the situation.
“The State Forestry Commission already has a proposal, which will be approved soon. We want to hire more guards to safeguard our forests against insecurity and illegal lumbering that can endanger our people and our economy.
“The government presently has enough personnel, but some of them will be retiring soon. We also felt that we should have more that can effectively cover our forest reserves, so that our people and economy can be saved from wicked people.
“As part of our strategies, we are giving licences to loggers to fell matured trees in our forest reserves, so that when these criminals know that activities are on there, they will flee,” he said.
Fayemi assured stakeholders that some sacred places in some towns visited by the team of experts would be designated as “Protected Areas,” saying this would be gazetted in line with the 2016 Ekiti State Forest Law.
In his submission, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Environment, Dr. Akinyemi Akinyugha, said the government was upping its game to conserve the existing forests and regenerated the depleted ones to boost the economy and protect the environment.
“Most of the security threats happening around us are done in forests across the states where the bandits take their victims to. That is where we also have illegal tree felling and that is why cutting and logging of trees must be regulated.
“Flora and fauna are interlinked and the fact that some species of trees and animals had become extinct made it imperative for us to conserve our biodiversity. Making some of these grooves protected areas will make us have managed tourist activities that will not desecrate or degrade the areas and we can also earn revenue,” he explained.
The Executive Secretary, Ekiti State Forestry Commission, Mr. Mathew Famuagun, revealed that the government, had last year distributed 580,000 seedlings to interested farmers to promote its afforestation policy as well as business in Ekiti.
