DG Decries Encroachment On Forest Reserves

The Director-General of Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency, Dr Dije Bala, has decried the wanton encroachment into forest reserves in the state.

Bala spoke at a lecture organised by an NGO, Forward in Action for Conservation of Indigenous Species (FACIS), held in Bauchi on Saturday in commemoration of this year’s International Climate Action Day.

She lamented that over the years, most reserves had been taken over by residential buildings, shops and petrol stations.

“We have quite a number of gazetted reserves in Bauchi State. But of recent, most of them have been depleted. They have been converted to residential areas, shops and petrol filling stations.’’

According to her, not even the “sign posts’’ indicating that the areas are reserves were spared by the encroachers.

The director, who spoke on deforestation, global warming and climatic change issues, stressed the need for concerted efforts to address the problems at local, national and international levels.

Bala said that the international community had not relented in providing funds to check deforestation.

She, however, lamented that in spite of the efforts, the desired result had yet to be achieved due to lack of political will on the part of leaders to ensure the resuscitation and conservation of forests.

“A lot of the funds that come in form of assistance for tackling the problems are utilised for other social and political activities.’’

Alhaji Sule Yakubu, acting director of Forestry, Bauchi State Ministry of Environment and Forestry, enumerated measures put in through legislation to check deforestation in the state.

In their separate remarks, Rev. Shuaibu Byal and Sheikh Mohammed Suleiman called on the people to imbibe the culture of conserving forest and other natural resources.

Alhaji Sabo Abubakar, the chairman, Board of Directors of FACIS, recommended the establishment of Social Mobilisation Committee on Climate Change in Bauchi State to create awareness on the dangers of deforestation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that smokeless stoves that do not require the use firewood were donated to members of Rafin Dinya community in Bauchi local government by FACIS.