Ministry Seeks Review Of Forestry Laws

The Department of Forestry, Federal Ministry of Environment, recently, urged states and local governments to review the laws to be in line with modern forestry management and global best practises.

Alhaji Salisu Dahiru, the Acting Director, gave the advice  while fielding questions from newsmen in Abuja, recently.

“There are some laws, particularly in the state, that are obsolete; they did not upgrade them. So, there is need for them to be updated.

“Some states in the North still use forest laws of Northern Nigeria, which was enacted in the post-colonial era.

“A number of states like Rivers and Lagos, have reviewed some of the laws to conform with the modern day sustainable forest management practices.’’

He explained that states and local governments were the owners of the forests and parks in Nigeria and not the ministry.

“Constitutionally, forests belong to states and local governments. Therefore, there is a limit to the extent the Federal Government can go. So, we need the states and local governments to wake up to their responsibilities.

“The ministry makes policies, regulations and produces guidelines to provide the legal framework for the implementation of the policies.

“We have the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESERA) to enforce the laws at the federal level.’’

According to him, the National Parks Service has the responsibility for bio-diversity conservation in designated ational parks and reserves.