Professor Ayodeji Omole, Chairman of Ladoke Akintola University’s Governing Council, has warned that forestry practice in Nigeria is endangered due to widespread banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism.
Delivering the 561st Inaugural Lecture at the University of Ibadan, Omole stated that armed men, allegedly foreigners and local collaborators, have taken over many forest estates.
“Challenges of insecurity in our forest estates have defied strategic solutions. Nigerian forests are among the most threatened in Africa,” Omole said.
He cited examples of affected areas, including Sambisa Forest in Borno State, southwestern states (Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo), Lagos and Ogun States, and South East and South-south regions.
Omole called for special funding allocation to support forest conservation and sustainable management, emphasizing its impact on economic growth, foreign exchange earnings, and national stability.
Source: The Nation Newspaper
