During a courtesy visit yesterday, the Forestry Stakeholders of Edo State (FOSES) were welcomed by Hon. Valentine Owamagbe Asuen, Executive Chairman of the Edo State Forestry Commission, in his office in Benin City, the state capital. The coalition expressed its intention to work with the commission in fulfilling its statutory mandate to protect and conserve forests and their associated resources and to assist in the commission’s operations within the state.
Mallam Alasa H. Ikhelowa, a well-known environmentalist and development specialist, served as the group’s chairman while Comrade Tony Erha, a leading environmental journalist and activist, as the coalition’s secretary, led FOSES on the visit. Mr. Frederick Okoloise, a retired forester from the state’s Department of Forestry, and Prof. Gideon U. Emenlue, a professor of Forestry and Wildlife from the University of Benin, are among the other group members that attended the meeting.
According to Mallam Ikhelowa, a long-time serving Permanent Secretary of the state’s Environment ministry, FOSES was interested in working together to provide the necessary forestry and related expertise, mobilise a larger group of stakeholders, and assist in raising money and securing local and international support for the commission’s operations. Ikhelowa further implied that there are parts of the amended bill that are anti-people and could impede the commission’s ability to function effectively by stating, while quoting from a text prepared for the visit, that the commission would need to review and remove from the contentious Bill that purportedly created the Commission in order to replace the 1968 Forestry Act.
Among other things, the group demanded that a Forestry Trust Fund be established, that existing forest reserves be evaluated immediately, that forest reserves be replanted, that large tracts of forest land that previous state governments had unjustly given to single-crop plantation companies be reclaimed, that the state government effectively protect Benin Ogba Zoo and Nature Park (BENZOPA), that the state government support Okomu National Park, and that more protected forest areas be established for the state.
In response to the group’s statements, Hon. Asuen said he was hopeful that the group, which is clearly composed of seasoned professionals and trustworthy men and women, would work together to fulfil the noble mission of his commission, which is being driven by Senator Monday Okpebholo, the state governor. He urged FOSES to use its large membership and the public to accelerate the good work of his commission, adding that its bid at “reforestation of Edo forests and carrying out tree planting exercises, also entails the re-orientation of the people, who the forests are primarily meant for.” He considered the positions put forth by the group as worthwhile and said his commission would investigate them because it also works with other stakeholders for the same effects.
One way to describe FOSES is as a coalition of nature conservation organisations, NGOs, conservationists, professional associations, farmers, loggers, land users, youth groups, and genders who have opposed land grabbing, excessive deforestation, and the destruction of livelihoods. This has led them to oppose the state’s previous government.
