Conservator Lauds NPS Partnership With ANI

The conservator of parks at the Okomu National Park, Lawrence Osaze, has commended the leadership of the National Park Service (NPS) and attributed the reduction in illegal tree logging, animal poaching and other illicit activities to the partnership with the Africa Nature Investors (ANI) Foundation.

Speaking with journalists at his office in the Okomu Landscape, he praised Ibrahim Goni, the conservator-general of the National Park Service (NPS), for his visionary leadership while thanking the ANI Foundation for its tremendous support since its involvement in the management of the Okomu National Park along with the NPS.

He said,  “I was posted here in November 2022, so we started working earnestly in December. They were still trying to settle down, carrying out lots of training for the team, rangers, etc. Upon concluding the training, the work moved to recruiting the Rangers on behalf of the park. We call them Volunteer Rangers; before this time, we had a serious challenge of illegal logging around the place. But we joined forces together, and today’s story is entirely different; the park is relatively peaceful, and logging activities are at the bare minimum.”

He said efforts were now being directed at other areas, including enlightenment, education of communities living around the park, and empowerment, which the ANI Foundation continues to champion. “Moreso, both of us, the National Park Service and ANI Foundation have had a series of meetings and engagements with the communities to convince them to give us the required support, and by the grace of God, few activities have been done in collaboration with other people, like the socio-economic initiatives with a view of bringing other viable means of livelihood to the people in such a way that they will not be fully dependent on the forest resources. We have engaged some people to help us guide the vestiges ecosystem,” he added.

Also speaking, Peter Abanyam, ANI Foundation’s Project Manager for Okomu National Park, said what the park lacks in size, being the smallest national park in Nigeria, makes for richness regarding species diversity.

Patrick Igbinidu, the Iyase of Udo, a prominent traditional ruler in Edo State, commended the Africa Nature Investors (ANI) Foundation on efforts towards improving security and development in surrounding communities of Okomu National Park.