The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, says the Ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Police Affairs to create a force that will eradicate Boko Haram and bandits from Nigerian forests.
The minister made this disclosure while defending the budget of the Ministry before the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Environment.
Lawal said the Federal Government is thinking of coming up with a unit out of the Park Rangers that would secure the Nigerian forests.
“What we are saying is that there is a close relationship between security and the environment because the Environment Ministry is in charge of the forest. I’m sure you know most of the issues related to banditry, Boko Haram, are hibernating in the forests. You are talking of Sambisa forest, Kamuku forest in the North East and North West.”
He pointed out that the biggest issue they were facing was that the Great Green Wall effort is being hindered by insecurity because they did not allow the people to plant trees they were supposed to plant.
While speaking with journalists after the budget defence of the Ministry of Environment, the co-Chairman of the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Environment, Terseer Ugbor agreed with the minister that Nigeria has the National Park Service that is responsible for monitoring and managing National Parks.
According to him, the parks, including forest areas and forest reserves, have become hiding places for bandits and banditry activities.
Ugbor said the committee was satisfied with their presentations, but not satisfied with the budgetary provisions for the Ministry, saying, “historically the Ministry of Environment has been underfunded. We have known this for quite a while and we hope something will be done”.
