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Tree felling: Abuja bares its fangs
Written by Duncan Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Share‘Nigeria’s federal capital territory, FCT, is a 7,000 square kilometer-area hewn out of four states – Niger, Nassarawa, Plateau and Kogi. Located between Latitude 9 and Longitude 7 degrees, Abuja comfortably nestles in an area known as the ‘Middle Belt’ of Nigeria. Daily, as early as 6:30am, the sun is already blazing hot, making residents grapple with temperatures as high as 84 to 90 degrees. As a result, most people within the city take refuge under the many trees in the city... But it is in the power to regulate climate that trees are less known. At night, while everyone is asleep, trees are at work. They produce the oxygen that human beings need for their survival, after having mopped up all the sleaze from dangerous gases like carbon monoxide, Sulphur dioxide and other poisonous gases produced from our industrial and economic activities. What this does for residents of the Federal Capital City, FCC, is that they breathe fresh and crisp air, quite unlike the acrid and pungent stenches that slap residents in the face every morning in Lagos, Warri and Port Harcourt.’
Fortunately , he is not the only one concerned about the plight of these natural resource: trees. The FCT Administration recently declared a total ban on tree felling in the territory in what it said is meant to preserve the environment. This is in line with the provision of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) Act No 10 of 1997, a hitherto relatively unenforced regulation. In a statement signed by the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, the authorities advised the public to show restraint in cutting down trees and informed people to liaise with the appropriate authorities in their efforts to make Abuja green, by embarking on tree planting exercises in the FCT. The statement further read that such trees that constitute danger to lives and property will require residents to obtain written permit from AEPB before they can be removed. As usual this has started generating a bit of controversy amongst residents of the city.
Wikipediaonline.com says of tree
felling done illegally: ‘illegal logging contributes to deforestation
and by extension global warming, causes loss of biodiversity and
undermines the rule of law. These illegal activities undermine
responsible forest management, encourage corruption and tax evasion and
reduce the income of the producer countries, further limiting the
resources producer countries can invest in sustainable development.
Illegal logging has serious economic and social implications for the
poor and disadvantaged. Furthermore, the illegal trade of forest
resources undermines international security, and is frequently
associated with corruption, money laundering, organized crime, human
rights abuses and, in some cases, violent conflict. In the forestry
sector, cheap imports of illegal timber and forest products, together
with the non-compliance of some economic players with basic social and
environmental standards, destabilize international markets. This unfair
competition affects those European companies, especially the small and
medium sized companies that are behaving responsibly and ready to play
by fair rules.’
This blight is however not limited to the local terrain however. The European Union which has a policy to fight illegal logging and associated trade which has been in existence since 2003, has a Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan, which many countries are currently buying into. It enthuses on its website about the multiple negative consequences of indiscriminate logging. ‘Illegal logging is the harvesting of timber in contravention of the laws and regulations of the country of harvest. Illegal logging is a global problem with significant negative economic, environmental and social impact. In economic terms illegal logging results in lost revenues and other foregone benefits. In environmental terms illegal logging is associated with deforestation, climate change and a loss of biodiversity. In social terms illegal logging can be linked to conflicts over land and resources, the dis empowerment of local and indigenous communities, corruption and armed conflicts. Illegal activities also undermine the efforts of responsible operators by making available cheaper but illegal timber and timber products in the market place.
Abdelrahman Muhammad, a public relations expert in the city of Abuja, opines that the government ought to address the deeper reasons why people cut down trees, rather than aggressively tackle those who flout the law. He says inter alia ‘why would a normal person cut down trees in the first place you may want to ask. The reasons are simple. Most of those that do it in the villages do it for two reasons, to power their cooking and energy needs, and equally to sell in order to make a little cash. If the government provides adequate kerosene and also creates massive job opportunities, the problem will be greatly reduced. The scarcity of kerosene is the most crucial challenge the authorities must address, if the incidences of tree cutting will be reduced somewhat.’ He equally adds that the authorities must make other enabling laws to protect the forest reserve areas which he says are gradually disappearing.
Akpala Victor, an environmentalist
who actively promotes the planting of trees is happy with the new law,
and says that if properly enforced will go a long way in protecting the
nation’s tree resources. ‘I always marvel when I hear that people cut
down trees. Just take a stroll along any major street in the city on any
day, especially in this dry season. You will be surprised at the number
of people taking cover under these trees in an attempt to escape the
scorching heat. Why then would a normal person cut down trees in the
first place, rather than planting more? Of course, there are some trees
you may decide to cut down due to safety or other security reasons, but
these must be done with every sense of responsibility. Trees offer
succour from rain and sunshine and are very good in curtailing the
occurrence of solar related environmental crisis. The uses of trees can
really not be quantified. That is why apart from the beautification
aspect, many wise governments always encourage the tree planting
campaigns because these have far reaching benefits.’
On his own part, Pastor Anthony Babatola, a resident who is also a building technologist, is appalled that stringent measures need to be rolled out before people would be compelled to leave trees alone. ‘It is saddening that such laws have to be in place before people would know what is bad and what is right. Anybody can testify to the aesthetic traits of trees in any environment. There are also the medicinal values not to talk about the environmental benefits, and economic values. So why would anyone be told not to cut down these trees? The trees planted by the Shagari administration along places like Lokoja, Okene and many other places are today wasted. It is very sad. Trees are meant to be cherished and adored rather than brutalized. But the problem I have with the new law is that when you make it for a nonchalant people it is totally useless...’
A disc jockey, Idowu Aka, however advises the authorities to take into consideration the legitimate rights of people to cut down trees that hinder their convenience or safety, and not witch-hunt them. ‘The challenge I seem to have with such policies is the fact that it will soon be messed up by overzealous city officials. I can see a situation where residents will begin to be harassed as a result of the law. Now, if I want to clear my land or its immediate surroundings of obstructing trees, would I easily be given a permit, or would I have to go through endless bureaucracy of having to ‘settle’ officials? Those questions will be answered sooner than expected I guess.’
A cross section of residents spoken with agree that the law is in order and actually belated. But they equally opine that the authorities must tackle the root causes of this trend, and also embark on massive sensitization so that residents may begin to appreciate the unique benefits of having trees around rather than eliminating them, as it is currently being done mostly in the Abuja suburbs.
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