Nigeria’s wildlife reserve is facing threat of depletion due to
continued illegal hunting and smuggling, thus denying the country huge
revenue in tourism, as well as putting exotic flora and fauna at risk of
extinction.
Species
of the gorillas found only in Nigeria and Cameroon forests are at risk
of extinction, as Nigeria’s wildlife is threatened. Photo credit:
Christophe Courteau / NPL, via Minden Pictures
Lamenting the extent of damage on Nigeria’s wildlife, the Lagos
Office of the Federal Ministry of Environment said in a recent
publication: “The booming illegal trade in wildlife products is eroding
the earth’s precious biodiversity, robbing us of our natural heritage
and pushing whole species towards extinction, as well as undermining
economies, fueling organised crime and feeding corruption and insecurity
across the globe.”
Poachers with sophisticated weapons are said to have managed to enter
protected areas and sanctuaries, killing even endangered animals like
the African wild dogs, cheetah, giraffe, and antelopes.
Also threatened are the Cross River gorilla, the drill, and a number
of smaller guenons that are found only in Nigeria and Cameroon forests.
No fewer than 100,000 elephants are believed to have been killed by
poachers within the African continent in the last three years and many
of them in Nigeria.
The use of wildlife body parts in making expensive fashion materials
and accessories, such as jewelries, shoes, belts, bracelets, bags and
others, is one major reason for the large wildlife trade, which is
considered the fourth most lucrative global crime after drugs, human and
arms, with annual trade value of between $5 billion and $20 billion,
based on the publication by the Nigeria Ministry of Environment.
To check this ugly trend in Nigeria, experts say, the masses should
not only guard their forests and government protected areas in their
communities against poachers, but also go a step further by rejecting
fashion accessories that are made of body parts of wild plants and
animals.
Director Forestry Department of the Federal Ministry of Environment,
Dr. Elizabeth Ekhibewele, who regretted that visits to important
wildlife spots revealed extensive depletion of wild animals, which she
said signaled a great loss to the government and the communities.
According to her, such parks and sanctuaries used to flourish with
assorted exotic organisms such as zebra, elephants, and gorillas.
“We visited a wildlife park and I wept. It was virtually empty.
Poachers go to the bush, they kill all animals. They kill pregnant
elephants, kill young elephants. They go to the bush, they kill any
mammal. They are not thinking of the future. As far as they are
concerned, it is the money,” she lamented.
Stressing that illegal wild life traffickers succeed because they
have collaborators in the affected communities, Dr. Ekhibewele further
explained that the Nigerian government is not completely banning trade
on wildlife, but wants it to be done in a sustainable manner that
benefits everybody.
“We are not saying that wildlife should not be traded on at all, we
say let it be done in a sustainable manner. Wild life trade must be
managed; it must be governed. When the trade is legal, it must follow
the procedure. Even in your house, if you want to sell something, you
don’t sell everything. You select the good ones and leave the rest. That
is also applicable to wildlife. Otherwise you just wake up one day and
observe that the organisms have all gone into extinction.
“The forests and its wild animals and plants do not belong to us. We
inherited them. We should also not destroy them to benefit our children,
grandchildren and great grandchildren. That is the awareness we are
creating.”
Pride in the choice of fashion fabrics and accessories especially by
among young and averagely aged women, is pointed as a setback to the
fight against illegal trade in endangered species.
These women as well as some fashionable men can go to any length to ensure their outfits outshine those of others at occasions.
To achieve their aim, they go for very expensive necklaces like those
made of ivory from elephant, as well as shoes and others that are made
of the scales of crocodiles and other wild animals.
A young woman, Mary Williams, who works in a government establishment, parades an animal skinned bag, worth over N500,000.
She said, “I just like looking good. Some of these things, I buy them
abroad. They cost a fortune in Nigerian shops, if at all you will see
them. Though it is expensive, you just need it to compliment your
status.”
However, given the hardship in the country, most of the “big ladies”,
reportedly go for fashion materials and accessories, made from refined
animal materials.
“Original leathers are very expensive, so most women go for bags and
shoes that are made of refined animal
skins and parts. But, if there is
money, I personally would go for the original leather. But I just make
do with what is available,” remarked Mrs. Ifeyinwa Ojiego, a Lagos
resident.
A campaigner on wildlife protection, said that young people,
especially ladies, should begin to overlook bags, belt, shoes and
others, that are made of wildlife skins and scales, to discourage the
producers of such accessories.
“For the young ladies who want to be Miss Nigeria, Miss Universe and
others, you don’t have to wear leathers of crocodile skin before you are
beautiful and important. The Nigerian fabrics like the Ankara look very
astonishing and can be designed into different styles, good enough for
the best occasion in the world.”
The campaigner stated that the time has come for all to start acting
to protect wildlife, not just by making speeches at workshops and
seminars.
Her words: “It is time to take the right decision. Not just to say no
illegal wild life trade only by speech but taking little action.
“For the children, there are basic actions that you can take. Start
as little as caring for the environment where you are. If they bring the
kind of bush meat that is on the verge of extinction, reject it. For
the regulatory bodies, they have the mandate to work and push so that
there is no longer illegal trafficking of wild life.”
Many others believe that it is high time that Nigerian masses showed
greater commitment in their support towards protecting the country’s
wildlife reserve.
They said this support is needed now more than ever before that the
country has launched a new national re-orientation campaign called
“Change begins with me” which, among other things, enjoins every
Nigerian to show utmost patriotism to his or her fatherland, to check
criminality, corruption and build the economy.
The patronage of fashion materials that are made from skins of goats,
cows and other domestic animals, is required from the masses to
accelerate growth of the manufacturing sector and at the same time
protect endangered animals.
According to the chairman, Nigeria Tanners Council, NTC Alhaji Lawan
Sule Garo, Nigeria has among the highest quality hides and skin in the
world, especially, the skin-red leather made from goats. He said all
that is needed is government support to take the industry to the next
level.
“There is a need for government to encourage both local and foreign
investors to establish manufacturing companies that would be readily
available to use processed leather to produce high quality goods such as
shoes, bags and belts, which are imported from Europe and North
America.
“We have reached the peak in manufacturing top leather. We can
compete with developed countries. What we need now is go to the next
level, and that is production of shoes, belts, bags and other products
using leather as raw material. Tannery industry remains one of the
oldest industries in Nigeria and has continued to generate employment
for old and young, particularly, in the north-west part of Nigeria.
Currently, Kano State has about 20 functional tannery firms, the largest
and most efficient industry, with over 25,000 employed.”
Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC),
Segun Awolowo, who also called for government support to fully develop
the country’s leather industry, had announced that Nigeria exports hide
and skin worth $800 million annually.
“Even with its touted climb in the economy’s ladder as Nigeria’s
second foreign exchange earner, the leather industry still faces
enormous challenge. There is the need for the Federal Government to
inject adequate resources to stabilise the sector as well provide an
enabling environment for manufacturers and investors in the industry to
thrive,” he said.
Though majority of Nigeria’s hides and skins tend to come from cow
and goat, wild animals and plants are reportedly being killed for their
skins and they include crocodile, buffalo, elephant and zebra, all
prohibited by the Convention for International Trade on Endangered
Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), that the country is signatory to.
Attitudinal change towards embracing locally-made goods and services
should be adopted. Skins from goats which are sustainable should be
promoted, through grants to farmers and to investors to build
world-class tannery and leather industries.
By Innocent Onoh
