— CG-NPS
By Onwa Ekor
The Conservator General of Nigeria National Park Service, Dr Ibrahim Goni, has disclosed that Cross River, in 2025 lost over 14,000 hectares of tropical rainforest through deforestation, illegal mining and agricultural expansion.
Goni stated this at the 4th multi-stakeholders conference on deforestation in Cross River with the theme, “Forests, people and policy: Shifting power and strategies for combating deforestation,” organised by “We the People- Centre for social studies and development,” in conjunction with other relevant partners and held in Calabar
.
Represented by the Cross River Conservator of Parks, Joseph Ntui, he maintained that the state forest was disappearing at an alarming rate, despite efforts put in place to stem the tide.
“Just last year, 2025, we lost over 14,000 hectares of tropical rainforest through deforestation, illegal mining, agricultural expansion and the consequences of these are with us.
“We are all witnesses of devastating floods that took place two weeks ago, the solution is for us to sit and reexamine our actions and inactions, activities and practices and see where we are going wrong and retrace our steps,” Goni said.
Director “We the People,” Ken Henshaw, expressed worries that the forest has continued to deplete since 2008 till date with the introduction of new dimensions of forest lost, even as reliable information reveals the state timber from the National Park moving as far as Niger Republic.
According to Henshaw, “what was once perceived lively as localised illegal logging has developed to a far up organised and sophisticated enterprise as the timber trade now involves foreign interests operating through local collaborators and transnational supply chains.”
He expressed displeasure that timbers extracted illegally are being exported beyond the country while forests were systematically depleting, adding that, “the communities that traditionally owned and protected these forests for generations were steadily losing not only their livelihood but irreplaceable cultural and ecological heritage.”
Henshaw also pointed out that, “mining has become an important new driver of deforestation, bringing with it wide spread environmental degredation, social conflict, insecurity, pollution of water sources, destruction of farm lands and threats to communities valued species.”
Environmental activist and Executive Director of Panacea for Development and Infrastructural Challenges for Africa initiative (PADIC-Africa) Dr Martins Egot, in his presentation, “Reforming the Cross River forestry law: Policy imperatives, ecological reality and strategic governance responsibility,” hinted that the conversation matters since Cross River holds Nigeria’s most significant remaining tropical rainforest forming part of the lower Guinean forest ecosystem of West Africa.
Egot who listed the drivers of the crisis to include illegal wildlife hunting and trade, commercial logging and agricultural expansion, weak penalties that failed to deter forest crimes among others, also reasoned that, the reform would lead to inclusive governance, climate ready institution, mandatory restoration, real deterrence, restored rights and rule of law.
Member, Federation of mining host communities and Executive Director of SIPJAD, Redzie Jugo, in his presentation tagged, “Digging up the forest: Mining, deforestation and insecurity in Cross River. Lessons from the middle belt and a power shifting agenda for conservation,” advocated the matrix of accountability to include state government publishing all licences and Environmental Impact Assessments online, while the federal government and regulators target financial backers and buyers of illegal minerals.
Jugo also called on Civil Societies and lawyers to enforce African Charter Rights in court for environmental devastation, deploy Freedom of Information requests to end industry secrecy, even as donors and partners fund power not workshops, among others.
On his part, Ghanian born Daryl Bosu, who spoke on, “Galamsey in Ghana: The evolution of a national crisis and its lessons for Nigeria’s Cross River,” informed that Cross River’s illegal mining crisis is following a trajectory disturbingly similar to Ghana’s early Galamsey expansion resulting to foreign influx, weak enforcement, armed violence, environmental destruction and traditional authority complicity.
Bosu further sued for reforms to be pursued, the tracking of mining concessions, prosecution of financiers, early engagement of international partners and holding the traditional authorities accountable.
The event which was interactive also featured goodwill messages from the Chairman, House of Assembly committee on forestry, Hon. Better Obi, Commissioner for women affairs, Edema Irom, as well as partners, community leaders and heads of civil society organisations.
