By Faridat Salifu
The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to eradication of wildlife traffiking across the nation and unveiled a sculpture of an elephant crafted from residue pulverised wildlife christened ‘Giwa Statue of Renewed Hope.’
The event which took place on Wednesday in Abuja, signalled the climax of the disposal of about six tons of confiscated wildlife stockpiled by the National Environmental Standards And Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).
Unveiling the statue, the Minister of State for Environment, Dr. Iziaq Salako, officially christened it the ‘Giwa Statue of Renewed Hope.’
The minister reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of the current government to eradicate wildlife trafficking throughout the country.
He called on Nigerians to support the fight against all forms of wildlife trafficking by providing intelligence, discourage animal poaching and refuse to use products that are not sourced through legitimate route.
He said: ”We need wildlife for our survival, well being and prosperity as they maintain ecologicl balance, maintain the foo chain nd they keep us connected to nature.
Speaking at the ceremony, the irector General NESREA, Dr. Innocent Barikor, said the elephant sculture symbolize Nigeria’s commitment to zero tolerance to illegal wildlife trade at all levels.
Barikor noted that the sculture is a proof to CITES communities that Nigeria has not relented in carrying out its obligations to the international environmental conventions and promotion of eco-tourism.
The unveiling of the elephant sculpture – ‘Giwa Statue of Renewed Hope,’ marks a turning point in Nigeria’s efforts to combat illegal wildlife trade which has been a major threat to the nation’s biodiversity an global conservation efforts.
Checks revealed that NESREA and other agencies like the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), have made concerted efforts which led to the arrest of several wildlife trafficking suspects between 2011 and 2023.
Recall that in October 2023, pangolin scales and several animal skins seized from wildlife traffickers by NESREA.
These include 185 baags of pangoli scales weighing 3,991 kg, 11 bags of crocodile and other reptiles skins, leopard skins and birds feathers weighing 102 kg, and 2,500 kg of ivory were recovered from these traffickers.
The seizure were first kept in NESREA’s custody and later they were incinerated by the agency. This was followed by the crushing of conviscted ivories in January 2024.
Both exercise were carried out with the support of the Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation of the United Kingdom and the United States Embassy in Nigeria.
