NEWS
Cross River Gorillas ‘ll Boost Local TourisM, Says Wild Africa Fund
Wild Africa Fund, an environmental NGO, says that Cross River gorillas can boost local tourism if there are deliberate policies to protect them.
The fund urges the public to protect Nigeria’s unique Cross River gorillas by supporting ongoing efforts to safeguard their populations and habitat as well as reducing demand for commercial bush meat that threatens them.
This is contained in a statement signed by Festus Iyorah, Nigeria Representative of the fund and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.
According to him, the Cross River gorillas live in the mountainous region between Nigeria and Cameroon and it’s Africa’s most endangered ape species.
He said that available records showed that fewer than 300 individuals of these gorillas remained in the wild, with 100 of them living in Nigeria’s Cross River State and the rest in Cameroon.
He said that the Gorillas were found in Nigeria in the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, the Mbe Mountains, and the Okwangwo division of the Cross River National Park.
He explained that the Cross River gorilla, one of Nigeria’s most iconic and cherished wildlife species, faced numerous threats, including hunting and habitat loss due to agricultural expansion, commercial logging and the encroachment of human settlements into its habitat.
Iyorah noted that while the hunting of gorillas had reduced over the last few years, wire snares set for other animals in the bush meat trade could also entrap gorillas, leading to injuries and, in some cases, death.
“We can’t afford to lose even one of our 100 Cross River Gorillas at this critical stage. Let us all come together to protect the Cross River Gorilla and ensure that these remarkable species continue to thrive in our country for generations to come,” Iyorah said.
The Nigeria representative said that the country had taken significant steps to address those challenges and protect the Cross River Gorilla.
He said that the National Park Service and Cross River State Government, in collaboration with local and international conservation organisations, had been working to safeguard the gorilla’s habitat, enforce anti-poaching laws, and promote community-based conservation initiatives.
He said that efforts were crucial, not only for the survival of the Cross River gorillas but also for the preservation of our rich biodiversity and the sustainable development of our communities.
He listed the benefits of protecting the gorillas.
” Gorilla based tourism is an invaluable asset to some African countries like Rwanda and Uganda, offering a win-win scenario for both conservation and economic development.
“Tourists from around the globe are drawn to the magic of gorilla encounters, making Gorilla-based tourism a source of foreign currency and funding for community development projects such as schools and healthcare centres.
“Gorilla trekking accounted for 14 per cent of the 498 million dollars Rwanda earned from tourism in 2018, when the government doubled the cost of Gorilla-trekking permits to 1,500 dollars per person.
” In 2018–19, tourism brought in $1.6 billion for Uganda, contributing 7.7 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employing at least 667,000 people,” Iyorah said.
Iyorah quoted the CEO of wild Africa Fund, Peter Knights, as saying
“If wildlife can be successfully protected in Nigeria it can become a major driver of increased tourism and jobs.
Iyorah said that Wild Africa Fund had launched a month-long public awareness campaign, using radio, TV, newspapers, billboards, and social media to inform people about the threats facing the Cross River gorillas and to amplify laws and anti-poaching measures protecting them.
He added that the campaign would feature messages from top celebrity ambassadors, including Davido, Laycon, Emanuella, and Alex Iwobi, and short documentaries highlighting ongoing efforts to protect gorillas and their habitat. (NAN)
The Police Command in Yobe, says it has detained a man, Yunus Isa, in connection with alleged murder of his business partner, Lawan Adamu.
This is contained in a statement by the Spokesman of the command, DSP Dungus Abdulkarim, in Damaturu on Thursday.
Report says that Adamu’s body was found on Sept.
15, with deep throat cut and stab wounds at Nayinawa area of Damaturu.Abdulkarim said credible intelligence led to the arrest of a prime suspect in the case, Isa, at Shago Tara near Nayinawa.
“Investigation revealed that Lawan Adamu was his employer and business partner in the engine oil trade.
“He (the suspect) borrowed N500,000 from Adamu last year with a profit-sharing agreement.
“However, when he failed to meet the agreement terms, the deceased demanded repayment.
“Isa callously murdered Adamu to avoid repaying the debt, killing him in cold blood,” he said.
The spokesman noted that the swift resolution of the case demonstrated the command’s commitment towards ensuring justice and public safety.
He said the suspect would soon be charged to court. (NAN)
Borno Government says it has realized over N12b cash and material donations for victims of Alau Dam flood disaster in Maiduguri.
Abdurrahman Bundi, the Senior Special Adviser on New Media to Borno Governor, gave the update on the donations for the Maiduguri Relief Fund on Thursday in Maiduguri.
Bundi said the donations came from corporate entities, state governments, State and National Assembly members, individuals, and Non-Governmental Organisations.
List of donors showed that the North East Development Commission (NEDC) donated N3b and food stuff, Aliko Dangote N2b, Aminu Dantata N1.5b, and Mohammed Indimi N1b.
Other donors were Borno LGAs; N1.
2b, Oluremi Tinubu; N500m, Bauchi and Niger states; N250m each while the people of Southern Borno donated N200m.Dahiru Mangal, Atiku Abubakar, Rep. Mukhtar Betara, Ali Modu Sheriff, House of Representatives, Abdulsalam Kachala, and JAIZ Bank states comprising Kebbi, Yobe, Kano, Taraba, katsina, Kaduna and Zamfara gave N100 each.
The Director General of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), Buba Marwa and Matrix Energy donated 10 trucks of fertiliser and foodstuff worth over N120m each.
Those who gave N50m include Adamawa state, Mr Peter Obi, Rabiu kwakwanso, Ahmed Lawan, Mohammad Maifata, Ibrahim Umar, Mohammad Imam, Ali Dalori, Bauchi APC chapter, Sen. Tahir Monguno, and Sen. Kaka Kaka Shehu and I8th Engineering Company, while the State Assembly donated N60m.
The Nasarawa Government also presented six trucks of rice, spaghetti and sugar.
Many other people donated between N1m and N30m respectively. (NAN)
The Performance Delivery and Coordination Unit (PDCU), says it has concluded mid-year performance review of Ministries, Agencies and Departments (MDAs), to enhance good governance in the state.
The PDCU being supervised by the office of Gov. Umar Namadi, conducted a three-day retreat on the review mid-year performance of the MDAs.
This is contained in a statement by Hashim Hashim, the unit’s Stakeholder Engagement and Communication Facilitator, in Dutse on Thursday.
He said the unit interfaced with representatives of the MDAs to verify submitted data on the progress recorded against set targets in the performance bond earlier signed in January.
According to him, the workshop is pivotal in streamlining government achievements into one single scorecard and finalising the mid-year performance reports for the attention of the governor.
The statement quoted the PDCU Coordinator, Adamu Muhammad, who doubles as Public Private Secretary to the governor, as stressing the importance of the exercise in driving the manifested 12-Point Agenda of the governor.
Muhammad was quoted as emphasising the need for the members of the unit to scrutinise and fine tune all the submitted evidence for accuracy, relevance and completeness.
The coordinator lauded the FCDO-PERL programme for the support to the state government in actualising the PDCU and supporting the review process.
“The PDCU comprises of professional technocrats selected based on merit and specialisation to support the delivery of the Governor’s 12-Point Agenda”. (NAN)
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