Ekiti reopens forest reserves, bans night activities in saw mills

Ekiti State Government on Tuesday reopened the state forest reserves closed about a month ago over the activities of people illegally felling trees...


The State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, at a meeting with saw mill owners, timber dealers and other operators in the sector, also said all forest-related activities should end by 6pm from Monday to Saturday.

He said nobody should engage in such activities on Sunday.

In a statement by the governor's Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, the steps were to curtail the activities of people felling trees illegally, as it has been observed that they operate under the cover of the night and on Sunday and public holidays when government officials would not be available to enforce necessary laws.

Sounding a note of warning, the governor said anybody found involved in illegal felling of trees would be prosecuted.



"Not only that the trees and vehicles will be confiscated by the government, they will be subsequently auctioned.

We have to take these steps because we must protect our natural resources. We must endeavour to leave a good legacy for the coming generation.

"We have found out that due to the depletion of the forests in neighboring states such as Osun, Edo among others, the pressure is now on the reserves we have here in Ekiti. People are not replanting the trees they cut and they also engage in cutting down trees that are yet to mature. Cutting down a tree is like cutting down a human life," he said.



The governor said saw mill owners yet to pay their annual dues to the government must do so immediately or risk being shut down.

He added that because the reserves had been shut for about a month, the government had extended the payment of dues for this year to the first week of April.

Fayose urged members of the public to avail the government information on the activities of illegal timber operators, saying compensation would be given such a person.