As Reps conducts Public Hearing on Nigeria Wildlife Protection Bill on October 24

By Innocent Onah

The House of Representatives will hold a Public Hearing on the Nigeria Wildlife Protection Bill on October 24, 2024, marking a significant step towards the realisation of what many consider a historic Act.

This bill aims to ensure the sustainable protection, preservation and conservation of wild species in the country, many of which are on the brink of extinction due to over-exploitation through illegal trade, poaching, killing for bush meat, and use in traditional medicine, among other reasons.

If the public hearing proceeds as planned, this Bill will be among those that have received accelerated attention, as its First Reading by the House took place on Monday, February 26 of this year, less than 8 months ago.

The “Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill, was proposed by the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, Hon. Terseer Ugbor, representing Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency of Benue State.

This bill aims to update and strengthen existing laws concerning wildlife protection, introducing measures to tackle illegal wildlife trade within Nigeria.

For instance, the Bill advocates for enhancing the capabilities of law enforcement agencies, providing more financial access to investigators to conduct their operations and granting power to judges to expedite wildlife cases and recover assets.

It also aligns with international treaties, encouraging global cooperation, and introducing stricter penalties for poachers and traffickers.

Defending the Bill during its First Reading, Hon Ugbor maintained that “By protecting the wildlife, we are protecting livelihoods and ensuring a balanced ecosystem”, emphasizing that “trafficking cannot continue to threaten the country’s natural heritage. Wildlife trafficking is not just a crime against nature, it is a threat to our planet’s delicate balance. Today, we take a bold stand against all illegal activities targeting our wildlife and forests,” added Hon. Ugbor.

The Nigeria Wildlife Protection Bill was introduced at a time when the nation’s image had been tarnished internationally, with the nation being labeled a “major hotspot for illegal wildlife trafficking,” despite being a signatory to a number of treaties against such crimes.

Wildlife encompasses all undomesticated animals including elephants, vultures, rhinoceros, crocodiles, gorillas, pangolins and various forms of monkeys.

Before now, these species including exotic plants were widespread, competing for space with humans. However, today, they are scarce in the wild.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (IUCN)’s red list website which is due for an update on Monday, the 28th of this month reports that more than 45,300 species are threatened with extinction, representing 28 percent of all assessed species.

These include 41 percent of amphibians, 26 percent of mammals, 34 percent of conifers, 12 percent of birds, 37 percent of sharks and rays, 36 percent of reef corals, 28 percent of selected crustaceans, 21 percent of reptiles and 71 percent of cycads.

According to IUCN, the Cross River gorilla with a population estimated at fewer than 300 individuals is Africa’s most threatened ape.

Similarly, all seven species of vultures in Nigeria endangered, just like elephants which used to be abundant in the nation’s forests and now number about 300 -400 individuals, prompting the government to launch the first ever National Action Plan for 2024-2034, designed to save the critically endangered giants. It is widely reported that Africa has lost 99 percent of its elephants within the last two decades.

Regarding plants, a report by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency has published the country’s red list indicating that of 189 plant species, 138 are vulnerable, 18 are endangered and 16 are low risks, urging that 18 plants require urgent attention to protect them from going extinct.

Opinions suggest that a combination of lack of public awareness, weak legislation, and minimal enforcement has hindered efforts to combat wildlife trafficking and biodiversity loss in Nigeria. Consequently, Nigeria’s wildlife has drastically declined, with species like lions, elephants, gorillas, and chimpanzees pushed to the brink of extinction.

Efforts by successive governments to curb these organised crimes against nature, humanity and the common wealth of the nation through initiatives such as the establishment of protected areas and game reserves, inter-agencies collaboration in executing the fights and prosecution of culprits have achieved some success, but there is still much work to be done.

Through interagency collaboration against wildlife trafficking the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kano/Jigawa command, in June 2022 intercepted 99 parrots being trafficked and handed them to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, NESREA.

The rescued wild birds were eventually handed over to the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) for rehabilitation, before being returned to the wild.

Similarly, in September, 2023, the Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service announced that it had intercepted 105 wild birds stashed in two buses being smuggled through the Seme-Badagry Expressway.

The Controller of the Command, Comptroller Timi Bomodi, in a statement, said that the Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the birds was worth N24,912,928.

Bomodi added that while one of the buses was coming to Nigeria from Togo, the other was heading to Benin Republic from Katsina.

Speaking at this year’s commemoration of World Wildlife Day, themed Connecting People and Planet; Exploring Digital Conservation,” in Abuja, the Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, UNOD, Oliver Stolpe, observed that “while thanks to the good work of the Nigeria customs seizure at Nigeria’s land, sea and airport border points have been on the rise, two- thirds of all seizures involving Nigeria were reported by the authorities of other countries.

“This suggests that interception capabilities still need to be strengthened, while enhanced information exchange and cooperation with relevant authorities in countries of origin, transit and destination offer opportunities for intelligence led operations and parallel or even joint investigations with the objective of detecting and dismantling trafficking networks.”

While the perpetrators of wildlife crimes may still be enjoying a free day, industry watchers believe that with the speed at which the House is giving the Wildlife Protection Bill attention, their days are numbered.

The Africa Nature Investors Foundation (ANI), the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), and the Wild Africa which have been actively supporting the Nigerian government’s efforts to combat illegal wildlife trafficking, with support from the UK Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund and the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs have commended the swift attention given to the Bill.

In an interview, Justin Gosling, Programme Lead – Securing Criminal Justice, EIA UK said the urgent treatment of the Bill is a testament to the determination of Nigerian lawmakers to end the criminal activities of those using the country as a hub for illegal wildlife trafficking.

“Given the progress it has made in the House of Representatives this year, I would say the lawmakers are prioritising the Bill and giving it the urgent attention it deserves as a matter of national importance for Nigeria. This is a testament to the determination of Nigerian lawmakers to put an end to the activities of criminals using Nigeria as a hub for wildlife trafficking,” said Gosling.

“There seems to be a growing recognition that wildlife crime, and other forms of environmental crime, must be treated both seriously and urgently. The Environmental Investigation Agency commends the Nigerian lawmakers and other stakeholders in supporting this Bill,” he added.

“On the economic returns the Bill if passed into law will bring to Nigeria, Gosling said it, “will improve protections for endangered animals including birds, elephants and pangolins but also plant and tree species. Preserving Nigeria’s wild heritage will attract tourists who are interested in wildlife experiences, generating revenue through guided tours, accommodation and other local services, thereby contributing to Nigeria’s local as well as national economies. By passing this Bill Nigeria will be signaling its intention to join the league of many other countries that generate significant revenue from ecotourism,” he explained.

The EIA Programme Lead called on the Nigerian masses especially the young people to participate in the Public Hearing to achieve an Act that is robust and effectively deal with the problem at hand.

Gosling said, “I hope the public hearing will be well attended, particularly by government and private sector stakeholders. I expect people to support the Bill and put forward their suggestions to improve the measure proposed in it to improve protections for wildlife and put an end to wildlife trafficking in Nigeria. Given the young average age of Nigerians, I hope that young people represented by youth groups, will be particularly engaged in supporting the Bill, given that it is intended to protect not only current but future generations who will be impacted most by biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution.”

Wilson Ogoke, ANI Wildlife Policy Coordinator is pleased that the Bill is progressing steadily, pointing out that a Wildlife Protection Act would help promote Nigeria’ ecotourism bringing about huge revenue generation.
“Having gone through its first and second readings and now scheduled for public hearing all under one year, I would say the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill 2024 is progressing steadily through Nigeria’s legislative process and getting the attention it deserves from the lawmakers.

“No investor will commit its funds to ecotourism in a country that offers minimal protections to wildlife. But once enacted the Bill will improve protections for Nigeria’s wildlife and forests and this will in turn help attract the investment and expertise to Nigeria’s ecotourism sector. A revitalized ecotourism sector will create jobs and contribute immensely to local and national economies in Nigeria,” said Ani.

To the masses that will participate in the Public Hearing, Ani advised that “I expect people to seek out more information about how the Bill will improve Nigeria’s resilience to climate change and climate related risks and to attend the public hearing and express support for it”.

Also reacting, Wild Africa CEO, Peter Knights expressed satisfaction with the progress of the Bill and said that, “This legislation will greatly enhance Nigeria’s ability to fight wildlife crime and we hope it can be swiftly enacted.”

Wildlife conservation and management are multi-billion dollar industries.

Report by the African Based Tourism shows that gorillas provide an important draw for Uganda’s Tourism Industry, which contributed 7.7 percent of its GDP and 6.7 percent of total employment in 2018.

Highlighting Rwanda as another African country experiencing a boom in its tourism industry with wildlife resources being a major contributor, the report updates that “it “costs $1,500 for tourists to see gorillas in Rwanda for an hour and tickets are always fully booked months before.”

Analysts hope that Nigeria with its vast mangrove, forest and savanna vegetation belts that support thriving biodiversity, stands a good chance of having a booming ecotourism sector driven by wildlife resources, to provide it sustainable and reliable source of economic dependence, amid dwindling oil revenue.

They believe that the introduction of the Wildlife Protection and the accelerated attention given to it by the House of Representatives is a good start to realizing that.