Joseph Odok|27 January 2016|6:32pm
One of the many claims of the governor of Cross River State is that of being an outstanding environmentalist. This rang a bell in his manifestos during his campaign. The governor boasted of tackling the environmental issues and introducing environmental best practices especially as an expert in environment. Ayade's claims to be an environmentalist with outstanding international awards seems defeated if judged by the obvious neglect of environmental issues in Cross River State. In the claims of the governor, he became a billionaire solely by his innovations in environmental science. Be that as it may, the conservation of Cross River State forest and games reserves questions the credibility of Ayade Benedict as an environmental expert.
One sector of the environment that has soured the reputation of Ayade as an environmentalist is the management of Center for Education, Research and Conservation of Primates and Nature (CERCOPAN). CERCOPAN is a nonprofit, NGO dedicated to conserving Nigeria's primates since 1994, in partnership with Cross River State Forestry Commission. It is a home for monkeys without mothers and serves as a home for monkeys killed by hunters for bush meat.
It is to be recalled that monkeys are now an endangered specie in Nigeria because of hunting and cutting down of tress. CERCOPAN becomes an alternative home for monkeys trained to live their natural life with the aim of returning them one day to the forest.
It is sad that CERCOPAN is greatly under funded. Due to the lack of funds all the female monkeys have implant in their reproductive organs to prevents them from reproduction. This destroys the objective of setting up CERCOPAN as a vehicle for conservation of monkeys. Besides the aim of conservation, CERCOPAN was to also serve as a centre for research and education studies.
CERCOPAN remains an agency for conservation of our endangered monkeys. Part of its program is the training of orphaned monkeys to adapt to their natural habitats and then reintroduce the monkeys back to the forest. It is pitiable that an environmentalist governor like Ayade with so much noise about his specialization will treat the conservation of our endangered primates with such levity.
RECOMMENDATIONS
*The governor should as a matter of urgency increase the funding of CERCOPAN and renovate its dilapidated pens.
*The governor as matter of urgency should relocate CERCOPAN to a more spacious place to accommodate more monkeys and give more attention to the conservation of our wide life in line with global environmental ideals.
*The governor should as a matter of urgency order the removal of implants from the female monkeys for greater reproduction.
*Being an environmentalist, the governor should give more attention to the education, research and conservation of our animals.
*Regular programs for the reintroduction of the monkeys to the forest should be organised as a way of conserving endangered primates.
A stitch in time saves nine.
Joseph Odok
Change Agents & Social Activist
