Diri hails upgrade of 2 forest reserves to national parks

Gov. Douye Diri, of Bayelsa, has commended the Federal Government for upgrading the Apoi and Edumanom Forests in the state to national parks

Diri made the commendation on Monday in Yenagoa when Ibrahim Goni, the Conservator-General, National Park Service, visited him.

He said that the state government would support the Federal Government to achieve the intentions behind the upgrade.

“As a government, we shall collaborate with the National Parks Service to develop the newly approved parks in our state,” he said.

The governor said that the upgrade had shown that the Federal Government was committed to safeguarding the nation’s forests and the environment at large.

Diri expressed who concerns that the state’s environment had been devasted by the activities of oil and gas companies, expressed his administration’s commitment to environmental protection.

“We are happy that at the end of this long journey, the state now has two of its forests upgraded to national parks.

“My administration places huge emphasis on issues concerning the safety of the environment. We are committed to the protection of our environment,” he said.

Earlier, Goni, said that the approval was coming after 13 years of waiting, saying, “remember that the process started in 2011”

The Conservator-General said the Federal Government was keenly committed to the running of the news parks.

He further said the two new parks had the capacity to generate no fewer than 100 employment opportunities for residents of the state.

It was reported that Apoi Forest is in Southern Ijaw while Edumanom Forest is within Ogbia and Nembe Local Government Areas respectively.