…as Reps hold policy dialogue on Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill
By Gloria Ikibah
The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Musa, has said that outdated laws and legislations remain one of the challenges confronting sustainable forest and biodiversity conservation in Nigeria.
The Minister who was represented by the Deputy Director Forestry, Rasak Kolawole
also called on the National Assembly to ensure the speedy passage of the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill, which according to him will help address the effects of wildlife trafficking in the country.
The Minister stated this at a policy dialogue organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Environment to review the “Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill 2024, on Monday in Abuja.
According to him, this Bill when passed into law, will help accelerate progress in the fight against wildlife and forest crime and subsequently catalyse the protection and conservation of our iconic species most importantly, the endangered species.
He said: “The challenges facing our environment and wildlife are substantial, ranging from habitat loss to poaching and illegal trafficking. The anticipated passage of this bill is not just a legal obligation but a moral imperative to protect and preserve the rich tapestry of life that sustains us all.
“Pursuant to the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, strengthening of the policy, legal and institutional framework is pivotal to our national approach to tackling biodiversity loss, environmental challenges, and climate change. Increasing population coupled with transboundary crime particularly wildlife and forestry crime has continued to mount pressure on the natural resources.
“Although, Nigeria is being dubbed as a transit point for wildlife trafficking, we are not losing sight of such crime being perpetrated domestically. The various subsisting laws and legislation have proven to be inadequate in addressing this problem and this explains why we are here today to subject the draft Bill on the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection 2024 to policy dialogue, thereby giving opportunity for stakeholders to contribute and make the document impeccable as much as possible”.
In his welcome address Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, Terser Ugbor, lawmaker representing Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Terseer Ugbor (APC, Benue) said that Nigeria is currently known as a major global trafficking hub for wild lives in recent years.
He also decried the illegal activities of poachers and smugglers in Nigeria, and added that as illegal activities like poaching and smuggling are a major sabotage to our economy and called for action to stop the trend.
Ugbor further stated that the activities of poachers portend grave dangers to the nation’s economy, adding that biodiversity is particularly threatened by the actions of those he called wildlife criminals.
He said: “Wildlife crime also fosters corruption, facilitates insecurity and presents opportunities for the spread of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19.
“Nigeria has emerged with the unenviable status as a global hub for wildlife trafficking in recent years, and continues to be considered as one. Nigeria must therefore act swiftly and work to reverse this negative status and threat to our beautiful country and the world.
“The passage of this legislation will mark a major milestone for global conservation efforts and Nigeria’s international image. The passage of this bill will also advance the legislative agenda of the 10th House of Representatives for Nigeria’s environmental sustainability.”
Rep. Ugbor said that the proposed law is aimed to address threats to biodiversity in Nigeria and across Africa by providing a consistent and strong legal framework to put an end to wildlife trafficking.
“In doing this, it embodies recommendations made following a consultative and collaborative analysis of relevant Nigerian laws for addressing wildlife trafficking”, he added.
He therefore stressed on the need to ensure that Nigeria’s biodiversity is supported by strong and comprehensive endangered species legislation.
“Nigeria is also a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora obligating the strengthening of our legal framework for biodiversity conservation and this bill seeks to give effect to those obligations.
“Although not strictly a requirement of the lawmaking process, this policy dialogue is necessary to harmonise stakeholders’ position on the bill and clear the way for its expeditious approval and adoption as law.”
He commended the Environmental Investigation Agency, Africa Nature Investors Foundation, and Wild Africa Fund for their input in the bill even as he acknowledged the donations of the UK Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, the US State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, as well as the Pangolin Conservation Fund.
Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Oliver Stolpe called for a review of Nigerian legislations to provide for stiffer penalties for those involved in trafficking in endangered species, adding that the current legal framework does not meet the threshold of the serious crime definition in the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
He said pending the adoption of the Bill, Nigerian law enforcement authorities cannot fully activate the provisions of the UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crimes (UNTOC) and cooperate effectively with their counterparts in countries of origin, transit and destination.
He said “the weaknesses of the current legal framework are exemplified in the minimal sentences handed down to wildlife crime perpetrators who have been prosecuted and convicted in the past year and a half, thanks in part to the assiduousness of the Nigeria Customs Service.
“The low penalties in the current legal framework are such that they can be discouraging to the dedicated intelligence led investigations and prosecutions that have made these convictions possible. It is therefore an important milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to combat wildlife and forest crime that we are gathered at this policy dialogue to review the Endangered Species”.
He stressed that the provisions of the Bill align with UNODC’s Guide on Drafting Legislation to Combat Wildlife Crime, saying “UNODC is particularly pleased to see the Increased penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment depending on the type of offence meeting now the threshold of the “serious offences” definition in the UNTOC; clear definition of individual offences and a comprehensive list of different types of wildlife crime and prohibitions on hunting, possession and trade of scheduled species”.
He said the National Assembly should review the approach taken to establishing criminal liability for attempt in relation to the provisions of the Bill, with a view to ensuring a comprehensive and consistent approach to establishing liability while also including provisions in the law that will allow the Nigerian agencies collaborate with their international partners and other countries in combating trafficking in endangered species.
