By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Emir of Borgu in Niger State, Alhaji Muhammed Haliru Dantoro has bemoaned the setbacks affecting the tourism industry in the country, tracing it to the current security challenges.
The royal father stated this at a One-day Workshop for the review of the National Park Service Regulations in Abuja on Thursday.
Alhaji Dantoro, whose domain hosts the Kainji National Park, said the security situation hinders tourism development as well as business activities and discourages local and foreign investors.
This he said affects internally generated revenue of the National Park’s and the country.
He appealed to Government and Stakeholders to support the National Park to boost their service delivery.
Earlier, the Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammed Mahmoud Abubakar said National Parks across the country have been confronted with quite enormous challenges in the recent time.
“These challenges are occasioned by general security problems such as insurgency, banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping.
“This occasion is therefore very apt and timely in view of the prevailing security situation in our National Parks as well as a deliberate attempt to address the lacunas in the extant Act for the advancement and positioning of the Service to deliver on its core mandate effectively and to improve the revenue generation profile.
The Minister said the draft regulation had earlier been scrutinized and endorsed by a similar stakeholders’ engagement at a workshop organized by the Service on the 18th of September, 2014.
“However, due to exigency of time and emerging issues, the need to revisit the document to make necessary amends has arisen.
He challenged the National Park Service who is the end user of these regulations to make best use of it so as to achieve the desired objectives.
In his welcome address, Conservator-General, NPS, Dr. Ibrahim Goni, said the review is to allow the Park Service to continue to deliver on its core mandate as the foremost government organization charged with the responsibility of protecting, preserving and conserving the country’s wildlife resources as well as strengthening its operations in the face of the growing security threats within the National Parks.
In an address, Chairman, Governing Board, NPS, Hon. Ben Nwobasi said the review of its regulations has become very necessary in view of the diverse challenges debilitating the efficacy of its operations in the recent time.
He said the National Park Service Governing Board is fully aware of the enormous challenges facing the Service.
“We are more committed to enhancing the Service operations and ensuring effective service delivery by taking adequate measures in addressing the current challenges,” he added.
