In Nigeria conservation community, the Igbo nation, has no cultural and historical bearing in the national conservation history, coverage and funding.
In true intent, the Igbo nation however, relish in historical, folklore and creative artistic rendition of the most enduring features of the preservation of Rivers, flora, fauna, pottery and agronomy dedicated to the gods and a taboo to community activities, thus a strategic wheel of generational conservation education.
Sadly, the Nigerian Conservation history, like other national generative and developmental milestones, in culture and tourism, are wheeled to deny and strip the Igbo nation of domination in these critical areas of conservation biospheres and cultural appropriation.
For instance of the approved ten national parks across the six geopolitical zones, none was listed for the zone and the failings, simply dumped at the door steps of the governors in the region.
The narratives are of the famed and usual cultural disdain for the inclusiveness of the region in national developmental agenda and in this case, justifying erroneously that the Igbo has no strategic forest and biosphere entities, worthy and fit to be listed as “ National Parks”.
It is most painful that same Igbo, lady Sharon ikeazor and one colourless politician, Ben Nwabosi from Ebonyi were at the head of Nigerian Environment frontier and could not reverse the national and generational negative conservation narrative about the Igbo biosphere, historical and cultural concerns.
Let me share with you one or two of the often told lies of the Igbo failings in Conservation. Remember, the the popular white throated monkey (Cercopithecus sclater) said to be endemic and seen only in Okomu national park in Edo state? The Akpugoeze and lagwa thriving variants in Enugu state, neglected in our national conservation history, put paid to the century old national disdain for their conservation in the eastern flanks.
A cursory look at the simple definition of a national park, certainly faults the deliberate and organized national narrative that the Igbo nation of Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi Imo and Anambra states, have no place of significance befitting enough for either preservation for enjoyment, historical values and of scientific research and protection.
Indeed, the lies that only places of forest biosphere qualifies for protection organogram certainly does not capture the definition of a national park. In an envolving broader definition, a national park is defined as an area of scenic beauty set aside by a national government for the preservation of natural environment, landscapes and historic objects for enjoyment of general public, wild life and for scientific research.
And to further the discuss and for the sake of argument, a forest ecosystem without wildlife, is no forest. However, taken into consideration the facts of definition of a protected environment, who then has denied the Akpugoeze monkeys a conservation national protected cover?
For national historical and eaestesic values, does the table top mountains of the Milken Hills in Enugu state not qualify? For the protection of watershed and marine ecosystem, does the Blue waters of Oguta lake, fail in national conservation and protection assessment architecture? Just of the many formations in the east.
What is actually the difference between the blue waters of Oguta lake and Hadeja nguru wetlands in jigawa state listed as one of new ten Parks?
Let me ask Igbo born Sharon ikeazor, Minister of state for Environment, whose office oversees the affairs of national conservation architecture, why the five Igbo lands were not adjudged compliant to hosting any sustainable national park listed ecosystem?
It also beats me hollow why Ben Nwabosi, an APC Chieftain from Ebonyi state and chairman, Board of National Park service, custodian of federal protected areas in Nigeria, failed to impact a federal protected presence in Igbo land.
Between ikeazor and Nwabosi, six plus years down the line at the frontiers of national conservation education and training, the Igbo map has continued to aggregate the missing link in national conservation connectivity.
Igbo as today, has no manpower presence in the national park management ecology, a poor national manpower development politics which also enthrones the shared national socioeconomic value chain denied the young people of the region.
The famous Mbari arts and crafts culture died long ago because no government in the region, particulars in imo state where it was once a prominent historical feature of Igbo tradition , cared for its preservation.
Sad, this historical and traditional place museumed as a place for the gods, has been lost to negligence, thus denying the people a veritable link to understanding Extinct Mbari cultural art transmission and interpretation from generation to generation.
Back to the absence of protected areas in the eastern region,one believes that the silence and poor conservation politics of Sharon ikeazor and Ben Nwabosi , is disgraceful, worrisome and unexplainable.
I cannot imagine any political office holder from other regions, folding their hands and watch the runoff of their geographical zone in the inauguration of the new Parks, ten for that matter , and smile home just ikeazor and nwabosi would want us to accommodate.
These national developmental milestones and it’s b socioeconomic spread, has nothing to do with President Buhari. Imagine the sharing of the 500 million naira seed money for the takeoff of new Parks, located in zamfara, Nasarrawa , kastina , Kano, osun, Bayelsa, Kwara, Niger and jigawa, leaving out the eastern window, with consequentle swelling of the unemployment index and poor conservation education among the restive youths in the region.
While immovable structures and job openings in these states where the new Parks are allocated will be generously and exclusively targeted at levels O1 to O7 in the government employment security master plan thus empowering rural young persons, the Igbo without any Park, will grope in darkness while other regions prosper through growing national conservation architecture.
Elections are around the corner and there is no doubt that minister Sharon ikeazor has nothing to show for standing up in gap for Igbo people and protected ecosystem in the region. Ben Nwabosi, also is a failure and I wonder if he truly understands the expectation of his office as chairman, Board of Directors, National Parks service.
Who indeed has failed the Igbo people in conservation? President Buhari or the Igbo appointees who loves the lures of office than what they can give or attract the igbo nation.
There is time to make a change if ikeazor and nwabosi are willing to change what has become an organized national cultural narrative that igbo land does not have a sustainable and viable biospheres, historic and scenic environment deserving funding from the national purse.