Prof. Gbolagade Lameed, a professor of Wildlife and Ecotourism at University of Ibadan , on Thursday called for the creation of a separate Ministry of Wildlife at all levels of government to boost conservation.
The Lameed made the call in Ibadan while delivering his inaugural lecture entitled: ‘Wildlife not Hard-life: Custodian of the Environment.”
Lameed urged the Federal Government to revisit the laws and decrees that established the National Parks in the country to become effective for modern day natural resources management.
“It is high time Wildlife had separate ministries and departments at local, state and national levels of government.
“If concerted efforts are made in the right direction such as increasing fund allocation to management of wildlife conservation in the country, it will witness stability in their population and present opportunity for sustainable management.
“The Federal Government should establish more parks in different zones. This will present opportunity for ecotourism development thereby opening doors for employment opportunities.
“Government should serve as a major stakeholder in natural resources management and thereby assume the role of good custodian of the resources,” he said.
Lameed, who also made other recommendations such as environmental education toward developing a world of citizenry who were concerned about the environment, urged government to harness its economic opportunities.
“When we see the environment as an entity to which we rather belong to, then, we may begin to use it with love and respect, thus we become good custodians,” he said,. (NAN)
