STUBB'S CREEK FOREST RESERVE AND THE UNFORGIVABLE MISCHIEF AND IGNORANCE OF COMMISSIONER ANIEKAN UMANA.

STUBB'S CREEK FOREST RESERVE AND THE UNFORGIVABLE MISCHIEF AND IGNORANCE OF COMMISSIONER ANIEKAN UMANA.

BY BARR. MANFRED EKPE 

I have heard the statement of Mr Aniekan Umana the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information about the legal status of the Stubb's Creek Forest.

I can say that it is heart burning that an information commissioner can be so ignorant about the issues, the facts and the law on the subject matter he chooses to pugnose. This shows that most of our public officials are mercilessly ignorant and care less about seeking real knowledge, no wonder that they fumble in the business of governance, and no wonder our government cannot work.

Firstly, if, for several years now the facts surrounding the Stubb's Creek Forest Reserve have been in the public domain yet a commissioner of government, more so, an information commissioner whose duty is to give correct information to the public, does not know the facts of the matter, tells of very unfortunate situation and suggests that the commissioner doesn't read. Reading is the best way to acquire knowledge.

The Honourable Commissioner kept quoting a 1913 judgment rather than the 1918 judgment. If the commissioner of government cannot know a basic fact about the judgment, how does he know the content of the judgment? It means that Mr. Aniekan Umana has never read that 1918 judgment on the legal status of Stubb's Creek Forest. If he did, he would know the date thereof. But what we have is a commissioner just jumping up to blab for grandstanding purposes without indepth knowledge of the issues, and thereby misleading the public.

Of more concern is the commissioner unable to different between Government reserved area and Forest Reserve! 

The Commissioner so boldly says that Stubb's Creek Forest is a Government reserved area! What an unforgivable and unforgettable ignorance?

A government reserved area is a world apart from a forest reserve.

As a token of education to the commissioner, a government reserved area is an area of land acquired by the Government and set aside for residential or industrial purposes in the city center. Under the Nigerian law a government reserved area is government land.

However, a reserved forest is a forest as the name implies, reserved by the government for the purpose of conserving wildlife, flora and fauna of the forest. The purpose of a forest reserve is to protect endangered species of plants and animals and to protect the ecosystem. In Nigerian law, a forest reserved for conservation is not an acquired land but a land mapped out for conservation purposes and the for which the government regulates human activities such as hunting and cutting of timber. A reserved forest is not owned by government but only regulated by government. 

While a government reserved area is a government acquired land for residential purposes such as Asongama Estate, Ewet Housing Estate, Shelter Afrique etc, a forest reserve is a forest set aside (not acquired) for the protection of wildlife and the ecosystem. Another example of a forest reserve is the Cross River State National Park. 

I hereby invite Mr. Aniekan Umana for a public televised debate on the issues he has decided to delve into without adequate knowledge.