By Joycelyn Ellakeche Adah
Traditional rulers from communities surrounding Oba Hills National Park in Osun State have asked the Federal Government to reserve 70 per cent of employment opportunities in the park for indigenes, citing the need to ensure that local people benefit from its establishment.
The monarchs also called for urgent demarcation of the park’s boundaries, continued access to farming land under appropriate conservation arrangements, budgetary provisions for traditional rulers and more support for the development of host communities.
The demands were presented on Wednesday during a courtesy visit to the Conservator-General of the National Park Service, Dr Muhammad Goni, at the service’s headquarters in Abuja.
The traditional rulers, in an address delivered by the Secretary of the Oba Hills Traditional Council, Shedrack Adebayo Adelakun, said the establishment of the park offered opportunities to protect the area’s natural resources while improving livelihoods through employment, skills acquisition and nature based tourism.
They, however, stressed that the benefits would depend on sustained investment and a strong partnership between park authorities and communities whose lives and ancestral ties are connected to the land.
“We want the government to make the employment opportunity to be 70 per cent in favour of the host communities,” the traditional rulers said.
They also raised concerns about prospective mining activities around Akinleye Town and called for the urgent clarification of the park’s boundaries to prevent conflicts between residents and conservation authorities.
The monarchs further sought clarification on when the National Park Service would respond to the issue of removing exotic tree species in the park, adding that physical development in host communities should be prioritised.
They commended the ongoing restoration programme, including the planting of 11,000 indigenous seedlings with contributions from FR2N, IHS Towers and Polaris Bank, facilitated through the Nigerian Conservation Foundation.
The traditional rulers pledged to encourage peaceful relations, discourage illegal activities and mobilise residents to support conservation, but said local communities must be treated as partners rather than adversaries.
Responding, Goni acknowledged the communities’ concerns but explained that employment into the federal service would be guided by the principle of federal character.
He said former staff of the Osun State Ministry of Environment working in the forest reserve were being considered for transfer to the federal service, with the process ongoing for those who had indicated interest.
Goni urged the communities to understand that the park’s location in their area did not mean they could determine the number of people to be employed.
He appealed to the traditional rulers to accept the outcome in the spirit of sacrifice, assuring them that other opportunities could arise for their communities in the future.
On community participation, the Conservator-General said the National Park Service had structures through which traditional rulers and host communities could contribute to park management, including a governing board, management committees and local advisory committees.
He explained that representatives of host communities would be involved through the local advisory committees, while traditional rulers would also have roles in the park’s management structure.
Goni said the service was also planning to introduce technology driven farming, known as smart agriculture, to help communities maintain livelihoods while protecting the park’s vegetation.
Under the proposed approach, farmers could cultivate crops such as cassava, yam, maize and groundnuts alongside trees, while the service would discourage practices that require the removal of trees.
He said the National Park Service had submitted a report on exotic tree species in Oba Hills to the Minister of Environment for approval, after which the trees would be removed to make way for indigenous vegetation.
Goni said the restoration of native plants would help protect the environment while creating opportunities for communities to benefit from non-timber forest products under guided and sustainable arrangements.
He added that the park’s long term development could also support wildlife conservation and tourism, provided the natural environment was adequately protected.
Oba Hills was upgraded from a forest reserve to a national park in 2020, following the Federal Government’s approval of 10 additional national parks under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The National Park Service says the upgrade is intended to strengthen conservation, protect biodiversity and create opportunities for sustainable tourism and community development.
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