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Nigeria - Selamatkan hutan di Cross River State!
Di hutan hujan yang masih tersisa di Nigeria pohon-pohon menjulang tinggi ke langit. Hutan rimba ini merupakan habitat bagi gorila, simpanse dan gajah. Kini penebangan pohon ilegal yang merajarela dan sebuah jalan bagi penebang pohon merusak hutan-hutan itu. Masyarakat adat mengorganisir perlawanan dan membutuhkan dukungan internasional
Berita & updateKepada: Bapak Presiden Buhari, Bapak Mentri Lingkungan Hidup Abubakar, Bapak Mentri Kehakiman Malami, tembusan kepada Gubernur Ayade
“Hentikan penebangan pohon ilegal dan perusakan hutan hujan di negara bagian Cross River.”Sebuah gelombang perusakan baru menimpa hutan hujan di negara bagian Cross River. Hutan ini adalah sisa hutan hujan yang tidak begitu banyak lagi di Nigeria.
Daerah di sekitar Boki dibanjiri tumpukan kayu yang sedang menunggu jemputan”, ujar Odey Oyama, direktur eksekutif Rainforest Resources and Development Centre. Ia telah mengamati berkilo-kilometer di dalam hutan rimba bagaimana “pohon-pohon ditebang semena-mena”. Oyama menyebut “kartel penebang kayu kriminal” bertanggung jawab atas perusakan ini.
Di wilayah teritorial masyarakat adat Ekuri, Chief Edwin Ogar mengeluh adanya “pembantaian yang terkejam”. Perusahaan Sibawood terlibat penebangan 20.000 hektar hutan hujan yang kaya spesies dan berpedoman pada ijin yang sudah lama tidak berlaku dari tahun 1989. Buldoser telah memulai membuka hutan untuk jalan para penebang pohon.
Chief Edwin Ogar menuduh pemerintah negara bagian Cross River berkomplot dalam perusakan hutan. “Hak adat Ekuri atas hutan leluhurnya ditindas tanpa perduli.”
Pemerintah menyangkal melakukan kesalahan dan menyatakan adalah sangat sulit menghentikan “penjahat kayu”. Tetapi Gubernur Ben Ayade dikenal dengan sikap tidak perduli terhadap hutan. Tahun 2016, dalam rangka proyek “Superhighway”, ia telah berusaha membuka sebagian besar Taman Nasional Cross River dan hutan komunitas Ekuri untuk ditebang pohonnya. Hanya dengan perlawanan yang gigih rencana itu gagal.
Karena ancaman yang serius terhadap hutan, 24 kepala suku dan tetua Ekuri, diantaranya Chief Edwin Ogar dan Chief Abel Egbe, telah menulis surat peringatan mendesak kepada Presiden Nigeria Muhammad Buhari, namun tanpa reaksi yang diharapkan.
Oleh karena itu pelindung hutan hujan di Cross River membutuhkan bantuan internasional. Tolong Anda tandatangani petisi kami.
Surat masyarakat adat Ekuri kepada Presiden Nigeria Buhari tanggal 4 mei 2021:
Ongoing Second Superhighway threatens Ekuri Community Forest: A Clarion Call to Halt Road Construction and Logging of Ekuri Forest.
Your Excellency Sir,
We write to you Sir on behalf of the indigenous people of Ekuri community found in Akamkpa Local Government Area in Cross River State of Nigeria, and owners of the 33,600ha Ekuri community forest, the largest and best communally managed forest in Nigeria. We have been applauded locally, nationally and internationally for demonstration of passion, commitments and efforts over the years in conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity that meets our daily livelihoods and benefiting present and future generations.
We thank you Mr. President that when the threats from the superhighway project in 2016 threatened Ekuri community forest and our existence, you came to our rescue that the superhighway be detoured from Ekuri forest. This you did because of the richness and iconic status of this forest which also contributes in meeting Nigeria’s commitments to international environmental agreements.
We wish to inform you that the threats to Ekuri community forest are not over as another superhighway specifically aimed at logging Ekuri community forest has been approved by the government of Cross River State through the Cross-River State Forestry Commission (CRSFC).
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On January 18, 2021, Detailingcrossriver, an online media, published a news story in which the Chairman of CRSFC, High Chief Tony Undiandeye ‘’pledged supports towards the completion of Iyamitet-New Ekuri road’’ and revalidation of illegal forest lease agreement between Sibawood Industry and Agriculture Nig. Ltd and New Ekuri village who jointly with Old Ekuri owns the Ekuri community forest.
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It will be recalled that in 1989, Sibawood secretly and illegally entered into a fraudulent agreement with few persons from New Ekuri to log 20,000ha Ekuri community forest without free and prior informed consent of both Ekuri villages who jointly owns the Ekuri community forest.
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When this fraudulent agreement entered on December 2, 1989 before incorporation of Sibawood on December 18, 1989 became public in 2004, Ekuri community mounted a stiff opposition against the lease which culminated into legal battle initiated by Ekuri community who obtained interlocutory injunction in 1996 against Sibawood which still subsist.
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After the online publication, we responded to the Chairman of CRSFC and physically submitted a protest letter opposing the road project and the revalidation of an illegal forest lease agreement which has also been overtaken by the interlocutory injunction; the 1994 cancellation of all forest concession agreements and the 2008 ban on logging respectively by government of Cross River State.
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As stated in the online publication, High Chief Undiandeye ‘’maintained that with the lapse in time, and the moratorium now in place, granting of concession will no longer be feasible.’’ He further noted ‘’that as a Commission with the mandate of ensuring the protection of the forest resources against environmental consequences and given the strategic relevance of the forest, technical staff of the Commission will go to the field for re-evaluation in order to be well guided in re-validating the approval earlier granted.’’ ‘’The Chairman commended the resilience of the community (that is Ekuri) and also admonished the company against breaching any of the re-validation processes’’.
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‘’Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Commission, Mr. Timothy Akwaji reiterated that inventory carried out in 1995 cannot be put to use today because the scenarios are no longer the same. He lauded the community's (Ekuri) conservation effort which he noted, has gained admiration of the international Community, adding that there should be a balance between conservation and development.’’
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Mr. President Sir, it is sad to inform you that the government of Cross River State through the Forestry Commission headed by High Chief Tony Undiandeye, has completed the re-validation of the 20,000ha illegal lease of Ekuri forest to Sibawood Industry & Agriculture Nig. Ltd to log against extant injunction and other government policies which the Commission is supposed to enforce but rather has abused them.
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Consequently, Sibawood have deployed bulldozers and commenced the construction of Iyamitet – New Ekuri road and have begun marking hundreds of trees in Ekuri forest for logging, threatening livelihoods, ecosystem services and mitigation of climate which this forest has been contributing to the wellbeing of Ekuri, Nigeria and the world at large.
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The customary rights of Ekuri community to her ancestral forestlands has been treated with contempt and impunity by the government of Cross River State as our Free Prior and Informed Consent were not sought and obtained right from conception, re-evaluation, revalidation and the approval.
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Furthermore, since 2019 till date, there have been intensified logging in Ekuri community forest at Old Ekuri axis by loggers headed by Hon. Felix Ikimo who is currently a Special Assistant to the Chairman of Akamkpa Local Government Area. The logging which consist of timber and round logs is an eyesore, worrisome and catastrophic as our petitions to the Governor of Cross River State and the Forestry Commission have yielded no positive responses. Even our local efforts have failed, rather, logging is still continuing as business as usual. Hon. Ikimo publicly and severally boasts that he will log that axis of the Ekuri community forest into extinction after all, he has the backing of the government of Cross River State which we believe because despite all our efforts, he is still logging unceasingly.
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The UNDRIP’s Article 29 1. States: ‘’Indigenous peoples have the right to the conservation and protection of the environment and the productive capacity of their lands or territories and resources. States shall establish and implement assistance programmes for indigenous peoples for such conservation and protection, without discrimination’’. However, the Cross-River State government has done the opposite wittingly to extinguish us and Ekuri community forest from mother earth.
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This action of the government of Cross River State against us is a violation of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention 169 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) which Nigeria is a signatory.
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It is also a violation of African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights that every member shall be entitled to the enjoyment of the rights, freedoms, recognized and guaranteed in the present Charter without discrimination of any kind such as race, ethnic group, colour, sex, language, religion, political, or any other opinion, national and social rights, fortune, birth or other status which Nigeria is founding member.
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Furthermore, it is a violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which guaranteed us the rights to life that we derived from our land, forest, resources and ecosystem services.
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Mr. President Sir, our humble prayer is to use your good office to stop this illegal revalidation of an illegal lease and end the current logging onslaught to destroy the famous Ekuri community forest which has promoted Nigeria’s image globally in terms of conservation, indigenous people’s involvement, livelihoods and climate change mitigation. Your intervention Sir, will save the rainforest of Ekuri community from being wipe away and posterity will applaud your exemplary commitments to better their lives,
Thank you, Mr. President Sir, and remain blessed.
Yours faithfully,
Kepada: Bapak Presiden Buhari, Bapak Mentri Lingkungan Hidup Abubakar, Bapak Mentri Kehakiman Malami, tembusan kepada Gubernur Ayade
Yang terhormat Bapak Presiden Muhammad Buhari,
yang terhormat Bapak Mentri Lingkungan Hidup Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar,
yang terhormat Bapak Mentri Kehakiman Abubakar Malami,
Negara bagian Cross River menampung setengah dari hutan hujan yang tersisa di Nigeria dan salah satu hotspot biodiversitas dunia. Sayangnya kini penebangan ilegal sedang merajarela, tetapi pemerintah Cross River kelihatannya menutup-nutupi pelaku penebangan itu. Hal ini berdampak sangat buruk bagi biodiversitas.
Situasi ini menunjukan bagaimana Nigeria tidak menepati janjinya memerangi krisis iklim dengan melindungi hutan-hutannya.
Penebangan pohon yang meluas dan merusak hutan masyarakat adat Ekuri dan kelompok masyarakat lainnya (terutama dalam hal penebangan pohon buah-buahan dan pohon obat-obatan demi perolahan kayu) akan menyebabkan kemiskinan masyarakat adat, kelaparan dan menggangu kesehatan serta kesejahteraan mereka.
Hal diatas bertentangan dengan tiga tujuan pertama bagi pembangunan berkelanjutan dari PBB: 1. Berantas kemiskinan, 2. Berantas kelaparan dan 3. Kesehatan dan kesejahteraan.
Oleh karena itu dengan hormat saya memohon Anda untuk mendukung:
- perlindungan hutan hujan yang kaya akan spesies di negara bagian Cross River,
- perjuangan menentang penebangan pohon ilegal dan perusakan lingkungan hidup,
- pengelolaan hutan rakyat (community forestry) dan
- regenerasi daerah-daerah yang telah rusak untuk bisa memulihkan hutan
Dengan hormat
Selama sepuluh tahun, kami bekerja sama dengan organisasi lingkungan di Negara Bagian Cross River, Nigeria, untuk melindungi hutan hujan terakhir dari kepunahan. Kami mendukung Eco-Guards yang menangkap pemburu liar dan penebang kayu. Kami dan kawan koalisi besar telah berhasil mencegah pembangunan “superhighway”.
Dengan petisi “Nigeria - Selamatkan hutan di Cross River State!”), kami telah menekan pemerintah di Abuja untuk melindungi hutan secara konsisten.
Kini, Presiden Bola Tinubu telah melarang ekspor kayu – sebuah tonggak sejarah!
Oleh karena itu, kami mengakhiri petisi ini dan mengucapkan terima kasih kepada 108.264 pendukung yang telah mendukungnya.
