By Andrew Iro Okungbowa
Nigeria with it eight national parks and hundreds of games reserves and other wildlife sanctuaries scattered across the country ought to earn the stripe of a safari or ecotourism destination. But East African countries enjoy that distinction today all because not much is known about Nigeria’s natural endowments even the fact that it has one of the only two world’s ramsar site (Hadeija- Nguru Wetland) is lost on the world.
This is just in the same manner as the eight national parks combined are home to at least four of the big five – Lion, Africa Elephant, Buffalo, Leopard and Rhino –are the allure for tourists after safari destinations in Africa. ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA takes you on excursion of the eight national parks starting with the Cross River National Park, which is home to the Africa Elephant.
Nigeria National Park Service
The Nigeria National Park Service (NNPS) is dedicated to preserving, enhancing, protecting and managing vegetation and wild life in the National Parks of Nigeria. It is a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of the Environment but was under agriculture ministry in the past and is headed by a Conservator General. It is responsible for the country’s eight national parks. These are Cross River National Park in Cross River State, Chad Basin National Park in Borno and Yobe states, Okomu National Park in Edo State, Yankari National Park in Bauchi State. Some years back, it was handed over to the state governments but have again reverted to the federal government. Others are Kainji Lake National Park in Niger and Kwara states and Gashaka Gumpti National Park in Adamawa and Taraba states, Kamuku National Park in Kaduna State and Old Oyo National Park in Oyo State. Each park is headed by a conservator and assisted by a management and in turn responsible to the Conservator General who is answerable to the minister of environment. Historically, the first park to be designated a national park is Kainji Lake.
It was established in 1979 when Olusegun Obasanjo was the military head of state. In 1991, the Nigeria National Parks Service with a governing board and five new national parks were birthed. The Yankari Game Reserve was upgraded to a national park in 1992 and years later, Okomu National Park and Kamuku National Park were created. Essentially, these parks are treated as conservation enclaves dedicated to the protection and preservation of their rich ecosystem and abundant fauna and flora resources hence they were under the ministry of agriculture for years and later moved to environment. Over time there has been agitation for them to be moved to the ministry of tourism because they are supposed to be one of the country’s tourist attractions with their flood gates opened to the public. But that effort has been resisted over the years with fertile attempts made to explore its tourism content except for the occasional visitors to the park during festival and public holidays. The managers of these parks have also made effort to introduce some form of tourism activities to the parks through the location of guest houses and such other attractions but it was discovered that these have not really paid off because they are not promoted as tourism attractions as it is in other climes for them to attract the much needed interest from the public.
The result is that all the resources within these parks are closeted within with some even rotting away. Besides, parks’ managers are locked in constant battles with the various communities hosting the parks who don’t understand why they should be kept away from their natural hunting grounds. As far as the inhabitants of the host communities are concerned the parks are dormant and not be put into profitable economic use as they hardly seen any notable activities in sight except for the occasional visitors that trickle in. Sadly, the East Africans who don’t have as much as what Nigeria has are enjoying all the accolades and economic benefits from the little they have because they understood the tourism economy of what they have and had effectively deployed them for that purpose. As Nigeria’s government seeks for alternative revenue and ways to inflate the economy, it is perhaps the right time to take a second look at the national parks and opened them to the world but certainly not in isolation as the tourism economy of the country has to be tackled holistically. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who is still trying to get his bearing since assuming office last year certainly has his work cut out. He needs to know that cultural tourism is not the only tourism product of Nigeria but just an aspect and that it is such attractions as the national parks, which have been left to rot over the decades that would make cultural tourism sale if they are all well put together rather than as a single product as he has been made to believe in certain quarters. Nigeria’s natural enclaves and ecosystem is said to support more than 1,340 species of animals among which is 274 mammalian species.
This makes it the eighth highest in Africa yet no attention or patronage is given to the national parks by the government and even Nigerians who hardly see the reason to explore them largely due to the fact that they only see it as conservation and research grounds as promoted by the conservative bureaucracy that runs them and are not ready to let go of them not without a fight. Cross River National Park at a glance Located in Cross River State, the park has the distinction of enjoying the natural beauty and elements of the tropics as it is located in a tropical region and Nigeria’s last crust of primary rainforest. The other park that also enjoys same allure is the Okomu National Park, which is situated in the tropics of Edo State. The park also boasts a region of the montane and mosaic vegetation region as typified by the Obudu plateau. Established in 1991, it covers an expanse of 4, 000 square kilometres, spread across two distinct, non-contiguous divisions. These are the Okavango sector with over 1, 000 square metres of land and Oban sector with 3, 000 square kilometres of land. With an administrative office in Akamkpa, a visit to the park starts from this office, which is less than 30 minutes’ drive from Calabar. Here you are profiled and educated on the two sectors of the park and their various offerings and signed on to explore any of the two or both sectors that catch your fancy with a guide assigned to you. The park possesses a number of unique natural ambience with its luscious closed canopy rainforest said to be one of the oldest rainforest habitats in the world.
And it is also home to the Cross River Gorilla, which is gone extinct in the world hence it is the official symbol of the park as it is meant to draw attention to its rare and endemic possession. Bordered by the Korup National Park in the Republic of Cameroon, allowing some of the animals to roam freely like the African elephant. It creates the same picture and feel that people derive during the great migration of elephants and wildebeests between Massai Mara National Park and the Seregenti National Park in Tanzania, which has become a great attraction for the tourism world. The park is also noted as one of the world’s most acclaimed biodiversity hot spots and the oldest rainforest in Africa with rich and abundant flora and fauna resources. It is on record that it has over 119 species of mammals, 48 species of fish and 950 species of butterflies, making bird watching in the park a most cherished activities for many particularly ornithologists from Europe and the West.
Oban Division
It is the larger of the two sectors with about 3000 square kilometres landmass with high volume of biodiversity and it is this sector of the park that shares affinity with the Korup National Park in Cameroon. On visit, you are likely to come across the African elephant criss-crossing the two parks. They are always a delightsome view whenever you come across them. It is believed to have about 1,568 plant species (77 of which are endemic to Nigeria) and 75 mammals with the most fulfilling animal find during safari or trail said to include the forest elephant, chimpanzee, drill and buffalo. Note, this sector alone boast two – African elephant and buffalo of the big five (Lion, Rhino, Buffalo, African Elephant and Leopard). Also, it has over 382 birds including the olive green ibis hence it is one of the richest parks in terms of bird life and 42 snake species as well as rich in epiphytic ferns and orchids. The Oban division operates two ranges, Oban East and Oban West. And just in case you’re interested in seeing more of drill monkeys and chimpanzees in their natural environment outside the park then a visit to the Afi Wildlife Sanctuary, which is some distance away from the park is recommended.
Okwangwo Division
Spanning a landmass of 1, 000 square kilometres, this division is populated by abundance of flora with about 1,545 species of plants in 98 families. It is equally rich in biodiversity, some of which are extremely rare. Two species of plants; Anceistocladus korupensis and Prunus Africana are generally regarded to have high medicinal properties – the former is claimed to be effective against HIV/AIDS, and the latter against prostate cancer. Ethno-botanically, at least 75 plant species from 54 families in the area are used by the local communities in and around the park in curative therapy. It also has a rich blend of fauna species with most endemic and popularly and perhaps the most sought after by visitors to the division being the Cross River Gorilla Monkey, which served as the symbol of the park. There is also the Bare-headed Rock Fowl, which is almost extinct but endemic to the park. Just like the Oban sector, this sector also shares border with Takamanda National Park in Cameroon and operates a single range, Okwangwo Range.