By Fatima Muraina
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Ondo state government has been urged to partner with the Timber Trade Organisation for effective management of the state forest reserves.
The State Chairman of the organisation, Otunba Ayo Akinnadeju made the call in an interview with The Hope in Akure, saying that government should involve them in the affairs and management of a venture he said they have invested billions on statewide.
According to him flitchers have flitched wood more than the N18 million enumerated to the Governor and more than 80 percent of the wood that come out of Ondo state were flitched from her forest.
Reacting on the closure on of the forest sometimes ago, he described is as embarrassing and an economic disaster to the state in general.
“The closure does not supposed to extend to Trade Timber Organisation because we operate legally within the extant laws and none of us was apprehended for any form of illegality.”
He noted that Timba trade who got permit and made payment for evacuation within a stipulated period were deprived the permission for evacuation and such wood got spoiled while flitchers have catered logs away during the period of closure.
“Not less than half a million people earn a livelihood from Timber Trade who are bread winners and to invest and established a saw mill is not less than N50 million
” The revenue to have gone to the people of Ondo state that would have multiplier effect on government is unquantifiable”.
According to Akinnadeju, what was flitched from their forest allocation runs into one hundreds of millions during the closure which was fully paid before the closure.
This he observed has affected Timber traders such that many of them are in quardmere and could not send their children back to school or eat three share meals.
He however appealed to government to always give notice on further developments saying that they will always cooperate to flush out the illegal loggers and extraction of the forest reserves areas.
