*Says over 250 tonnes of timber taken out daily

By Ike Uchechukwu CALABAR

An Associate Professor, Dr Raphael Ayama Offiong, Director, University of Calabar Carbon Innovation Centre (UCIC), on Wednesday, raised the alarm asserting that Cross River state may not have forest anymore in 2032.

Dr Offiong spoke during a one day Campaign/ press briefing organised by Environmental Rights Action, Friends of the Earth, ERA/FoEN in Collaboration with Community Forest Watch, CRS as part of activities to mark this year’s World Environment Day.

The university don, who spoke on this year’s theme: “Only One Earth; Living Sustainably with Nature”, said with the rate timber was being logged from places like Akampka, Obubra , Boki and other places the rain forest might become a thing of the past in the next 10 years.

He said: “At least, 250 tonnes of timber is illegally taken out of Cross River on a daily basis, which sums to 7,500 tonnes monthly.

“The way these economic trees are been cut down we can only expect our climate conditions to get worst. When you travel in most of these communities, you will see timber on each side of the road.

“This massive deforestation is not carried out by ghost but by the people both in government and the communities because of poverty. Our communities are milked and our people getting nothing.

“Most of the species of woods, timber in Cross River are almost extinct in the world. Many of them are only found in Cross River. Because of poverty, our people accept as low as N20,000 to N30,000 for timbers they sell in dollars and millions of dollars.

“There is a need to go back to our traditional and cultural practices to protect our forest. Technology is good but we need to go back to our old ways of preservation, if not 10 years from now, we may not have forests in Cross River state anymore,” he said.

Speaking further, Dr Offiong stated that the responsibility of taking care of the environment doesn’t reside only with the government , but that the people have to play Thier own part.

“Things like waste disposable and management which should normally be taken care of by Local Government has been eroded, but as individuals we need to also do the liitle we can to help by a tleast disposing waste properly.

“We need to properly sensitize our people on the need to remember that this earth is all we have. It is our life, it is our all; we need to protect it at all cost,” he said.