BY MUSA IDRIS UMAR, AUGUST 07, 2025 | 05:18 AM
The Borno State Government and the Chad Basin National Park have launched a groundbreaking alliance to tackle interlinked challenges of insecurity, environmental degradation, and climate vulnerability in Northeast Nigeria.
The partnership was sealed on Tuesday during a strategic engagement between the Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Professor Usman A. Tar, and the Conservator of Chad Basin National Park, Mr. Jimoh Bolanle Oladosu, at the Musa Usman Secretariat in Maiduguri.
At the heart of the collaboration is the renewed commitment to the training and deployment of Forest Guards, a federal initiative designed to protect rural and agrarian communities.
Borno is advancing the initiative by selecting candidates from hunter communities and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), individuals with intimate knowledge of the terrain.
Professor Tar, a defence and political science expert, praised the Park’s leadership for safeguarding ecological assets amid ongoing insurgency.
He noted that the Chad Basin National Park’s Borno portion spans over 1,258 square kilometres, nearly the size of Sierra Leone, underscoring its ecological and strategic importance.
'Managing a nature-based institution in a war zone is one of the toughest public service tasks,' said Prof. Tar.
'Yet it is essential for regional stability, food security, and biodiversity preservation.'
The commissioner proposed several areas of collaboration, including:
Restoration of degraded forest zones such as Walasa, Amchaka, and Gulumba;
Expansion of the Forest Guard programme under the Office of the National Security Adviser;
Deployment of smart barriers and electrified fencing to reduce human-wildlife conflict;
Alignment with Borno’s afforestation drive and newly enacted environmental protection laws.
Prof. Tar stressed the urgent need to curb illegal logging, deforestation, and the increasing migration of wildlife into farmlands, which threaten local agriculture and food systems.
He urged the Park Service to support the enforcement of executive orders recently signed by Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, prohibiting tree felling and other environmental offences.
Responding, Mr. Oladosu described the meeting as a vital step in deepening institutional synergy.
'We see ourselves as a strategic security partner, and we are ready to play a stronger role in the state’s stability and sustainability agenda,' he said.
He highlighted the Park’s role in protecting endangered species, including elephants, lions, giraffes, and zebras.
The Rudu-Ma sector in Bama LGA, he revealed, holds the potential for UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. Despite achievements in wildlife protection and disaster response, Oladosu listed major constraints, including inadequate patrol logistics, exclusion from state-level security interventions, and destroyed infrastructure caused by insurgents.
He appealed for patrol vehicles, motorcycles, and housing for field staff, and called for full integration into Borno’s wider security architecture.
Established in 1991, Chad Basin National Park spans Borno and Yobe States and is Nigeria’s only national park within the Sahel ecosystem.
It comprises the Chingurmi Duguma Sector (Borno), Yuguda Nguru Wetlands, and Bulatura Sectors (Yobe), and shares borders with Cameroon, Niger, and Chad, enhancing its role in cross-border conservation and security.