Environmentalist, Azibaola Robert Launches Campaign To Protect Rainforest, Wildlife In Bayelsa

By Ebiowei Lawal – Yenagoa

An award-winning electric car inventor and environmentalist, Barrister Azibaola Robert, has engaged farmers and hunters on ways to protect the rainforest and wildlife of the crude oil-rich Niger Delta region, noting acts of indiscriminate logging and hunting activity are pushing many animal and plant species to the brink of extinction.

This disturbing revelation formed part of discussions during a town hall meeting community stakeholders tagged ‘Bonfire Night With Azibaola Robert’, an event which featured talks on sustainable logging and hunting activities.

Speaking on the rationale behind the event, the activist who also doubles as the chairman of Kakatar Group and Zeetin Engineering Nigeria limited said that he intends to use the programme to create awareness and enlighten his people on the importance of the Niger Delta rainforest and why it has to be protected.

Azibaola who expressed worry over the deplorable condition of the Niger Delta environment, cautioned against the high spate of indiscriminate logging and wildlife hunting, saying if not curtailed, it could spiral into a total extinction of trees, fishes and animals species habituating the region’s rainforests.

He hinted that indiscriminate logging, wildlife hunting by natives and non-natives of the region and uncontrolled environmental pollution caused by activities of multinational companies are threatening the region’s flora and fauna.

Listing some trees that have gone into extinction, Azibaola said upon carrying out his first 14 days expedition into the Otakeme forest recently, he encountered heart-rending discoveries which revealed the level of the destruction of the biodiversity of the area.

He said: “I am not doing this event because I want to criticize the government for not doing enough to protect our rainforests. The Niger Delta is called the rainforest because when it rains in the communities here, it also rains in the Niger Delta region’s forests.

“The Niger Delta has one of the largest rainforests in the world. The largest rainforest is called the Amazon rainforest somewhere between Brazil and other American nations. We must protect this blessing given to us by God.

“I grew up in this community as a child, and I know certain places were named after trees. But now all those trees have been fallen down by loggers for furniture and other things. Surprisingly, you can’t find any furniture industry in this area but can find them in areas that don’t have the rainforest-like us here.

“I’m not doing this programme to gain anything, but to enlighten our people and create awareness on the dangers of deforestation and the near-total extinction of our biodiversity.

“I am not too poor, but I’m also not too rich to say I’m doing this event for any selfish gains. Recently, members of my team and other persons, including Journalists went into the Otakeme forest on a 14-day expedition to uncover the spate of environmental degradation of our rainforests in which we discovered that certain animals, trees and other biodiversity have completely gone into extinction.

“If you cut one tree, plant more, because, without these trees, there won’t be life. The oxygen we breathe comes from the trees which take in carbon dioxide from the environment and give us oxygen for our survival.”