“Why our forests are deathtraps” – Gov. Lalong

Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State on Monday said the scrapping of regional “Ministries of Forestry” to manage forest resources is responsible for current insecurity in Nigeria.

Sequel to the scrapping of the Ministries created in the 50s and 60s in each region, the nation’s forests have become “ungoverned spaces where criminals are using as hideouts to terrorize the people.”

Lalong inaugurating the senior executive course 43 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies Kuru, Jos South, said “numerous brilliant policies” by successive administrations for the good of Nigerians were abandoned, creating “losses”.

“This has led to a lot of distortions in the process of nation-building where many policies have to be re-casted all over again, implemented half-way or entirely abandoned.

“In the process, the nation incurs enormous losses in terms of wasted resources, manpower and valuable time,” said the Governor.

Insecurity, poverty, illiteracy and among others, poor infrastructure are also caused by non-implementation of policies, Lalong said.

The Governor blamed corruption, inadequate resources, sectionalism and lack of political will for the ill, calling for a “radical shift” in administrative processes.

“Policies must be formulated with timelines which must be faithfully adhered to, no matter who is in charge.

“National aspirations should not be subjected to political, ethnic or religious biases that end up impoverishing all of us. We must look at the larger picture in implementing policies that impact the lives of our people today and in the future,” he said.