Dr. George Okeyoyin, Senior Strategic Adviser at the ANI Foundation, has emphasised that sustained engagement with pastoralists, farmers, and local communities remains essential to fostering cooperation and strengthening conservation efforts around Gashaka Gumti National Park.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting held in Gashaka to discuss the future of the park, Okeyoyin underscored the importance of collaboration in supporting the gradual phase-out of grazing activities within the protected area.
He highlighted the Foundation’s ongoing initiatives aimed at supporting host communities, including cattle vaccination campaigns, livelihood support programmes for women, and the establishment of savings and loan groups for women and youths.
According to him, these interventions are not only improving livestock productivity and household incomes but are also raising awareness about environmental protection and the long-term benefits of conservation.
Okeyoyin stressed that aligning conservation goals with community development remains key to ensuring sustainable outcomes for both the park and surrounding communities.
Earlier the Conservator-General of the National Park Service (NPS), Dr. Ibrahim Musa Goni, described Gashaka Gumti National Park as Nigeria’s most diverse protected area, noting that it is surrounded by 55 support-zone communities and six enclave communities.
He said the park’s complex human–environment relationship makes stakeholder engagement essential for effective management.
Goni warned that leaving these issues unaddressed could escalate tensions, disrupt peaceful coexistence, and undermine development. He called for dialogue, mutual understanding, and strict adherence to the rule of law.
He praised ANI Foundation for its timely support in infrastructure development, security, community engagement, communications, technology, research, education, and livelihood empowerment, noting that collaboration between NPS, ANI Foundation, traditional institutions, and security agencies has significantly improved security and wellbeing in and around the park.
Also speaking in his keynote address titled “Balancing Heritage and Preservation,” retired Federal High Court judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, described the park as “the lungs of the region and the inheritance of future generations,” noting that its protection requires both legal clarity and human sensitivity.
He described it as a “balance of convenience,” stressing that while pastoralists’ immediate needs are important, they must be weighed against the long-term survival of the ecosystem supporting farmers, herders, and local communities.
