Innovator Launches Rainforest Protection Campaign in Bayelsa

Olusegun Samuel

Award-winning electric car innovator and businessman, Azibaola Robert, has launched a campaign to protect the rainforest of the Niger Delta region, saying acts of deforestation and environmental degradation are pushing many wildlife species into extinction.

The renowned lawyer-turned electric car inventor launched the campaign in his country home in Otakeme community, Ogbia Local Government Area, during a town hall meeting tagged: ‘Bonfire Night With Azibaola Robert’, which featured talks on responsible logging and wildlife hunting.

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

He expressed worry over the deplorable condition of the Niger Delta region, and cautioned against the high spate of indiscriminate logging and wildlife hunting, saying if not curtailed, it could spiral into total extinction of trees, some species of fishes and animals in the region rainforests.

It was learnt that prior to the ‘bonfire night’ and enlightenment programme, Robert alongside staff of Zeetin, Kakatar and media journalists had earlier embarked on the first ever 14-day expedition into the Niger Delta rainforests in which Otakeme community’s forest was chosen as the pilot forest for the programme.

He hinted that with indiscriminate logging, wildlife hunting by natives and non-natives of the Niger Delta region and uncontrolled environment pollution caused by activities of multinational companies going on unchecked in the region, he was afraid the region’s flora and fauna is headed for obliteration.

The businessman further enumerated some of the already extinct trees, saying upon carrying out his first 14-day expedition into the Otakeme forest recently, he encountered heart-rending discoveries which revealed the level of the destruction of the biodiversity of the area.

According to Robert, “I am not doing this event because I want to criticise 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 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 South 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 where named after trees. But now all those tress have been felled 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, others and I, 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 carbo dioxide from the environment and give us oxygen for our survival.”