Abia State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philemon Ogbonna, has warned that the full wrath of the law will continue to descend on those tampering with the forest reserves and indulging in deforestation despite its attendant consequences on the ozone layer.
The Environment boss also condemned such illegality, saying that those who continuously engage in this act should be ready to contend with the Governor Alex Otti led administration .
Mr. Ogbonna, who gave the warning on Friday while displaying to newsmen in Umuahia, woods impounded from people who tampered with the state forest reserve at Ukpo in Bende LGA of Abia State, pointed out that the state government under the leadership of Dr Alex Otti is not witch-hunting anyone but urged those who want to do business with the Ministry to follow due process.
He hinted that the trees were not planted for sale but to help control the negative effects of climate change on Abia environment, but wondered why people engage in actions inimical to the environment.
In his words, “The Ministry of Environment is ready do business with people but it must be on legal basis, anything that is illegal, we are not associated with it. This is not the government of before, where things were done haphazardly, this is a new government, there is a paradigm shift from the old way of doing things.”
“Since coming on board, Governor Alex Otti has insisted that things must be done differently. That is why he has constantly appealed to people to do the right thing.So people should come to us for business”.
The Commissioner revealed that the Ministry has mandated Officers in charge of forest reserves to step up their game just as he stated that he has given them directives to arrest anyone caught encroaching on government reserves.