Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa has commended the federal government for upgrading the Apoi and Edumanom forests in the state to national parks.

Mr Diri made the commendation on Monday in Yenagoa when Ibrahim Goni, the Conservator-General of the National Park Service, visited him.

He said that the state government would support the federal government in achieving the intentions behind the upgrade.

“As a government, we shall collaborate with the National Park Service to develop the newly approved parks in our state,” he said.

The governor said that the upgrade showed the federal government’s commitment to safeguarding the nation’s forests and the environment at large.

Mr Diri, who expressed concerns that the state’s environment had been devastated by the activities of oil and gas companies, reiterated his administration’s commitment to environmental protection.

“We are happy that at the end of this long journey, the state now has two of its forests upgraded to national parks.

“My administration places huge emphasis on issues concerning the safety of the environment. We are committed to the protection of our environment,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Goni said that the approval was coming after 13 years of waiting, noting, “remember that the process started in 2011.”

The conservator-general said the federal government was keenly committed to the running of the new parks.

He further mentioned that the two new parks had the capacity to generate no fewer than 100 employment opportunities for residents of the state.

Apoi forest is in Southern Ijaw, while Edumanom forest is within Ogbia and Nembe Local Government Areas, respectively.

(NAN)