FG , NGOs take steps to protect remaining elephants

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Federal Government of Nigeria, in partnership with the Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation (EPIF) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), is taking a significant steps  in ensuring   that its  remaining elephants in Nigeria are protected from extinction .

This was contained in a statement signed  and issued by Nigeria’s representative for Wild Africa, Festus Iyorah .

He said Nigeria is implementing the first-ever National Elephant Action Plan (NEAP) for 2024-2034.

The plan is designed to reverse the decline of Nigeria’s critically endangered elephant population, currently estimated at just 300–400 individuals and on the brink of extinction.

Nigeria has emerged as a major transit hub for illegal wildlife products, including nearly a quarter of the world’s seized ivory.

The West African country has already lost 99% of its elephants and threats such as poaching for ivory and habitat destruction still remain.

Human-elephant conflict, due to crop raiding which often leads to retaliatory killings, is now the major threat to the survival of the elephants in Nigeria.

NEAP was designed in response to these issues and lays out clearly and in detail the measures .

The statement noted that

Nigeria must take to protect its remaining elephants, from protecting their habitat to mitigating human-elephant conflicts and cracking down on illicit trafficking of ivory.

The statement

To achieve this critical goals, the  development and implementation of individual National Elephant Action Plans is coming place.

“These plans, is championed by national governments and made possible through technical and financial support from the EPIF, provide a framework for effective elephant conservation on a country-by-country basis”.

The statement is also to commemorate  World Elephant Day, ensuring stronger measures are taken to protect elephants in Nigeria and Africa .

The Chair of the EPI Leadership Council and former Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor,  said: “The NEAP for Nigeria has been thoroughly developed by the EPI working together with WCS, and the Nigerian government through the Federal Ministry of Environment, because we are determined to save Nigeria’s remaining elephants.

WCS Nigeria Country Director Andrew Dunn,

, who coordinated the writing of the comprehensive plan, said: “Saving Nigeria’s last elephants will require more than just funds; it will require a significant change in attitude at all levels and a paradigm shift by federal and state governments towards a realisation that human wellbeing and global health are inextricably linked to biodiversity loss and climate change.”

The CEO of EPIF John Scanlon AO,, which supported the process, said: “The situation of Nigeria’s elephants is desperate but not hopeless. This plan offers us a last chance to conserve these magnificent animals.”

Nigeria’s largest population is in Yankari Game Reserve, with smaller relict populations in the forests of southern Nigeria and a transboundary herd of roughly 250 elephants using the savannah of northeastern Nigeria as part of their range.

The NEAP is a 10-year strategic plan (2024-2034) developed to ensure the long-term survival of elephants in Nigeria.

The plan outlines key objectives, including:

Reducing illegal elephant killings and trade through harmonised state and federal wildlife laws and enhanced law enforcement and Strengthening regional cooperation with neighbouring countries.

Others are : Maintaining elephant habitats through land-use planning and the creation of wildlife corridors to mitigate conflicts with communities and

Increasing public awareness and community-shared economic benefits generated by tourism among many others .