Ogun Traders Lament N5bn Loss To Forest Closure

Members of the Plank Sellers Association in Ogun State have lamented that they have lost N5bn worth of planks and other properties due to the closure of forests across the state.

The state Chairman of the association, Chief Saka Nafiu, said this while addressing journalists in Abeokuta.

Nafiu said the closure order by the state government had inflicted series of suffering on members of the association.

Our correspondent gathered that the state government had closed the forests since September 2019.

The association which comprises saw-millers, Felling Machine Operators, timber and lorry drivers and plank sellers called the attention of the state government to what they described as a ‘great loss to the state’.

They lamented that most of their members had incurred series of debts since the closure of the forests, appealing to the government to reopen the forests in the state .

The chairman advised that the state government could take over the government reserved forests but leave the free areas under the control of the association for them to operate.

Nafiu appealed to the state government to grant them an opportunity of dialogue.