Sharon Ikeazor: Not Too Late to Save Nigeria’s Elephants

Stories of Nigeria’s elephants are entwined through our rich history and celebrated in our world famous culture. They are symbols of our identity, prominent in ancient mythology, but also on modern-day symbols such as the crest of the Nigeria Police Force, where they represent steadfastness and reliability. 

And yet the sad reality is that Nigeria’s elephants are in danger of disappearing. Today, perhaps 300 to 400 survive, in a handful of isolated populations in patches of forests and other fragmented habitats.

To lose our elephants would be a tragedy. They are not just amongst the most intelligent and charismatic animals on the planet, but they are also an essential part of our biodiversity. Elephants are known as the ‘gardeners of the forest’, helping to disperse seeds through their dung. They eat smaller trees and thin out the vegetation, which allows larger trees to grow. These larger trees store more carbon, thereby reducing the impact of climate change.  

Of course, Nigeria is not unique in suffering a rapid decline in its elephant population. In many African and Asian countries, we have seen similar trends. Habitat loss, commercial poaching for ivory and other human activities have had a severe impact on elephants.  

During my tenure as the Minister of State for the Environment, I made conservation one of the key priorities of the Ministry, because the loss of our biodiversity impacts on the lives and livelihoods of our people. We worked on a National Elephant Action Plan (NEAP) and developed a National Strategy to Combat Wildlife and Forest Crime in Nigeria 2022-2026, in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 

Now that I have left political office, I’m delighted to be joining the Leadership Council of the Elephant Protection Initiative, (EPI). The EPI is a unique alliance of 23 African countries, with common policies on elephant conservation. Nigeria joined the EPI in 2018. The EPI countries work together to end the illegal ivory trade, but also to find solutions to the growing challenge of human-elephant conflict (HEC), where humans and elephants compete for land and other resources. The EPI’s Leadership Council brings together eminent Africans to provide guidance and support.

The challenges before all of us are daunting, but by no means hopeless. Across the world, we’ve seen countries close their ivory markets, and in some parts of Africa we’ve seen a reduction in poaching in recent years. Elephant populations in some regions are now stable or even increasing.  African countries must work together to consolidate these positive trends.  These are not challenges that we can confront in isolation. For example, much of the ivory that has been seized in Nigeria in recent years has been in transit from neighbouring countries in West and Central Africa.  

The very existence of the EPI is proof of Africa’s shared determination to save its elephants. It is an honour to be part of this important initiative to conserve these magnificent animals, here in Nigeria, and across the African continent. 

* Sharon Ikeazor is a former Nigerian Deputy Minister of Environment.

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