By Abigael Joshua.
The National Park Service (NPS) on Wednesday in Abuja urged the mass media to assist the Service to deliver its mandates through their news reportage.
The Conservator General (CG) of the NPS, Dr Ibrahim Goni said this while receiving awards of excellence from three mass media outfits.
“We need aggressive public enlightenment so that people do not only know us as an organisation, but know us with what we do as an organisation and how we contribute to their survival.
“I want to appeal to the media to disabuse the public minds from illegal killings, felling and destruction of our vegetation.
“Nigeria is being labelled as a country where illegal wildlife trafficking passes through,” Goni said.
The CG commended some stakeholders in the fight against illegal wildlife trafficking and expressed satisfaction that illegal wildlife trafficking had been reduced drastically.
He commended the mass media for identifying NPS’ activities for awards of excellence in service.
Goni promised them that the awards would spur the Service to deliver more on its mandates.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the three media outfits are the Verbatim News Network Limited, Newsday Express and BOJ TV.
Mr Tobs Agbaegbu, Editor in Chief of Verbatim News Network Limited, said the award was given to the CG being a core stakeholder in matters of the environment and management of wild animals in the national parks of Nigeria.
Agbaegbu added that the award was also given to him for NPS’s core mandate in preserving, enhancing, protecting and managing vegetations in the country.
Also, the representative of Newsday Express, Ms Ukatu Chijindu and Mr Joseph Uzuakpundu from BOJ TV commended the CG for excellence in service delivery.
The Verbatim News Network Limited gave the Integrity Ambassador Award and Integrity in Public Service Award to the CG.
The Newsday Express gave an award on Excellent Leadership while BOJ TV gave the award on Leadership Excellence of Nation Building Hero Award to Goni. (NAN)
