The Ekiti State Government has taken over the management and maintenance of three hectares of farm land for hosting rare and endangered medicinal plants out of the 16 hectares Otun Community Herbal Heritage Centre from the Federal Government.
The move followed the official handing over of part of the land of the institution established in 1993 by the Forestry Department in the Federal Ministry of Environment to the State Forestry Commission.
The Executive Secretary of the Ekiti State Forestry Commission, Mr. Matthew Famuagun, who received the handover letter on behalf of the State, lauded the development but solicited continued support of the Federal Government in funding the project.
He also expressed appreciation to a retired Director of Forestry, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mr. Philips Bankole, a native of Otun Ekiti who conceived the idea of establishing the centre in 1993.
In his remarks, Mr. Philips Bankole recalled that the Center was established in 1993 after the 1992 Rio Convention on Environment and Development as a joint ownership between the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Otun Community adding that the three-hectare of land originally acquired had however increased to sixteen-hectares of vegetation.
Stressing the need to properly maintained the establishment in order to achieve the desired goal, Mr. Famuagun noted that the importance of protecting the herbs and trees that could be used for various ailments was extensively deliberated upon at the 1992 Rio Convention in Brazil which led to the creation of the centre.
He also urged people in the community to continually support efforts of Government to preserve the heritage.