The IITA Forest is an internationally acclaimed Key Biodiversity and Important Bird Area. The Forest Center is renowned for its important contribution to African bird studies. On 16 and 17 November, IITA Forest Center celebrated the Nigerian Bird Festival to create awareness and galvanize communal support for conserving birds and their natural habitats. They were joined by the iconic Laycon of Laycon Cares Foundation and the winner of BBNaija Season 5.
Students from selected primary and secondary schools in Ibadan camped in already set-up tents, where they spent the night close to nature, telling stories, reciting poems, singing songs, and sharing folktales around the bonfire to entertain one another. In the morning, the bird lovers marched with placards bearing targeted messages to sensitize IITA staff and visitors entering the Institute’s campus about birds and their importance to ecological stability.