By Abbas Nazil
The Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project, which aimed to restore degraded land across Nigeria, including Kogi Central, has faced serious setbacks due to poor monitoring and management.
Despite the project’s ambitious goal of rehabilitating 1 million hectares nationwide by 2030, including 600 hectares in Kogi State, recent observations indicate that many of the planted seedlings, particularly Gmelina arborea, have dried up, leaving behind wooden stake nettings that are now being consumed by termites.
The ACReSAL initiative in Kogi State included the construction of locally made flower guides to support the tree-planting effort.
However, out of hundreds of wooden stake nettings constructed, only a few were used to protect the seedlings, many of which have now perished.
The decay of these structures further highlights the apparent failure of the project, attributed to inadequate oversight and poor project execution.
Efforts to obtain official responses on the issue have so far been inconclusive.
In a WhatsApp conversation with Mrs. Jane Ozuruoke, the head of communication at ACReSAL, she stated that she could not provide details on the exact number of trees to be planted in Kogi Central.
She also noted that other collaborative afforestation efforts exist alongside ACReSAL’s initiative, involving governments, NGOs, and individuals.
Regarding the reasons for the project’s abandonment, she deferred the question to the project coordinator, emphasizing that she was not in a position to provide those answers.
Further attempts to reach Mrs. Angela Ohikere, the communication officer of Kogi ACReSAL, were unsuccessful as she was in a meeting at the time.
The ACReSAL project was introduced as part of the federal government’s broader strategy to combat climate change, improve food security, and promote economic empowerment.
In Kogi State, the government had announced an aggressive tree-planting campaign targeting 17,166 trees, with an emphasis on climate-smart agriculture.
Local Government Implementation Committees were inaugurated in key areas such as Adavi/Okene, Kabba-Bunu, and Ankpa LGAs to ensure project success.
Despite these plans, the situation on the ground paints a different picture, raising concerns about the actual execution and impact of the initiative.
The Kogi State government had also identified 256 ecological sites for intervention, including communities like Etahi in Okene.
Additionally, the “One Man, One Tree” campaign was launched to encourage individual participation in tree planting.
However, the failure of the ACReSAL project in Kogi Central suggests significant lapses in monitoring and implementation, threatening the overall success of afforestation efforts in the region.
With seedlings drying up and protective structures deteriorating, questions remain about the project’s sustainability and the commitment of relevant authorities to ensuring its long-term success.
