By Femi Akinola
The Borno State Government has commenced the 2024 tree-planting exercise with about 10 million assorted tree seedlings targeted at curbing desertification in the state.
Earlier in the week, Borno State Governor Professor Babagana Zulum flagged off the state’s 2024 tree planting exercise at Kawuri village in 27 Local Government Area of the state.
In his address, Governor Zulum noted that in addition to planting trees, his administration had unveiled several initiatives to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
He listed the initiatives as including the procurement of electric vehicles and gas cylinders for distribution to deserving communities.
Zulum said he had also established an agency for the Great Green Wall to address problems of desertification and maintain the ecosystem.
He assured of his administration’s commitment to protecting Borno’s degrading environment, which, he noted, had resulted in low rainfall.
The governor gave a strong warning against cutting down trees in the state and directed the Secretary to the Government of the state, to work with the state House of Assembly to develop measures that would address the flaws in the existing law on the environment.
In his address at the occasion, the Borno State Commissioner for Environment, Engineer Emet Kiose, appealed to non-governmental organisations, clubs, associations, and the general public to collect assorted seedlings from the ministry for planting.
In the meantime, the National Agency for the Great Green Wall has described Zulum as an environmental champion, noting his administration’s significant achievements in addressing environmental issues.
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the NAGGW, Saleh Abubakar, represented by the agency’s Director of Planning and Policy Coordination, Hajiya Habiba Usman, stated this at the event.
He said the agency is elated and happy to note that Borno is the first state in Nigeria to domesticate the GGW Act by establishing the state agency and appointing the pioneer Director General,” Abubakar acknowledged.
“The NAGGW is glad to be part of the tree-planting campaign, as this not only complements the agency’s interventions, but also shows the Borno State Government’s commitment to addressing environmental challenges associated with land degradation and climate change,” he said.
Desertification is one of the most serious problems facing northern Nigeria with 580,841 square km out of the 927,892 square km total land area of Nigeria and with about 62 million Nigerians directly or indirectly affected.
He explained that major causes of desertification have been traced to climatic variability, deforestation, extensive cultivation, overgrazing, cultivation of marginal land, bush burning, fuel wood extraction, faulty irrigation system and urbanization.
According to him, for decades, a lot of national and international interventions have to be made to curb the condition in Nigeria.
He recommends that agriculture should transcend from development strategy to agric blusiness and that governments at levels and non-governmental organizations should provide adequate water for the farmers.
He advocated the planting of Jatropha trees and some exotic trees that have economic benefits, which would add value to the livelihood of the people.
He said adequate funds should be provided to the frontline states to fight desert encroachment and set up a desertification monitoring centre.