By Nneka Nwogwugwu
The Kaduna State Government has reaffirmed its plans to meet the target of planting five million trees across the state under its forestry policy by 2023.
Acting Governor Hadiza Balarabe made this known on Wednesday in Kafanchan during the Flag-off of the 2022 tree planting exercise for schools organised by the Kafanchan Municipal Authority.
Balarabe explained that under the policy tagged “Keep Kaduna Green”, 1.1 million seedlings had so far been distributed and planted across the state.
She challenged citizens to wake up to the responsibility of preserving forest resources as it was everyone’s business.
She tasked the public on the need to plant trees to replace the ones that were dying naturally or due to human activities.
Earlier, the Administrator, Kafanchan Municipal Authority, Phoebe Yayi, said the tree planting exercise was part of its vision to create an urban, green and smart city.
Yayi called for closer collaboration in attaining environmental protection, urban and green culture in the society.
According to her, the authority will plant 2,000 trees across schools within the municipal.
She said that the school whose trees thrive more would stand a chance to win prizes.
Various speakers on the occasion in their goodwill messages commended the foresight of the Kafanchan Municipal Authority in its quest to protect the environment from being depleted.