By Bisola Adeyemo
In his fight against desertification in the Delta State, the State Government in collaboration with Fight Against Desert Encroachment (FADE) Africa, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), said gardens would be replicated in all the 25 local government areas of the state to enable people to live in a greener and natural environment.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa disclosed this on Thursday, while flagging off a Public Garden to mark the 2021 World Desertification and Drought Day in Asaba, the state capital.
Okowa, represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Ovie Agas, said that his administration was committed to addressing issues of desertification as a component of the “SMART” Agenda for the development of the state, Environews reports.
While commending FADE for its 22 years effort and commitment to the fight against desertification, he said “Today is a day fixed by the United Nations to mark World Desertification and Drought Day, it is significant to us and we are collaborating with FADE Africa and Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency to fight desertification across the state.
“The ‘T’ element of the SMART agenda of this administration stands for, ‘to transform the environment through urban renewal’, this is to ensure a sustainable and a green environment, so we are here to flag off a little garden with hope that it will translate to a little forest soonest.
“With this symbolic picture today, we expect our people to key into this programme by planting little gardens to build a sustainable environment, we cannot continue to fell our trees without replanting.
“The reality is that the climate change is here and its effects are grave. Delta government will not relent but collaborate with all well-meaning Nigerians to build a greener and sustainable environment across the state,” he said.
Earlier, Chairman FADE, Dr Newton Jibunor, the Desert Warrior, blamed the current global warming on desertification and felling of trees, adding that, to combat it, states and countries must start to plant trees now.
He revealed that over 30 per cent of African countries have been taken by deserts, adding that it would take 40 years to reclaim the deserts if the afforestation process begins now.