Bauchi-based Shaykh Abdulkadir Jahun Islamic Foundation, on Saturday planted 350 seedlings as a form of charity, to curb erosion and other environmental hazards in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the faith-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) conducted the exercise, tagged ”Go Green 2021”, at the Sultan Abubakar Hajj Camp in Bauchi.
In his remarks, the Secretary of the foundation, Alhaji Mohammed Mujtaba, said that tree planting was a measure to protect the land from environmental degradation.
“Planting trees is an act of worship. So, we seek divine rewards for our parents, leaders, scholars and ourselves through this exercise,” he said.
He added that the Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA) provided 200 out of the 350 seedlings.
In her remarks, Dr Aisha Mohammed, First lady of the state, said that such practices would further provide medicinal sources and fresh air to the people of the state.
“The trees we plant protects the environment and are sources of food and medicine, to man and animals,” she noted.
According to her, human activities was the major cause of environmental disasters in the state.
She encouraged clerics to incorporate such humanitarian and social responsibility services into the extra-curricular activities of their pupils.
“The teaching of Islam has encouraged us to plant trees as charity. Therefore, we should encourage such activities to gain more reward from the almighty Allah,” she stressed.
Mohammed noted that such practices would also checkmate some activities of industries as well as environmental pollution.
She applauded the initiative of the foundation and urged them to replicate the exercise in other parts of the state.
Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Ibrahim Kashim, said that the exercise was coming at a time the State government was also planning to plant trees on all the newly constructed roads and other locations in the state.
The Director-General, BASEPA, Dr Ibrahim Kabir, said that the agency had over 10,000 seedlings for planting and would be provided for free to all interested individuals and organisations across the state.
Also, the District Head of Miri, Alhaji Hussaini Abubakar, pledged that all the planted seedlings would be nurtured to maturity by residents of the community.
(NAN)
