By Abdullahi Lukman
The National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) has called on Nigerians to embrace large-scale tree planting as a key strategy for tackling desertification, land degradation and the growing impacts of climate change across the country.
Director-General of the agency, Mr. Saleh Abubakar, made the appeal during activities marking the 2026 World Environment Day, stressing that tree planting remains critical to environmental restoration and climate resilience.
According to Abubakar, the initiative aligns with the environmental agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, which seeks to address desert encroachment, restore degraded lands and mitigate the effects of climate change.
He explained that trees play a vital role in reversing land degradation, preventing soil erosion and slowing the advance of the Sahara Desert, while also absorbing carbon emissions and improving environmental health.
The NAGGW boss urged citizens to adopt sustainable environmental practices and actively participate in conservation efforts within their communities, noting that collective action is essential to achieving long-term environmental sustainability.
Abubakar said the agency would continue to strengthen programmes focused on tree planting, agroforestry and community empowerment, particularly in states most vulnerable to desertification and climate-related challenges.
He identified the agency’s frontline operational states as Borno, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi and Yobe, where landscape restoration projects are being implemented to improve environmental conditions and livelihoods.
Highlighting recent achievements, Abubakar said the agency launched a nationwide campaign in 2025 that promoted the planting of 50 million date palm seedlings across the 11 frontline states as part of efforts to combat desertification, create employment opportunities and support economic growth.
He noted that fruit-bearing trees such as date palms not only help restore degraded land but also contribute to food security, household nutrition and income generation for local communities.
The Director-General added that the initiative complements broader efforts aimed at planting billions of indigenous trees across Nigeria to preserve biodiversity and strengthen the country’s ecological resilience.
He maintained that restoring degraded landscapes goes beyond environmental protection, describing it as a pathway to enhancing food production, creating sustainable livelihoods and securing a more climate-resilient future for Nigerians.
