PLANT TREES TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT- KWANKWASO URGES KANO CITIZENS Nigeria is endowed with a large expanse of arable land, particularly in the North, that has over the years proved a vital resource for agricultural production and other economic activities. However, a lot of damage has been done to the country’s land through deforestation, which is contributing immensely to desertification. This occurs in the form of tree felling for energy, bush burning and overgrazing by herdsmen. In the same vein, the Sahara desert is advancing south wards into the country at the rate of 6.0 percent every year. As a result, environmentalists say Nigeria loses about 350,000 - 400,000 hectares of land annually to desert encroachment. This unfortunate development has led to displacements of communities across 11 frontline states in the North. These frontline states are Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Kastina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara. Thus, millions of people are facing threats of hunger and economic problems due to present scale of desertification. It is against this backdrop that the Governor of Kano state, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso reintroduced the tree planting campaign in the state, to create awareness on the dangers of desertification and deforestation. At a well attended ceremony held at Bandirwo city in Dawakin Tofa local government area today (Monday), the governor distributed flagged-off the distribution of 6 million assorted plant seedlings to schools, community development associations and the 44 local government councils in the state. “Desert encroachment and deforestation remain threats to the environment. These twin problems affect human life, wildlife and the entire ecosystem. We must therefore plant as many trees as possible to halt them as well as work collectively to manage the environment well”, Governor Kwankwaso stressed. He said people in the state must cultivate the habit of planting trees not just for economic and domestic reasons but because of their medicinal value, pointing out that practice obtains even in the most developed countries of the world. The governor told the gathering that his administration drafted a plan to plant trees along streets in major urban areas in the state not just for beatification but for environmental sustainability, stressing that Bandirawo city was particularly selected for the launch of the programme in view of its vulnerability to desertification. Governor Kwankwaso urged people in the largely agrarian state to prevent their domestic animals like sheep, goats and cows from destroying the seedlings planted, noting with dismay that stray animals not only destroy the much needed vegetation but also cause unwarranted road accidents. Halilu I. Dantiye, fnge, mni Director of Press and Public Relations to the Executive Governor, Kano state,
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 20:14:27 +0000
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