Borno State Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum on Tuesday launched the state’s 2024 tree-planting exercise with 10 million assorted seedlings aimed at controlling desertification in the state.
The largest tree-planting campaign in Nigeria’s history was kicked off in a ceremony at Kawuri Village in Konduga local government area of the state.
Addressing the gathering, Zulum noted that in addition to planting trees, his administration had launched several initiatives to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
He listed the initiatives to include the procurement of electric vehicles and gas cylinders for distribution to deserving communities.
The governor said he had also established an agency for the Great Green Wall to address the problems of desertification and maintain the ecosystem.
He assured of his administration’s commitment to protecting Borno’s degrading environment which, he noted, had resulted in low rainfall.
Governor Zulum, while sounding a strong warning against cutting down of trees in Borno, directed the Secretary to the State Government to work with the State House of Assembly to develop measures that would address the flaws in the existing law on the environment.
In his welcome address, the state’s Commissioner for Environment, Engr Emet Kiose, appealed to non-governmental organisations, clubs, associations and the general public to collect assorted seedlings from the ministry for planting.
The occasion was attended by the All Progressives Congress (APC’s) Deputy National Chairman, Ali Bukar Dalori; House of Representatives’ member, Bukar Talba; representative of the Speaker, Borno State House of Assembly, Engr Abdullahi Askira; Secretary to the State Government, Bukar Tijani, the Head of Service, Barrister Malam Fannami and other senior government officials.
Meanwhile, the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) has described Governor Zulum as a champion of the environment, noting his administration’s significant achievements in addressing environmental issues.
Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Saleh Abubakar, who was represented by the agency’s Director of Planning and Policy Coordination, Hajiya Habiba Usman, expressed the agency’s happiness to note that Borno is the first state in the country to domesticate the GGW Act by establishing the state agency and appointing the pioneer Director General.
He added, “Thus, the NAGGW is glad to be part of the tree-planting campaign, as this not only complements the agency’s interventions, but also shows the Borno State Government’s commitment to addressing environmental challenges associated with land degradation and climate change.”