By; FUNMI ADERINTO, Kaduna
The acting Governor of Kaduna State, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, on Wednesday, called on all residents of the state to make the planting of trees a life habit, adding that, planting of trees will replace the ones that are dying naturally or due to human and other natural activities.
Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe made the call at the flag-off of the 2022 tree planting exercise for schools under the Kafanchan Municipal Authority, held at Kaduna State University, Kafanchan Campus.
She said that planting of trees in the part of the state that is known to be more forested, signifies the seriousness of the threat of desertification in Kaduna State.
According to her, the launch is taking place in the area where one of the earliest man-made plantations in Nigeria is located.
She explained that, the Nimbia Forest began as a plantation in 1957 by the defunct Jema’a Native Authority, and planting continued up to 1991, the plantation, as other forest reserves in Nigeria, are in deplorable state.
“There are indiscriminate felling of trees, poaching and even outright clearings for farming activities. The 1971 to 73 drought brought to the fore, the impact of desertification in Nigeria and it continues to encroach upon us.
“Nigerians have not yet woken up to their responsibility of preserving our forest resources. It is time we appreciated that the task of preservation of our trees and forests is everybody’s business.”
Explaining further, she said that about 15 states, including Kaduna, are affected by desertification in various degrees, stressing that, “We cannot therefore, remain unconcerned by-standers because this affects us directly.
“As a result of this, cultivation of crops is being affected, animal grazing becomes difficult, our eco-system is being adversely affected, biodiversity is being lost and host of other problems.
“These, in turn, have contributed to high poverty rate in the northern part of Nigeria.
“It is to arrest the threat of the advancing desert that necessitated governments over the years and supported by international organisations, to embark on massive tree planting projects.
“It is now an annual campaign in order to create awareness on its importance that we need to plant trees to replace the ones that are dying naturally or due to human and other natural activities.
“Trees give us fresh air and oxygen, provide cover against erosion, shade from heat waves, provide sources for medicines, capture and store atmospheric carbon dioxide (technically known as carbon sequestration), combat climate change, reduce noise pollution, maintain water balance on the earth surface, provide home for wildlife, food and fruits and give us green, beautiful and serene environments,” she said.
The acting governor commended the focus of Kafanchan Municipal Authority on tree planting in schools within its area of operation, adding that young minds will grow up with the culture of appreciating trees and nurturing same.
“In addition to the immediate benefits of protecting our school buildings and environment which are constantly being damaged by storm winds and erosion,” she added.
She disclosed that most of public buildings and especially schools are exposed to the destructive tendencies of wind and other human activities.
“However, school authorities neglect planting trees even when tree seedlings are provided and planted, they are often not nurtured to maturity, this means government spends resources it should ordinarily use for learning materials on repair of school buildings damaged because of lack of wind breakers,” she lamented
She therefore, encouraged the deliberate effort on tree planting in all schools, informing that the state championed by the communities and the Parent-Teachers’ Associations (PTAs), will go a long way in complementing the efforts of the state government.
“It would be recalled that, the state government launched a forestry policy tagged, “Keep Kaduna Green” (KKG) in 2020 in which it planned the planting, together with its citizens, of five million seedlings within three years.
“So far, about 1.1 million seedlings have been raised, distributed across the state and planted. We hope to execute the balance before the end of 2023,” she assured.
According to her, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources is working tirelessly with some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and international agencies to meet this target and probably surpass it.
Dr. Balarabe commended the Ministry for the efforts in making Kaduna a green state.
She also encouraged it to increase its level of awareness and advocacy among residents of the state in order to make tree planting a way of life.
After flagging off the tree planting campaign for public schools under the Kafanchan Municipal Authority, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe led other dignitaries to plant trees at the Kafanchan Campus of Kaduna State University.
