The Borno State Government has launched the 2024 Tree-Planting exercise with 10 million assorted seedlings to combat desertification in the state.
Flagging off the exercise at Kawuri village in Konduga Local Government Area of the state, Governor Babagana Zulum noted that in addition to planting of trees, his administration had launched several initiatives to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
He enumerated some of the initiatives to include procurement of electric vehicles and gas cylinders for distribution to deserving communities.
According to the Governor, his administration has also established an agency for the Great Green Wall to address problems of desertification and maintain the ecosystem.
“Let me assure you that my administration is committed to protecting Borno’s degrading environment, which has had a lot of consequences such as low rainfall,” he said.
Governor Zulum, however, directed the Secretary to the State Government to work with the State House of Assembly to develop measures that would strengthen existing laws on the environment.
Also, the Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Emet Kiose, called on non-governmental organisations, clubs, associations, and the public to collect assorted seedlings from the Ministry for planting.
Speaking, Director General of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), Saleh Abubakar, described Governor Zulum as an environmental champion, acknowledging his administration’s significant achievements in addressing environmental issues.
The DG, represented by the agency’s Director of Planning and Policy Coordination, Hajiya Habiba Usman, noted that Borno was the first state in the country to domesticate the Great Green Wall Act by establishing a state agency.
Report By Dauda Iliya
