Zaria (Kaduna State) – Hajiya Amina Mohammed, the Minister of Environment, on Wednesday said afforestation of at least 1,500 kilometres of land in Nigeria under Great Green World programme was on course.
The minister said this at a two day workshop organised by Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) in Zaria.
Mohammed, represented by the Minister of State in the ministry, Alhaji Ibrahim Jibril, said the trees, if planted would improve means of livelihood of people apart from halting desertification.
She said the programme was an initiative of the African Union, the Pan African Agency for the Great Green World which covers 11 countries in Africa.
The minister said the programme would cover some states in the North-West and North-East.
While lamenting the incessant felling of trees for firewood without replacement, Mohammed stressed the need for a change of attitude from Nigerians to safeguard and preserve forests.
She said rainfall pattern in the last 20 years was not the same with what was being experienced nowadays due to the effects of climate change.
The minister observed that the benefits of promoting sustainable forest management were too many and significant to be ignored if Nigeria’s vision was to be among the best economies of the world soonest.
The Executive Director, FRIN, Dr Adeshola Adepoju, said the institute was established to conduct researches in forestry, sustainable forest management, environmental protection, medicinal plants, agroforestry, forest product development and utilisation and forestry research extension.
Prof. Ibrahim Garba, the Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, described the university as the home of agriculture in view of the active role of its agricultural institutes toward boosting the sector in the country. (NAN)
