ABUJA – The Minister of Environment, Mrs Laurentia Mallam on Tuesday said the Federal Government’s Great Green Wall programme would discourage migration of cattle breeders in search of grazing lands.
Mallam said this at a pre-event briefing on the presidential launch of the programme in Abuja.
“The creation of grazing areas will in turn reduce the annual migration of cattle breeders as there will be no need to migrate.
“The reduction of migration of cattle breeders will consequently reduce the socio- economic friction between cattle breeders and other farmers usually affected by the movement.
“The wall is also expected to act as a wind breaker to reduce the negative effect of heavy breeze that sometimes brings down houses.
“Let the people know that whatever is planted on their land belongs to them; they should care for and maintain it.
“Let the people know that government is not going to acquire their lands and that they will not lose a grain of soil as a result of the great green wall.
“Government is simply adding value to their natural inheritance; they are the owners of the programme and they should key into it by planting trees.
“Avoid cutting down trees, and make use of alternative sources of energy such as the green cooking stove among others.”
The President is to launch the programme on Nov. 25, in Kebbi State.
Mallam said that the funds had been put in place to run the programme for the next three years.
“N16 billion has been put in the 2015 budget for this; I can assure you that everything is on course for the success of the programme,” she said.
NAN reports that the great green wall is a desert impact mitigation programme designed for desertificated areas of the Sahel region in Africa.
Mallam said that the programme would be of immense benefit to the people in the affected communities aside bringing an end to some climatic challenges.
NAN further reports that the programme is to be implemented in 11 states of the federation namely; Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kano, Jigawa, Borno, Gombe, Bauchi, Yobe , Katsina and Adamawa.
It is a project meant to plant a wall of trees across Africa at the southern edge of the Sahara desert as a means to prevent desertification.
It also encourages the use of green energy and provides some means of livelihood for affected communities.(NAN)
