From Femi Mustapha, in Kaduna
The Kaduna State Government will plant about 10 million trees in four years in its afforestation programme, in order to mitigate the effects of climate change and protect the environment.
The Commissioner of Environment, Alhaji Abubakar Buba disclosed this while speaking to stakeholders in Kaduna on Wednesday.
According to him, the Government ha d already planted about 1.7 million trees last year.
Alhaji Abubakar promised that his Ministry plans to double the number of trees that will be planted this year, adding that ‘’we have the nurseries that have generated these three seedlings.’’
‘’The major challenge of climate change is carbon emission; greenhouse gases and the likes. And the major thing that absorbs carbon dioxide is trees. We expect residents not just to plant trees but to nurture them to grow; not just in the cities but in the suburbs and villages as well,’’ he said.
He commended Governor Uba Sani for initiating what he described as ‘’greener and cleaner Kaduna State’’, adding that ‘’he is an environmentally-friendly Governor.’’
‘’The Governor also mandated us to desilt about 140 kilometers of drainages within the city centres, so as to check flooding during the raining season by easing the free flow of water,’’ he said.
The Commissioner further disclosed that Governor Uba Sani has asked the Ministry to dredge River Kaduna and other water bodies within the state so that ‘’the water that will flow into the rivers as a result of our desilting the drainages will be so much that at the end of the day, it will flow back to the people’s houses.’’
Alhaji Abubakar commended the Governor for the increased allocation in this year’s budget, adding that he promised substantial implementation of the 2025 budget.
