By Aluta News
Nov. 16, 2023
The Kogi Government says it plans to plant 17,166 trees across the state to check climate change and promote smart agriculture.
Mr Ladi Jatto, the state Project Coordinator, Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL), said this at the launch of the project in Kabba, Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area(LGA) of the state.
Jatto said that the project was aimed at restoring 600 hectares of land, with support for 150 farmers with improved maize seedlings for dry season, farmers for farmers in Kabba.
She described landscape management as very important to agricultural development.
“ACRESAL project in the Kogi has started yielding dividends due to state government’s friendly disposition to the environment.
“This is also meant to cushion the over reliance on firewood and stop the further release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
“Already, the state government has provided 303 clean cooking stoves to women in the Kogi West with 100 women in Kabba Bunu as beneficiaries.
“We believe this project will help reduce the sufferings of women searching for clean water and relying on boreholes powered by fossil generators
“Again, the administration has installed 21 solar powered boreholes and 50 solar powered street lights across the Senatorial District,” she said.
She lamented the negative impact of falling down trees that helped to absorb dangerous gases being released into the atmosphere as well as hold the soil together.
According to her, trees help in reducing flooding, absorb all bad emissions and help in releasing clean energy
“Trees helps in healing reason why the people of Kabba Bunu LGA must embark on aggressive planting of trees.”
” Are we happy with degradation, change in whether pattern, comfortable with extreme whether condition, erosion swallowing home and biodiversity,” she said.
While disclosing that the land management project, which was a six year project, had four components, Jatto assured that it would lead to a safe society for people to live in.
Also speaking, the state’ Commissioner for Environment, Mr Omofaiye Victor, described plating of trees as lifeline of the planet.
Victor, who doubled as the Chairman of the tree planting, said the state government had embraced the policy of discouraging deforestation.
He appreciated the support of World Bank in making the aggressive tree planting a reality.
Speaking at the occasion, the Obaro of Kabba, Oba Solomon Owoniyi, described the initiative as timely and called for the sustainability of the project.
The traditional ruler assured that the people of the community would actively participate in the project toward ensuring a safe environment.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the highlight of the occasion was the planting of trees by the project coordinator, commissioner for environment, the Obaro of Kabba, students, opinion moulders, amongst other notable personalities.
NAN