KEY POINTS
- Katsina governor launches a climate awareness campaign to address desertification.
- The state aims to plant between four and ten million trees annually.
- Schoolchildren will receive five thousand naira to nurture trees to maturity.
Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda has emphasized the importance of tree planting as a necessary step in combating climate change and desertification.
Launching the state’s new climate awareness campaign on Monday, Radda said the “Tree for Every Child” project will address environmental challenges by planting millions of trees annually.
The event took place at Muhammadu Dodo Model Primary School in Katsina, where the governor unveiled a plan to involve school-aged children, youths, volunteers, and farmers in the reforestation efforts.
“Planting trees is more necessary now than ever before, especially with the rising impact of global warming caused by climate change,” Radda said.
State to raise millions of tree seedlings annually
Under the new initiative, the state government aims to raise between four and ten million tree seedlings annually.
According to Punch, this plan is part of a broader strategy to engage various community groups in conservation activities, including schoolchildren and women farmers.
The program will offer students five thousand naira each as an incentive to nurture trees until they mature.
Radda said this approach would help foster environmental responsibility among younger generations and expand the state’s green cover.
Radda also announced the reintroduction of forest officers and guards to protect forests and prevent the indiscriminate felling of trees. “We are taking steps to ensure that every tree planted is protected,” he added.
Collaborations driving sustainable efforts
Hamza Suleiman, Katsina’s Commissioner of Environment, commended the partnership between the state government and non-governmental organizations like the Ahmed Usman Pure Life Foundation.
Suleiman stressed that these collaborations are key to promoting climate education, raising awareness, and ensuring sustainable change.
Ahmed Usman, the founder of Pure Life Foundation, revealed that initial plans to plant ten thousand seedlings had been doubled to twenty thousand due to increased funding.
“We’ve also partnered with the state ministry of environment to distribute twenty thousand protection baskets to safeguard trees from animals and accidental destruction by children,” Usman said.
The Katsina government’s new campaign reflects an urgent response to the ecological challenges facing the state, with a focus on long-term solutions that engage the community at every level.
