Quest for physical development, or urban renewal should not override protection of trees at the city-centres, say the environmentalists, who are expressing disappointment over what they described as “indiscriminate felling of trees” in the course of project executions.
Lamenting how trees are being felled across the cities, particularly in places like Lagos and Abuja, environmentalists are of the view that ecosystem must be protected, no matter the importance attached to such projects.
Citing the enthusiasm, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos exhibited when he came to power, Comrade Yemi Adekunle, of Save the Forest Campaign (SFC), said the recent uprooting of three hefty trees at Oke-Oyinbo, in Epe Township, betrayed the governors’ intention to protect the trees.
In what the environmentalists described as “unending destruction of trees,” partly due to the activities of estate developers, and partly as a result of urban renewal programmes and other developmental projects embarked upon by various governments, trees are no longer protected.
“The specific one that caught our attention in the environment family was the ongoing regeneration of Government Guest House in Epe and extent at which trees suffered uprooting, including Ibeju-Lekki, Sangotedo axis, which is now extending towards Ketu-Sala-Ito-Ikin axis along Epe-Ikorodu road.
“Elderly people in these communities hinted that those trees were planted by the colonialists for more than 150 years, but it beat ones imagination that they had to give to whatever project.
“To us at SFC, to allow these trees to stay would have added more values to the regeneration project. Indeed, any professionals or bodies that approved the uprooting of those trees sinned against the nature.
“No matter how beautiful a building, or road may be, even, a hotel or tourism location, destruction of the ecosystem is a gross uncivilised act that stands to be condemned by every rational mind,” said Adekunle.
Jethro Nwangwu, another friend of the environment, said be it in Abuja or Lagos, tree planting campaign where millions of Naira is spending on sensitisation campaign is a counter-productive exercise, if a stop is not put to cutting down of trees.
“These act of tree felling shows that Nigerians, especially, those in position of authority and their advisers are not in tune with the devastating effects of climate change.
“Perhaps, there is need for legislation for the protection of the ecosystem, because if things are allowed to go on like this, the effects will be unbearable to city dwellers”, he said, pointed out that trees are under strict protection in normal climes.
Lamenting how trees and forests are giving way to construction works, particularly, housing projects, Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), Oxfam Nigeria, and other prominent organisations are fighting tooth and nail to ensure the protection of ecosystem, especially, bush burning,
But exonerating the villagers whose source of energy is through firewood, Saheed Abubakir, an Abuja based environmentalist, who also decries the absence of practical efforts to save trees, urged the Minister for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to ensure that those seeking for land to build estate must make provision for alternative trees they might have destroyed in the course of project execution.
“A situation by which the land were allocated for sundry projects without any consideration for how to protect trees, or any concerted effort to replenish the destroyed ones make nonsense of the annual or periodical events on combating climate change,” he said.
He was of the view that it should be mandatory for any developer or investors, even government, to ensure that rooms are created within the vicinity where such project is situated and trees were fallen.
“Abuja and Lagos are two cities where physical development is growing by the leap, and the two cities have little landmass, thus, it’s our candid advice to FCT Minister and Lagos government to ensure that project owners create room for tree plantings to replace the ones their projects affect.