At the 2019 United Nations General Assembly meeting, President Muhammadu Buhari made a pledge that Nigeria would plant 25 million trees. The Director-General of the Forestry Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), Professor Adeshola Adepoju has said that FRIN is still working to fulfill the mandate despite the challenges brought about by the covid-19 pandemic and the upsurge in insurgency in the country.
He made the remarks when a team from the National Forest Trust Fund (NFTF), led by its chairman, Dr Shehu Ahmed, paid a two-day working visit on Tuesday and Wednesday to FRIN headquarters in Ibadan.
Professor Adepoju told Nigerian Tribune that the twin challenges of the covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown in 2020, and insurgency issues had affected planting of trees on the field. However, the institute would continue to play its part in fulfilling the mandate.
He said, coivid-19 and insurgency “have not really affected it much. In terms of us planting, it has affected us. In terms of us achieving our aims via other means, it may not be as we expected it to be.
“But I always tell people, although it is not something to be excited about, that even the issue of insurgency has limited the number of people going to the forest to commit atrocities like illegal felling of trees and poaching. That has, in a way preserved our forest. That is not to say we encourage banditry and all of that.
“We are still going ahead with the project but not at the pace or scale we would have wanted it.”
He added that, “Mr President’s commitment in 2019, August 23 to be precise, was to keep us busy. Without that, we probably would not have the scale-up mandate.
“But that statement was in furtherance of us doing what we’re supposed to do. Having that mandate has enabled us to do more, and it is in line with the National Forest Policy.”
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Speaking on the progress made by the National Forest Trust Fund, Professor Adepoju, who chairs its technical committee noted that “So far we have done a one-year calendar planting. We have also done one advocacy meeting and also one national stakeholder meeting, particularly with those who are in the business of exporting forest products out of the country to see how we can partner with them to curb all the illegalities in our forest estates. The council has been able to bridge the gap between the policy, ministry, agencies, and stakeholders, particularly the private sector. We have worked together and it is yielding fruit.
“We have been able to mobilise resources and identify the critical stakeholders to work with to ensure that forest estates are sustained.”
On his part, the chairman, Dr Ahmed while recognizing the important role of FRIN plays in the pursuit of the country’s forestry policy stated that the role of the private sector and the general public was equally important.
Also speaking the, a member of the NFTF visiting team and Conservator General of National Park Service, Ibrahim Goni, said that he had observed that the institute had done well to increase the forest cover within its boundaries.
Other members on the team included Honourable Aro Moshood Abiodun representing the Sawmillers Association of Nigeria and Processed Wood Producers & Marketers Association Of Nigeria (PROWPMAN), Adedayo Mahmeed, Director, Technical Programmes, Nigerian Conservation Fund (NCF), Dr Gloria Ujor, Director of Nigerian Environmental Study Action Team (NEST), among others.
The National Forest Trust Fund is a council which by law is meant to mobilise funds from stakeholders to improve and sustain Nigeria’s forest sector as well as expand forest cover in line with international best practices and the commitment of the president as enshrined in the National Forest Policy of Nigeria.
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