It saddens one’s heart to see truckloads of timber and charcoal going out of Burra Forest in Ningi Local Government Area of Bauchi State frequently. This illegality is conducted every day with the residents of the area crying out loud as a result of indiscriminate felling of trees in the Burra axis.
Since 2019 when the present administration of Governor Bala came to power, deforestation has been one of his concerns; he had once threatened serious actions against anyone involved. The government suspended a caretaker chairman in Ningi because of this among other charges. But it seems the government is still not aware that this ugly act is still ongoing across Ningi. The government has arrested and seized truckloads of charcoal which were headed for Kano from Burra community.
This deforestation is putting the residents of Burra and Ningi in fear over the rainy season. We nearly witnessed climate change, a sandstorm that clouded us for hours. Everyone knows that trees release much-needed oxygen and cutting them down indiscriminately is equal to denying ourselves the precious life gift. Lack of tree cover will also result in trapping of greenhouse gases which will adversely affect the ozone layer and could cause diseases like leukemia and cancer.
About 40 percent of trees in the area are destroyed by charcoal dealers. As it stands, the local government authority is doing nothing about it. The loss of trees and other vegetation can cause climate change, desertification, soil erosion, fewer crops, and flooding.
We are calling on the state government to please address this matter urgently and save our environment.
Usman Koli, Mass Communication Department, Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Bauchi.
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