On March 21, the International Day of Forests was celebrated worldwide. In Nigeria, the Forestry Research Institute (FRIN) used the occasion to hit the streets of the city of Ibadan on a roadshow.
According to the Executive Director of FRIN, Dr Adeshola Adepoju, the roadshow “was to sensitise and educate people on the importance of having green and trees around their houses and streets, and the need for green areas in the environment around them.
“We have been having a gap in educating the people, that is why we used drums, dancing and uniforms in green and white to attract people, and they found a way of listening to us. The response of the people is improving. We believe that if it was one or two people who got to know about forest related issues on the day, that is an achievement; because that one person will be able to educate another group.
He added that, “We are also working with primary and secondary schools where will be able to educate pupils and students to educate them as they grow into adulthood on the importance of green and trees around them.”
Explaining further on theme of the International Day of Forests, which is “Forests and sustainable cities,” Dr Adepoju said, “From the word ‘sustainable,’ it means we being consistent with urban forestry management. What the theme is saying is that an average city must get to that level of having adequate green around.
“It then means that in every house, you expect a home to have at least 25 per cent green of the total land area.
“But that’s not the case in most parts of Africa, especially Nigeria. If somebody has a plot of land, possibly he has built on 80 to 90 per cent of the land and the remaining 10 to 20 per cent, if it is not interlocked it will be concrete floor. So, you find some houses almost bare in terms of green. Or at best, one to five per cent – probably they have hedges around their gate which is not healthy for the home, and for the inhabitants.”
“It then means there will be competitiveness in the oxygen intake of the people cohabiting in that house. That is why we have dizziness, fainting, excessive heat around the home on the increase.
“But we are now saying is that if you take it further, a city, of the size of most state capitals in Nigeria, should have adequate green on the streets. The median of the road, or at the shoulder of the road, should at least have green. Around culverts and bridges, where houses are not there can be made green; that will compensate for the scarcity of green around residences.”
He urged the general public and relevant authorities to strive to “get to the acceptable green level in a city, and then sustain it. If it is sustained, you will have achieved so many things. You will spend less on health. People will fall sick less often. The temperature around the city will be lowered. The competitiveness for oxygen intake will be lesser.”
Dr Adepoju added that, “In view of the committed effort of the Federal Government, and the mandate given to us by the Minister of State for Environment to do all it takes to increase the green around the country, last year, we were able to plant about 151 hectares across the nation. With the green bond funded by DMO, that has doubled the expected planted area per year; if this is sustained for the next five to 10 years, I see Nigeria moving from around five to six per cent we are now, to close to 15 to 20 per cent green area. This will happen if it is sustained – if the education, enlightenment and planting continues.”
and then