Kaduna goes green for jobs, environment

The Kaduna State government last week flagged off the ‘Keep Kaduna Green Project,’ in its bid to further create a better environment.

Speaking at the event, the governor of the state, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, noted that the project is aimed at making the state green by planting at least one million trees every year.

“Our government considers the Keep Kaduna Green Project an important intervention. In planting one million trees every year, we intend to achieve many goals. Across our state, we will thereby be checking desertification. We will be creating jobs for the people who will plant and nurture the trees and the trees will ultimately grow and improve the look of our cities and towns.

“We will accompany our Keep Kaduna Green project with a determined effort of public education. The goal is to foster a keen appreciation for nature across the generations. The projection is to engage about 26,000 persons across the state in the massive tree-planting effort we have embarked on. Thus our grassroots approach to realising the goals of the Keep Kaduna Green Project involves ensuring that 65,000 trees are planted in each Local Government Area every year,” he said.

Represented by the Minister of Environment, Mrs Amina Mohammed, President Muhammadu Buhari, expressed worry that Nigeria has the highest rate of deforestation in the world in spite of campaigns against such acts.

He noted that over 576 million trees are lost in the country annually due to deforestation, adding that this situation has led the increased rate of desertification, flooding and drought in some parts of the country.

He also commended the Kaduna State governor for the initiative which he said would go a long way in combating illegal felling of trees and restoring the green environment in the state.