Gov. Bello Matawalle of Zamfara, on Saturday inaugurated the planting of 10,100 trees in primary schools across the state, as part of efforts to tackle desertification.
The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the tree planting exercise, organised by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), was flagged off at Kuka Mairahu village in Talata-Mafara local government area of the state.
Matawalle represented by the State Commissioner of Education, Dr Ibrahim Abdullahi, commended SUBEB for encouraging tree planting in schools.
The governor said, “the importance of tree planting can never be underestimated, as it has numerous advantages to the environment.
“Even the current global challenges, especially global warming, flooding, erosion, desertification, among others were as a result of inadequate of trees.
“I commend the board for this exercise, we are going to encourage the board to plant more trees in our schools as well as other MDAs.
“The state government is making arrangements to initiate economic trees farming for the teeming unemployed youths in the state.
“We are going to initiate a special scheme of economic trees farming and add value to them in the state.
“The aim is to generate more employment and business opportunities to the people of the state,” Matawalle explained.
He called on people of the state to embrace the culture of maintaining trees as they have greater impact in future.
In his remark, the Emir of Talata Mafara, Alhaji Bello Barmo, lauded the government for giving priority to tree planting and assured of the support and cooperation of his emirate to the programme.
“This is a welcome development considering its impact on the society, we are calling on our people to give all necessary support to the programme”, the Emir said.
He cautioned people of the state to avoid indescriminate felling of trees.
Earlier, the SUBEB Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Maradun, said the tree planting exercise was initiated by School Based Management Committe (SBMC) in the state, but considering its importance, the board took over the programme.
“I commend the SBMC for its supportive activities to the education sector of the state, I am appealing to people of the state to embark on tree planting.“You know that tree planting is one of good deed encouraged by Islam, we are giving priority to this programme to reduce various environmental challenges in our schools and communities,”Maradun said.According to him, 10,100 trees are expected to be planted under the programme, out of which 1,000 trees would be planted in Talata-Mafara LGA.
He added that 700 trees to be planted in each of the remaining 13 LGAs of the state.“
We are going to take adequate measures of maintaining the trees, we want all our schools to be surrounded with trees,” he added.
The SUBEB chairman urged schools management committees, staff, students and the entire people of the state to help nurture the trees to maturity. (NAN)
