By Stanley Onyekwere
The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has disclosed plans to plant 170,000 tree seedlings across Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as part of strategic measures to tackle desertification in the nation’s capital and country at large.
Bello made the disclosure yesterday at the 2021 World Desertification and Drought Day and launching of FCT Tree Planting campaign, organised by the Department, Parks and Recreation, in Abuja.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari at the 74th UN General Assembly promised that the Federal Government would plant 25 million trees as part of the overall climate change governance in collaboration with various stakeholders.
The Minister, who represented by the Permanent Secretary FCTA, Mr Olusade Adesola, said the administration was actively participating in actualising the President’s pledge through the department of parks and recreation and support from the Federal Ministry of Environment.
He noted that tree planting was a great responsibility aimed at not only protecting and conserving environment for the future but also for improving its aesthetic beauty.
According to him, “this is particularly essential for Abuja, the capital city of our country where a green and well laid-out natural environment will further crystallise her image as one of the most beautiful cities in the world.”
The Minister said about 20 NGOs and other stakeholders were actively participating in the planting of the tree seedlings across the FCT.
He added that in recognition of the significance of conserving the environment, the FCTA, while formulating the 2019 FCT Park Policy, noted that the Abuja Master Plan provided about 33 per cent of land for parks, green areas and open spaces for recreation, tree planting and other such activities.
“However, over the years, this percentage diminished and therefore, in considering of the effects of climate change, the 2019 FCT Park Policy made the commitment that all subsequent layout designs in the FCT shall provide for not less than 33 per cent land for parks, green areas and open spaces for carbon sequestration.
“This indeed is a huge step by government in ensuring the protection of the environment and we pledge to continue to support all efforts aimed at sustaining this, ” Bello stated.
Earlier, the Director, Parks and Recreation Department, Riskatu Abdulazeez noted that desertification was increasing on alarming rate and it was being brought about by many factors principally, deforestation.
She said the department would continue to champion campaign against deforestation, saying “when we are able to combat desertification, drought will also be taken care of and our land will be restored.”
The Director said the department had a mandate of planting trees in the cities and would collaborate with green-minded NGOs in planting trees to carry the exercise into the nooks and crannies of the FCT.
“As we are planning trees in the city, our collaborators are doing same at the area councils,” she added.
