By Mustapha Adamu, Kano
The Kano State Government has expressed support for the Federal Government’s efforts to protect the Afforestation Programme Coordinating Unit (APCU) complex in Janbulo, Gwale Local Government Area, from an alleged attempt to take over portions of the property.
The state government said the facility remains a critical national environmental asset and should continue to serve its original public purpose.
The position was disclosed on Friday by the Commissioner for Water Resources, Environment and Climate Change, Dr Dahir M. Hashim, at a press conference in Kano.
The APCU complex houses key federal environmental institutions, including the Afforestation Programme Coordinating Unit (APCU), National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) and National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).
Hashim said the state government was concerned by reports that parts of the property had allegedly been allocated to private interests following recommendations attributed to the now-dissolved Presidential Implementation Committee on the Alienation of Federal Government Properties.
He noted that the Federal Ministry of Environment had reportedly opposed the proposed alienation, after which the recommendation was withdrawn.
However, the commissioner said information available to the state government indicated that individuals claiming interests in portions of the property had reportedly obtained a court order seeking the removal of APCU, NAGGW and NESREA from the premises.
While stressing that the Kano State Government respects the authority of the courts, Hashim said the state would oppose any move that could result in the conversion of the environmental facility into private residential or commercial plots.
> “Any attempt to convert the environmental facility into private residential or commercial plots is against the overriding public interest,” Hashim said.
He described the APCU complex as strategically important to Nigeria’s efforts to combat desertification, particularly because it serves as an operational base for programmes targeting affected areas across the country’s frontline states.
Environmental Importance
According to the commissioner, the value of the complex extends beyond its buildings and administrative facilities, as its mature plantations represent an important concentration of established vegetation within the expanding Kano metropolis.
He said the trees contribute to carbon sequestration, reduction of urban heat, improved air quality, biodiversity conservation and protection against wind and soil erosion.
Hashim warned that destroying or fragmenting the green area would result in the loss of an established urban carbon sink that had taken decades to develop.
He also said the recent relocation of the NAGGW operational headquarters from Abuja to Kano had restored the complex to strategic use.
According to him, the facility now provides administrative offices, technical facilities, an environmental laboratory, residential accommodation and an operational base closer to communities and project areas affected by land degradation.
Kano Calls for Review of Alleged Alienation
Hashim called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to urgently review the reported alienation of the APCU property.
He urged the Federal Government to take all lawful measures necessary to protect the property and preserve it for environmental and public purposes.
The commissioner also called on the Federal Ministry of Environment to maintain its opposition to the reported alienation, pursue available legal remedies regarding the alleged eviction order and conduct an immediate survey, demarcation and documentation of the entire property.
> “The Kano State Government stands firmly with the Federal Ministry of Environment, NAGGW, NESREA and APCU in protecting this national environmental asset,” he said.
He added that the state government was prepared to provide institutional and administrative support to ensure that the facility continued to serve Kano State, northern Nigeria and the country.
“Our position is clear: public environmental assets must remain in public service,” Hashim stressed.
APCU Complex Established Decades Ago
The commissioner said the APCU complex should not be regarded as abandoned government property, noting that it was established as a permanent federal environmental facility in 1988, with its history tracing back to the Arid Zone Afforestation Programme of the late 1970s.
He said the complex had, for decades, served as a regional centre for afforestation coordination and training of forest guards, silvicultural assistants, supervisors and other field personnel involved in combating desertification in northern Nigeria.
Hashim expressed concern over reports that portions of the historic property were allegedly allocated to private interests through recommendations attributed to the dissolved Presidential Implementation Committee on the Alienation of Federal Government Properties.
He reiterated that the Federal Ministry of Environment had reportedly disputed the proposed alienation and that the recommendation was subsequently withdrawn.
The commissioner also commended President Tinubu for relocating the operational headquarters of the NAGGW from Abuja to Kano, describing the decision as recognition of Kano’s strategic position among Nigeria’s frontline states affected by desertification.
He further linked the development to environmental initiatives being implemented by the Kano State Government, including land restoration, shelterbelt rehabilitation, community forestry and climate-resilience programmes.
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