From Mustapha Adamu, Kano
Governor of Kano state, Abba Kabir Yusuf has warned that anybody found wanting in felling trees indiscriminately without authorization will face the wrath of the law in the state.
The governor made the stern warning at the flag off of 2024 tree planting campaign of planting over 3 million trees, held at Kwankwasiyya City in Kano on Wednesday.
According to the governor, because of the huge benefit of trees in human lives, the government would not relent in its effort to bring anybody found wanting in felling trees to book in the state.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, because of huge benefit of trees in our lives, I wish to put it in record that Kano State Government will not relent in its effort in bringing to book any resident found wanting in felling of trees without obtaining an authorized permit or clearance from the state ministry of environment and climate change.
“This is in cognizance of the fact that global warming is real, the world is changing by adapting different techniques of mitigating climate change hence the good people of kano state must key into the change trend,” he said.
He urged the private sector, Civil Society Groups, Voluntary Organizations, Academia, Investors, Self-help Groups and other Non-Governmental Organizations to complement Government concerted efforts in building healthy and safer environment, free ofall sort of diseases.
Governor Yusuf also appealed to the good people of the state to give maximum support to the exercise and cooperation it deserves and to imbibe the culture of tree planting for the collective good of our environment.
“To our environmental health workers, a lot of work is needed to ensure that our efforts yield positive results. I therefore urge you all to be extra committed and dedicated in ensuring that our environment is made clean and devoid of any hazards.
The “2024 Tree Planting Campaign” is meant to checkmate the menace of indiscriminate felling of trees, climate change, soil erosion, land degradation as well as enhance productivity of agricultural land and decrease the rate of desertification.
“It is on record that in the year 2023 and first quarter of this year. Kano State experienced extreme heat with temperature rising up to 44 degrees which was partly attributed to inadequate trees thereby having an adverse effect on the environment.
“Let me, reiterate here that as individuals or groups we should inculcate the habit of planting trees in our minds and take responsibility of preserving and management of the trees so that our environment would be healthy,” he said.
Earlier in a remark, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi ll ordered all district heads, ward heads and village heads to plant trees at their respective houses.
The Emir, reminded the State residents of how they suffered excessive hits that nearly crippled the general activities of the Citizens, saying that was enough lessons for everybody to go ahead and plant at least a tree at his house.
Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi ii, in connecting the excessive hits that befell the State with global warming, he said that global warming is real and at least Kano people have suffered before the full rainy seasons took full effect.
