By Mohammed Kandi
In a bid to curtail the impact of environmental disasters associated with climate change, an environmentalist, Mr Hamzat Lawal, has called on Nigerians to plant more trees in their immediate environment.
Lawal, according to a statement issued in Abuja recently, informed that tree planting would be of great benefits to humans and the environment.
According to him, there is the need for members of the public to assist the government to make the country green.
He said: “When you plant economic trees, it can serve as a source of income and by so doing reduce poverty. In fact, there is a relationship between poverty reduction and environmental sustainability, especially through planting of economic trees.’’
The environmentalist also noted that “if you want to know the economy that is striving, look at the environmental sector, it has to be very vibrant for other sectors to thrive.”
Lawal, who is also the Country Director, Connected Development, an NGO, urged the Federal Ministry of Environment to invest in research to enhance data gathering and dissemination among stakeholders.
“Civil society like ourselves who always build capacity for government and other private institutions will be better empowered with relevant data,’’ he said.
