By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Environment, Ibrahim Yusufu, said there is a need to foster increased mobilization and sensitization campaigns on ecological challenges.
He said challenges such as drought, desertification, land degradation as well as climate change.
Yusufu made the called during the maiden launch and commemoration of tree planting to mark the first edition of Greater Green Wall (GGW) day, which includes all the eleven (11) frontline States, recently in Abuja.
He said to achieve this, aggressive afforestation and reforestation activities are desirable at national and sub-national levels.
He stated that, since the Pan African Agency of the Great Green Wall (PAGGW) has directed Member Countries participating in the implementation of the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI) to observe a dedicated day for more awareness creation, this informs the gathering here today to witness the first edition of Nigeria’s celebration of the GGW Day.
According to him,Various state Governors, Royal Highnesses, and some selected schools have been mobilized to actively participate in this laudable exercise.
“I wish to inform this gathering that we are strongly committed to ensuring that the mandate for which the National Agency for the Great Green Wall was established by the Federal Government are pursued vigorously within the framework of the available resources to meet the Nationally Determined Contribution and reduction of Greenhouse Gas emission.
He emphasized that, it has become very important to carry along every stakeholder in our bid to combat deforestation, drought, desertification, land degradation and the challenges of climate change.
“The National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), was established by an Act in 2015 and is focused primarily, to pursue the laudable vision of the African Union and its Heads of Governments when they adopted and launched the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI) in 2005.
“The implementation of the initiative in Nigeria so far has recorded significant improvement in the livelihoods of the affected communities which are vulnerable to the impact of emerging climate change risks in the frontline States of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno and Gombe, Jigawa.
Others are Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara through the reduction of glaring poverty, and ecosystem restoration among others”, he said .
