By Abdulkareem Haruna

Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State has inaugurated a 2023 tree-planting initiative, with a goal of planting 1.2 million trees across the state. The campaign was launched at the Borno State University Teaching Hospital, with the objective of mitigating desertification and other environmental challenges.

The theme for this year’s campaign in Borno State is “Trees for Resettlement”, which aligns with the United Nations’ broader theme of “Let’s Green Our City”. In his address, Governor Zulum advocated for the use of gas cookers and wood-efficient stoves to reduce the widespread use of firewood obtained from tree felling.

“We are all aware that we have lost more than 80% of our vegetation in the state to insurgency. All the trees around our village communities have been cleared for security reasons and some were cleared for firewood,” Zulum said. “If this trend continues unchecked, we may one day find that the whole of Borno State is a desert.”

The governor emphasized that the issue of climate change and desert encroachment is a significant concern for the entire northern states. He underscored the urgent need to combat climate change in the state by planting trees.

In addition, Governor Zulum announced an ambitious plan for Borno State to plant 10 million trees in 2024. He detailed that each of the 27 Local Governments will be responsible for raising 200,000 trees, totaling 5.4 million trees, while the State Government will raise the remaining 4.6 million trees.

During the event, Governor Zulum instructed the State Ministry of Environment to abandon its traditional tree-planting campaign in favor of a more effective, results-oriented model. He also requested a strict working calendar from the ministry and urged them to ensure seedlings are prepared early by both the ministry and the 27 Local Government Areas for the 2024 tree-planting initiative.

The event was highlighted by symbolic tree-planting by the governor, his deputy, Umar Usman Kadafur, the Speaker of the State Assembly, SSG, commissioners, and other dignitaries.