We will embark on massive tree planting in areas affected by insugency- DG National Green Wall Agency

                 

The National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) says it will embark on massive tree planting in the North-East region in 2016 to restore green society lost to insurgency.

The Director General of the agency, Dr Ahmed Goni, disclosed the plan in Abuja on Monday while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

NAN reports that the GGW states are Adamawa, Borno, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.

According to Goni, about three of these Great Green Wall states have been badly affected by insurgency.


He, however, assured that government was equal to the task of restoring green society in the states affected by insurgency.

Goni said the agency would plant no fewer than 30km of shelter base in 2016 in the 11 states where it is operating.
``We are now going back to those areas to restore and cover places we have not covered.
``Those 11 states in Nigeria are those bedeviled by drought and desertification.
``Desert is overrunning homes lands, degrading lands, chasing the people out such that to rear livestock is now difficult and agriculture, which used to have reasonable yields have depreciated,’’ he said.

The director general said about N1.5 billion was spent in executing various GGW projects in 2015.
He listed some of the projects to include construction of 160 boreholes, 415km shelter belt and skills acquisition centres to train members of the community on off-land livelihood improvement.

Shelter belt is a row of trees planted to give protection to farmland.
``We are having challenges in acquiring the land because some of the lands belong to farmers and they are expecting compensation.
``We want the state governments to acquire these lands and hand it over to GGW so that it will be their own contribution to the development of the projects,’’ he said.

On the European Union Action Against Desertification in Nigeria, Goni said the agency had identified about 200 communities where the programme would be implemented.
``These states constitute about 43 per cent of Nigeria’s land areas and about 40 million people.
``It is in these areas that you get the bulk of livestock and most of the vegetables that people consume come from there also.
``Out of these 11 states, we have established several infrastructures, about 160 boreholes and communities are currently benefiting, livestock now have water, the livelihood of the people have improved,’’ he said.