By Thompson Yamput
The National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC) on Wednesday urged Kogi residents to embrace planting of trees to help checkmate flood and environmental degradation.
Kogi N-HYPPADEC Coordinator, ngr Joan Oguche, made the call on during inauguration of Tree planting exercise embarked upon at Federal University Lokoja (FUL) in commemoration of the 2024 World Environment Day.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports in Lokoja that N-HYPPADEC put in place series of activities to celebrate this year’s World Environment Day in collaboration with National Environmental Society and Kogi Ministry of Environment.
Some of the events include road walk, distribution of fliers, planting of trees, lectures, sensitization of women on environmental sanitation, sewage disposal, personal hygiene as well as visits to some traditional rulers.
Oguche warned against indiscriminate felling of trees without replacement and clogging of drainages with sewage, which she noted bring about drought, erosion, flooding and other environmental disasters.
“Celebrating environment day brings to our consciousness to appreciate the environment and make it a better place for habitation and better life
“This is why the theme for this year’s celebration, “Land Restoration, Desertification, and Drought Resilience,’ was carefully chosen, ” she said.
In his speech, the Commissioner for Environment, Engr Joseph Olusegun, applauded the choice of this year’s theme of the World Environment Day.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alhaji Jibrin Saidu, the commissioner
said planting of trees was one of the ways of curtailing deforestation and drought in a society.
“That is the reason why we came here today with trees to plant so that we can help limit the menace of deforestation and drought,” he said.
Dr Thompson Ekele, Kogi Chairman of National Environmental Society, also said that the best way to control drought and desertification was by planting trees.
Ekele explained” “We have come with those trees to plant at FUL’s Main Campus at Felele to lead by example.”
He urged the students to endeavour to plant the trees and that as they go home they tell their parents to embrace the culture of planting trees to beautify and strengthen the environment.
Prof. Yusuf Abdullahi, FUL Dean of Students Affairs, appreciated the partnership between the University and N-HYPPADEC, which he described as “highly beneficial.”
“It will interest you to know that planting of trees is one of the cardinal objectives of the University to make the campus to look green and also assist in checking the perennial erosions that threaten the campus on yearly basis.
“Therefore, these trees donated to us will go a long way in helping us at checkmating erosions and provision of shades for our students to take some rest after lectures”, Abdullahi said. NAN
