Facing the challenge of making Abuja green
“When I saw trees felled on the Airport Road [Abuja], I felt like a sword pierced through my heart.” These were the words of the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Abuja Green Society, General TY Danjuma (rtd) during the launch of this year’s tree planting campaign in Abuja last Tuesday. Danjuma continued, “I reported […]
“When I saw trees felled on the Airport Road [Abuja], I felt like a sword pierced through my heart.” These were the words of the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Abuja Green Society, General TY Danjuma (rtd) during the launch of this year’s tree planting campaign in Abuja last Tuesday.
Danjuma continued, “I reported to the Minister of the FCT. We made representations that these trees be replaced. Government has now budgeted money for their replacement.” Danjuma said if every Nigerian plants a tree in a year, there will be additional 150 million trees annually and this will help in checking environmental degradation.
The Abuja Green Society is a non governmental organisation. Its mission is to mobilise residents to plant trees in their localities as a way of protecting the environment. It carries slogans like “Give nature a chance” and “Plant a tree today”. It was founded in 2009.
General Danjuma is the chairman, while Dr Newtron Jibunoh is vice chairman. Other members of the board include: Euginia Abu, Mrs Ajoke Murtala Mohammed, Rep Abike Dabiri and Jim Ovia.
N500 million for tress
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Environment, Mr John Odey said his ministry would support the Abuja Green Society for its initiative, stressing that his ministry had earmarked N500 million in the first phase of its forestation programme. According to him, state governments are to participate in the scheme—each state is expected to set aside a minimum of N100 million for it.
The challenges
Danjuma recalled the challenges the society encounters: “In our inaugural year, we promised ourselves that we were going to plant half a million trees. Unfortunately, for one reason or the other, we were not able to achieve this—I think we planted about 250,000 trees.
Water shortage
The problem is, Abuja, unlike major cities of its size is not located on a river or natural source of water and so the little water that comes here is too precious to spare to be poured on trees.
“However, we are boring holes in the ground and digging wells to supply water especially in the rural areas where there is great reluctance to spare water for trees—so they can use it to nurture those trees. It is one thing to plant trees on a day like this, it is another thing to come back one year later to see how many of them are still alive. So far, we have found that quite a sizeable number of trees have died because of the draught.
“But we are still learning and we hope that before long, we will able to not only plant as many trees as possible but those trees will survive.
Motorists crush trees
“The trees we plant in the urban areas are along the roads and the streets. Motorists park their cars on pavements knocking down these trees. In front of my house, every year, I have to replant the palm trees I planted there over the years largely due to recklessness of drivers. We have very serious challenges. But the most impact we want to make is to persuade people to plant trees in their compounds but along the roads which is largely the responsibility of the municipal council and the local government, there is very little that one can do against hit-and-run drivers who come, park, kill those trees and go away,” Danjuma lamented.
Stray animals kill trees
In the area councils, he said, apart from scarcity of water, the trouble is with stray animals that come to feed on the tender plants and kill them.
Stopping tree felling
The event which brought together top government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, school children and residents of Abuja rekindled the zeal to save the environment.
There was a comments and question and answer session. Many questions bothered on how energy users will be made to stop felling trees. Responding to this, the Minister of Environment lamented that because of poverty, many Nigerians chop down trees to source for energy because they can hardly afford alternative energy sources like gas and kerosene.
He maintained that there are laws forbidding tree felling but quite often, they are violated and security agents who should act fail to do so. Odey expressed, “It is only with enlightenment campaigns that we can stop this. If you maintain your forest, there will be a lot of benefits. It absorbs the carbondioxide and keeps the environment cool,” adding that the United Nations Organisation (UNO) rewards countries that keep their forests.
Noting that getting adequate water to plant trees is a big challenge, the minister advised those desirous to plant trees to seek help from the forestry department because money has been allotted to it for the purpose. He suggested that draught-resistant plants should be considered while making choice of what to plant.
Controlling erosion
The principal of Government Day Secondary School (GDSS) Wuse II, where the event took place, Mrs Magdalene Uzoanya, expressed gratitude to the Abuja Green Society for choosing her school’s premises for the campaign. She stressed the importance of the campaign, saying with many trees planted, erosion will be controlled.
Expanding membership
A lady got up and observed that it is only during tree planting flag-off that the voice of the Abuja Green Society is heard—after that nothing is heard about the society. She called on the society to take its campaigns beyond tree planting ceremonies and open up its membership so those who share the vision with could step forward and give their support. Right there, the chairman of the society’s BOT directed that the lady be admitted into the society.
The highpoint of the event was the planting of a tree by the minister marking the official commencement of the tree planting exercise this year.
Students of the school staged a play, highlighting the importance of environmental conservation.