FCT minister urged on policy against deforestation

The Etsu of Kwali,  Alhaji  Shaban Audu Nizazo,  has called on the FCT minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello,  to as a matter of urgency, come up with a policy to tackle deforestation in the territory. Nizazo, who spoke at a meeting with district, village heads and community leaders on Tuesday, said swathes of forests had […]

The Etsu of Kwali,  Alhaji  Shaban Audu Nizazo,  has called on the FCT minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello,  to as a matter of urgency, come up with a policy to tackle deforestation in the territory.

Nizazo, who spoke at a meeting with district, village heads and community leaders on Tuesday, said swathes of forests had been cleared due to the activities of charcoal and timber  sellers in the chiefdom. 

He said one of the best ways government would  tackle the menace of illegal tree felling was for the FCT  Administration to ensure there was a unified state policy that would  checkmate the activities of charcoal and timber dealers. 

He also said “to tackle  this issue of deforestation, the FCT minister has to  come up with a policy that will empower the six area council  chairmen and agriculture secretariat to control deforestation across the territory,” he said. 

He said the call for  the  minister’s intervention was a collective resolution of all traditional rulers,  village and district heads as well as community leaders across the council.

The traditional ruler also said though the council  was relatively clean in terms of environmental sanitation, there was  need  for traditional rulers and community leaders to ensure they embarked on sanitation exercise in order to curtail possible outbreak of diseases.

“We have also agreed that on this issue of sanitation, the village chiefs and community leaders would ensure  they keep their communities clean and  it  can be achieved through the support of the of the government,“ he said.