World Forestry Day: Paraplegic journey of the GGW projects

The World Forestry Day is observed each year on 21st March globally with the aim of raising public awareness of the significance of all sorts of the forests for the diversity of the human species, and combating the increasing threat of land degradation and desertification worldwide. The theme of this year is “Forest restoration: A […]

The World Forestry Day is observed each year on 21st March globally with the aim of raising public awareness of the significance of all sorts of the forests for the diversity of the human species, and combating the increasing threat of land degradation and desertification worldwide. The theme of this year is “Forest restoration: A path to recovery and well-being”.

Nigeria joins the rest of her counterparts around the world in a quandary since most subsistence farmers in the country have been asphyxiated roughly by extreme hunger and abject poverty in rural areas on account of their incapability of achieving food security and self-sufficiency in food production.

Pitiably, their output from the same land size of the three decades is no longer the same today. This menace has to do with their soil fertility decline being engendered by illegal logging in their forests and fear-provoking desertification.

Fortunately, the Great Green Wall project (GGW), launched by the African Union in 2007 with the aim of combating increasing desertification, land degradation and transforming the lives of 20 African countries by 2030, is absolutely laudable effort. Now it is touching that the reverse is the case in Nigeria as the GGW’s projects in eleven (11) states of the country were run down and neglected. These states include: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Gombe, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, Katsina, Yobe and Zamfara.

Without mincing my words, the FG and state governments have been handling drivers of desertification with kids’ gloves in northern Nigeria, in spite of knowing its hazard on the livelihoods of over 50 million people in the aforementioned eleven states.

Illegal logging brings about soil fertility decline and turns into food insecurity, famine, inflation and hunger, which ultimately culminates in malnutrition, demise of rural communities, critical illnesses and militancy. Hence, I concurred with the quote, “A hungry man is an angry man”.

The newly appointed Director General of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), Dr Bukar Hassan, is not a stranger in the agency, being one of the agency’s family members. I believe that he will positively play a key role in resuscitating the agency from its comatose condition and deteriorating situation.

Beyond doubt, the unparalleled multipurpose projects of the GGW are a path of recovery, dignity and well-being for the human race, but it seems the FG’s negligence threw a gargantuan spanner into the moving engine of the project. Due attention should be paid to this unprecedented game-changing African-led initiative to continue restoring 100 million hectares of currently degraded land and 250 million of carbon.

Initially, the GGW was well designed to train and empower youth and women in various main fields of human endeavours. But, it is painful that for instance, the skills acquisition center constructed by the GGW in Chinade town of Katagum LGA of Bauchi State has been abandoned over the years. It now turned into a center of matching lizards and rats of the region. Even GGW’s wind-fan was destroyed by a windstorm in Gambaki village of the Katagum LGA two years ago.

Besides, the greenbelt established by the GGW initiative covering 1,500km from Dandi Arewa LGA of Kebbi State to Marte in Borno State is a laudable effort for combating desertification and bringing back Nigerian lost rank of being a giant net exporter of agricultural produce on earth. This project will thrive to ensure water security, create jobs, eradicate rural poverty and fight against climate change. Billions of naira was invested in the GGW but it is in vain as the desired result is yet to be produced.

For farmers-herders conflicts, the GGW’s laudable project is designed to diminish their conflicts by constructing brand-new grazing reserves, reviving old ones as well as expanding them to meet the growing population. The three tiers of governments should make every effort to promptly revive broken-down grazing reserves in partnership with the GGW.

For afforestation, the GGW project is also designed to train women to produce and use fuel-efficient stoves as well as establishing their own orchards and woodlots. This idea will certainly play a central role in combating land degradation, creating 10 million jobs in rural areas, reducing deforestation and empowering women to be self-reliant. Almost 60 million youths are said to be taken out of poverty as long as the project run as planned.

Nigerian agricultural revolution, food security, self-sufficiency in food production, economic growth and economic diversification would not be fully achieved unless due attention is given to the GGW projects so as to continue working towards restoring degraded landscapes, preserving ecosystems, eradicating abject poverty and providing sustainable livelihood opportunities for the nation.  There is an urgent need to hit two birds with one stone.

The importance of the GGW in the current era of agricultural revolution and economic diversification in Nigeria, cannot be overestimated towards eradicating extreme poverty, creating jobs, reducing farmers-herders conflicts, curbing famine or food insecurity and massively improving well-being for all. This game-changer initiative is in line with almost the entire of 17 goals of the UN’s Sustainable Development.

I, therefore, call on President Muhammadu Buhari to help look upon the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) as the reflector or heart of assessing his economic diversification’s vision. The entire GGW’s projects had to be resuscitated.

Mustapha Baba Azare writes from Alkali Musa Street, Bauchi State,