Nigeria News
Promoting Human Survival Through Tree Planting
By Rasak Musbau
The importance of the emergence of tree before the advent of man on earth is not lost on modern science, which recognizes that without tree manufacturing oxygen, life on earth would have been impossible. Undeniably, man and tree need each other for survival. Man needs oxygen which is the waste product of tree, while trees needs carbon dioxide which is also waste from man for survival.
As the entire nation commemorated tree planting day on Sunday, July 14 with the theme: ‘Green is Peace’, it is imperative to re-sensitize the public on the need to live with green, especially tree planting. Our attention should especially be focused on how going green could be used to confront global warming and its attendant effects on climatic changes.
There is need to intensify public education and enlightenment on investing in tree planting to confront climate change as there is still a disconnection between government efforts and investment and adaptive capacity of the citizenry. Lifestyles of our people with regards to the environment remain a pointer that we have a long way to go. It is regrettable that while governments are spending millions of naira to plant trees, people who move to new sites simply continue the culture of indiscriminately cutting of every tree met on sight including fruit trees that can serve as food supplement. When the trees are not cut, people opt for the worse; set the site on fire as an easier way of clearing it.
It is, however, important to illustrate usefulness of trees to our life and environment. This will further enlighten members of the public with limited knowledge on the subject. For one, trees have been scientifically proven to be very useful as first line of defence in the fight against global warming as they absorb the carbon monoxide in the atmosphere, replenish the air with oxygen and also contribute immensely to the aesthetics of the environment. They also check erosion and stem the tide of windstorm by serving as wind breakers. On another note, trees are brilliant cleansers. They remove other pollutants through the stomata in the leaf surface. It is considered that trees act as what some call a Carbon Sink, storing the gas in its branches, trunk, leaves etc. instead of leaving the gas to become free floating and further polluting the atmosphere. In this natural function alone, trees directly reduce the growth of the Greenhouse Effect and counteract Global Warming.
Trees also serve the purpose of overall air quality enhancer, and a much needed one at that. They provide natural habitats for many small creatures, and reduce the temperature by providing shade. In times of heavy rain, tree roots help solidify the soil. All in all, a tree is not just a beautiful creature standing amongst the many phenomenal picturesque settings of this world, it is a powerful and vital tool that directly ensures our survival. Although planting of trees has long been a better option to better the earth, there is a desperate need for sustained action at making it not just an annual ritual as it is being practiced in most states of the country but what everybody, especially land owners, must embrace if we are not to take the critical phenomenon of climate change for granted.
It is a common knowledge that tree planting is a very simple and less expensive universal approach to tackling the threat of climate change. But it is ironic that as simple as this seems, a greater percentage of people in the society pays little or no attention to it. Probably, the purpose is still not yet understood or as usual, with the Nigerian mentality, we are waiting for a time when we will have to take reactive action.
In Nigeria, we don’t appreciate preparedness and prevention of disaster but wait for problem before taking action despite our weak infrastructure. While it is possible to blame government for the pathetic health facilities, pitiable educational condition and weak infrastructure, climate change challenge is a collective responsibility. Tackling it must, therefore, involve every segment of the society. But the initiative to start and mobilize other stakeholders is that of a responsive and responsible government.
It is in the light of this that one would have to give kudos to the Lagos State government. Lagos State is taking a leading role in its approach to the climate change phenomenon. This has manifested in the greening and beautification of open spaces, decrepit loops, verges and medians across the state. The Fashola administration is unrelenting in redeeming its promise to bring back as much greenery as possible to Lagos. For instance, on September 2nd 2008, over 250,000 trees were planted state wide. On that occasion, the governor set a mark of planting 1 million trees in four years and declared July 14 of every year as commemorative day for tree planting exercise.
Gladly, by the first anniversary in July 2009, the state government had already planted 1 million trees and again raises the target to 5 million trees in another four years. As at today over 4.6 million trees have been planted. In addition, there are over 170 parks and gardens across the state with additional three under construction in Badagry, Alimosho and Ipakodo, Ikorodu axis of the state. The state government has also been able to bring corporate organizations and individuals into the project as partners. Private individuals were also encouraged to plant trees around their houses while it is now unlawful to fell trees in Lagos without written approval from the Ministry of the Environment.
In 2009, the State Government conducted a tree tagging, enumeration and identification exercise which included trees in Ikeja GRA, Apapa and Ikoyi. At the end of the exercise, 3,558 trees were counted in the three zones and they were tagged with botanical and local names as well as usefulness which included aesthetics, medicinal purposes. The exercise has been extended to cover the entire state. This will also assist in determining areas that require replenishment and how many of such trees should be planted to stem degradation.
Another unique area where the state government is leading in the tree planting campaign is in the launching of climate change clubs in schools as part of action taken to sensitize the younger generation on climate change and its impact on the society. Presence of conservation and climate change clubs in school is aimed at making our pupils and students imbibe the love of the environment. This would also enhance the development of their intellectual/creative ability toward the development of environmentally friendly products from the food we eat to the materials we fabricate, and the development of other protective measures of preserving the environment.
Result from schools show that this initiative is effective as the popularity of the climate change theme song in the state’s public schools is soaring high across the state. The state government’s investment in tree planting is gradually paying off. This is manifest in the mild flooding in Lagos especially considering the 2012 nationwide floods which ravaged many states of the country.
Since every tree makes a difference, every person that plants a tree also makes a difference. For us to achieve the friendly environment that we desire, it is a habit that everyone must embrace. Individuals, corporate organisations, religious bodies and all well meaning Nigerians must key into the tree planting project. Considering the simple and inexpensive nature of tree planting as well as its numerous advantages, the time to embrace the culture is now. Promote peace. Plant a tree. Start now!
•Musbau is of the Features Unit, Lagos state Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.
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Posted in Nigeria News. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: PM News
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The Kano State Government on Saturday said it has transferred 1,098 ‘almajiris’ to different states of the country.
The commissioner for local government, Murtala Garo, disclosed this while presenting a report before the state’s task force on COVID-19 at the government house, Kano.
Almajiris are children who are supposed to be learning Islamic studies while living with their Islamic teachers. Majority of them, however, end up begging on the streets of Northern Nigeria. They constitute a large number of Nigeria’s over 10 million out-of-school children.
Mr Garo said the Kano government transported 419 almajiris to Katsina, 524 to Jigawa and 155 to Kaduna. He said all of them tested negative for coronavirus before leaving the Kano State.
Despite the coronavirus test done in Kano for the almajiris, the Jigawa government earlier said it would quarantine for two weeks all the almajiris that recently arrived from Kano.
Mr Garo said another 100 almajiris scheduled to be taken to Bauchi State also tested negative to COVID-19.
In a remark, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje said the COVID-19 situation in Kano was getting worse. He appealed for a collaborative effort to curtail the spread of the virus in the state.
Mr Ganduje, who commended residents for complying with the lockdown imposed in the state, said the decision was taken to halt the spread of the virus.
Kano State, as of Saturday night, has 77 coronavirus cases, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
The decision to transfer the Kano almajiris is part of the agreement reached between Northern governors that almajiris in each state be transferred to their states of origin.
However, even before the latest agreement by the governors, the Kano government had been transferring almajiris to other states and neighbouring countries after it banned street begging in the state, most populous in Northern Nigeria.
Despite the transfers, however, no concrete step has been taken to ensure such children do not return to Kano streets as there is freedom of movement across Nigeria although interstate travel was recently banned to check the spread of the coronavirus.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
By Ugochukwu Alaribe
Operatives of the Abia State Vigilante Service, AVS, popularly known as ‘Bakassi Boys’ have arrested 24 market women hidden in a container truck, at Ekwereazu Ngwa, the boundary community between Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The market women, said to be from Akwa Ibom State, were on their way to Aba, when they were arrested with the truck driver and two of his conductors for violating the lockdown order by the state government.
Driver of the truck, Moses Asuquo, claimed he was going to Aba to purchase stock fish, but decided to assist the market women, because they were stranded.
A vigilante source told Sunday Vanguard that the vehicle was impounded while the market women were sent back to Akwa Ibom State.
Commissioner for Home Land Security, Prince Dan Okoli, who confirmed the incident, said that smuggling of people into the state poses great threat to the state government’s efforts to contain the spread of COVID- 19.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
Operatives of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Yaba of the Lagos State police command have arrested one Mrs Nene Steve for allegedly killing her maid, Joy Adole
The maid was allegedly beaten to death by Nene for requesting for her salary at their residence located at 18, Ogundola Street, Bariga area in Lagos.
Narrating the incident, Philips Ejeh, an elder brother to the deceased said that he was sad when they informed him that his sister was beaten to death.
He explained that the deceased was an indigene of Benue State brought to Lagos through an agent and started working with her as a maid in January 2020.
‘’She reported that her boss refused to pay her and anytime she asked for her salary she will start beating her.
She was making an attempt to leave the place but due to the total lockdown she remained there until Sunday when her boss said she caught her stealing noodles and this led to her serious beating and death,’’ Ejeh said.
He called on Lagos State Government and well- meaning people in the country to help them in getting justice for the victim.
The police spokesman, Bala Elkana, stated that the woman and her husband came to Bariga Police Station to a report that their house girl had committed suicide.
Detectives were said to have visited the house and suspected foul play with the position of the rope and bruises all over the body which confirmed that the girl had been tortured to death and the boss decided to hang up the girl to make it look like suicide.
He said: “The police moved on with their investigation and found a lot of sign of violence on her body that she has been tortured before a rope was put on her neck.’’
He added that the police removed the corpse and deposited it in the mortuary for autopsy to further ascertain the cause of the death.
Elkana said the matter has been transferred from Bariga police station to Panti for further investigation while the couple have been arrested and will be charged to court.
Ostensibly alarmed by the latest killings of dozens of soldiers by Boko Haram insurgents, President Muhammadu Buhari has summoned an urgent meeting of Service Chiefs to find ways to stop the trend.
He has also dispatched the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan Ali, to the neighbouring Republic of Chad for an urgent meeting with President Idris Deby and his defence counterpart.
Knowledgeable sources said in Abuja on Friday that the president is worried by on the deterioration of security situation on the Nigeria – Chad Border that has led to the recently increased Boko Haram terrorism in the area.
The sources which did not want to be named in Abuja said: “Nigeria has a Chad problem in the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) put together to secure the Lake Chad basin areas and repeal the Boko Haram terrorist attacks against all the countries neighbouring the Lake.”
The sources noted that Chad is believed to be having their own internal security challenges and this has reportedly led to their pulling away their own troops manning their own border around Lake Chad, saying: “That lacuna is being exploited by the Boko Haram terrorists, who go in and out of Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon to launch terrorist acts. This is a clear illustration of the fact that terrorism is beyond national borders.”
When contacted, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, confirmed that the Defence Minister is going to Chad but said he is unaware of the purpose.
Meanwhile, the military authorities are said to be in the process of identifying the families of the latest victims with a view to making contact with them.
Credible sources revealed that it is the reason the president is yet to make any pronouncement on the matter.
“The President has called an urgent meeting with the Service Chiefs, as well as the fact that families of the latest victims of the Boko Haram are being identified and contacts made before a government pronouncement on the tragic attacks. This, it is understood, is the reason for the silence of the government over the incident,” the source said.
Sourced From: Tribune
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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