By Sule Aliyu, Bauchi
Bauchi state government has plant over 62,200 trees as part of measures to protect the environment from desert encroachment and erosion in the state.
Speaking during the launching of 2017 tree planting campaign held at Zaki Local Government Area of the state, Governor Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar warned people who fell trees indiscriminately especially in the northern part of the state which is faced by the hazard to desist from the acts threatening that government would not condone anybody found wanting.
Represented by his Special Adviser on security matters, retired General Ladan Yusuf, Governor Abubakar explained that the exercise was being done annually in the state.
While expressing government’s commitment to revamp the agricultural sector in the state, the governor urged other citizens to complement the effort by volunteering in planting more trees ‘because aside from environmental protection, forests serve as agent of development’.
Also speaking, Dr. Bala Musa Lukshi Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources said the Ministry purchased 1, 900 ‘Tenera’ palm oil, 52, 200 dates and 7, 800 seedlings of other trees that include Guava, Neem, Mango, Orange, Cashew etc for planting in parts of the state this year.
According to him, desert encroachment and erosion are caused by uncontrolled felling of trees for farm lands, firewood, timber, charcoal, overgrazing and bush burning which concomitantly bring about other disasters like windstorm and extreme hot weather.
Lukshi said labourers have been engaged to be irrigating the plants sowed and protect them against destruction by humans and animals until maturity adding that the high breed seedlings could grow in the next three years.
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