Niger govt commences operation plant two million trees in the state

The Niger state government has called on residents in the state capital and local government headquarters to plant a tree before the end of the raining season.

In a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Jonathan Tsado Vatsa, the government said it would distribute over two million assorted seedlings of economic trees free to residents of the state for planting.

The Commissioner disclosed that trees help to conserve the water cycle by returning water vapour to the atmosphere. Without trees, many forest lands could degenerate to become deserts.

“Trees play a critical role in absorbing the greenhouse gases that fuel global warming. And so, we strongly warn against indiscriminate felling of trees especially Shea butter trees in parts of the state as the law against tree felling is still in force.

“This approach will help to check mate climate change, reduce erosion and assist in addressing desertification”,

“The government is making concerted effort through the Ministry of Environment who are saddled with the responsibility to see that seedlings are made available and distributed in all the 25 local government areas of the state to prevent erosion and other natural disaster.

“Human life is generally threatened when the environment is degraded through tree felling for whatever purpose and when the soil is degraded through uncontrolled felling of trees.

“Other adverse effects of large scale tree felling include loss of biodiversity, migration of wildlife, ecological imbalance, soil erosion, flooding, and disruption in hydrological cycle of catchment area, and worst of all, desert encroachment.”