Traditional rulers across the eastern senatorial district of Kogi State have commended the Kogi State Government for embarking on a sensitization of the populace on the need to keep the environment safe and habitable.
They advocated for the Government to reintroduce the planting of plant seedlings in designated nurseries in all the 21 Local Government areas to replace trees that have been logged.
The Atta of Igala HRM Michael Idakwo Amehoboni 11 asked the commissioner of environment Mrs Rosemary Osikoya to immediately embark on afforestation.
According to him, “The nursery should be set up at all the local Government so that the hard woods like iroko, Timber and the likes can still come back, if there is enough rain they will grow so we establish that.
“In advanced countries afforestation is a continuous process, because we have enough forests and we decide to cut it down it will not help so we should look inwards and creat the nurseries in all the local Governments.
“We should return to the old days when local Government plant nurseries, I am sure we are ready for their revival because most of our forest reserves have been depleted by motor saw wielding merchants.”
He said if there is no change in strategy very soon the entire place would be turned into a desert.
The Achadu Okoatta, Yusuf Ameh Adaji asked the commissioner to investigate the divisional Forest officers accusing them of aiding and abetting deforestation as they don’t keep to the law.
“They allocate trees for people to log without replacing them, from expert advise we are told to replace each tree fallen with three seedling planted which they are expected to nurse for some years.”
The Etsu Bassa Nge Kingdom, retired Brigadier-Geneneral Abu Ali also commended Governor Yahaya Bello for the drive towards clean environment.
He asked Bello to make planting of trees in the 3 senatorial district a yearly affair.
The royal father advocated for tree planting competition to be established with prizes for the best to encourage the people to plant trees.
He said during his days in the army his barrack was always coming tops in tree planting.
The royal father indicated that his Bassa Kingdom is dotted with trees all over because he knows the value and effect of vegetation on the ecosystem.
The Ejeh of Dekina Dekina Dr. Usman Obaje while making his remarks commended the Kogi State Government for revitalizing the ministry of environment which became the ghost of its formal self in the the immediate past administration.
He said then as traditional rulers they only see trailers and trucks from the far north that come to load logged woods from the State without recourse to their authorities.
He said ordinarily such activities should have been communicated to the traditional rulers who are the custodians of the people at the grassroots.
Credits: John Akubo | ConfluenceUpdate
