The National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYYPADEC) has pledged to plant one million economic trees to mitigate the effects of environmental degradation in Plateau.
The Managing Director of the commission, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq, made the pledge at an event it organised to commemorate the 2024 World Environment Day (WED) on Wednesday in Barkin-Ladi.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that WED is celebrated every year on June 5 to raise awareness and call for actions to protect the environment.
The global observance day has “Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience” as the theme for 2024.
According to the N-HYYPADEC boss, the commission believes tree planting will aid in restoring degraded land and support renewal of energy sources.
Sadiq also said that the move would improve soil fertility and create new sustainable sources of income for communities, noting that tree planting would be extended to other hydroelectric power producing states.
The managing director, who decried dam overflows which displaced million of Nigerians, expressed the commission’s commitment toward addressing ecological problems and dam overflows in the country.
He said “dam overflows have led to deadly floods that displaced millions of
Nigerians, as the deadly incidents of flood and erosion that destabilised the country about two years ago is still fresh on our minds.
“In addition to the effects of dams’ overflow, changes in vegetation contribute to desertification and other ecological challenges.
“This is why we are launching an ambitious project to establish a community tree nursery with the capacity to produce one million seedlings of indigenous economic trees.
“The initiative is to promote agroforestry practices, enhance biodiversity and support the livelihoods of local communities across the N-HYPPADEC states.”
Earlier, Mr Peter Gwom, the Plateau Commissioner for Environment, Climate Change and Minerals Development, thanked N-HYPPADEC for the gesture, insisting that all hands must be on deck toward tackling climate change.
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Gwom said that the state government would soon domesticate the climate change policy enacted by the Federal Government.
“We want to have an act that will enable us to have 10-year environmental plan on the Plateau.
”It will enable the state to have a direction on how to deal with environmental issues,” he said.(NAN)
