Stakeholders implored to sustain GGW programme

The Minister of Environment, Mrs. Lawrentia L. Mallam, has called on stakeholders of the Great Green Wall (GGW) to explore ways of sustaining the programme to address environmental degradation.
She stressed the need for strengthening of collaboration, information sharing and activities such as the tree planting to be frequent, so that results of synergies from the investments and individual organisations shall be realised by allowing the GGW programme to address degradation and provide jobs to the teeming populace of the communities.
Mallam noted this during the launching of the Great Green Wall (GGW) Tree Planting for the Year 2014, recently at Daje, Baure LGA of Katsina State.
The minister who was represented by Saminu Ado, Afforestation and Capacity Building Officer of the PIU/GGW, said GGW is a key programme which is holistic in its approach and encourages popular participation.
She commended Katsina State government for its sustained contributions towards the realisation of the objectives of the GGW through sensitisation, field activities and management of the planted stock.
The Katsina State Governor, Dr. Ibrahim Shehu Shema, who was represented by his Deputy, Abdullahi Garba Faskari, said Katsina was committed to the realisation of the GGW action plan.
About N600 million has so far been expended by Katsina State government on forestry and other environment related issues aimed at curtailing the menace of desertification, Governor Ibrahim Shema has said.
Speaking at the launching of this year’s tree planting campaign in Baure Local Government Area , Shema said the state has embarked on protective measure to address the menace of land degradation as over 200 shelter belts and woodlots have been created across the state.
According to him, the government has established 48 nurseries that raise over 2.5 million seedlings annually, and made them available for plantation in an effort to make the environment more habitable and healthy.
He said priority attention was given to the environment, which led to the creation of additional departments, namely, drought and desertification control and that of forestry, adding that several steering and technical committees are also on board to provide professional advice.
Earlier in his remarks, Commissioner for Environment, Jamilu Danmusa, had said that all the 10 participating local governments of the state have benefitted from the construction of two boreholes each, fencing of community nurseries and orchards in addition to employment opportunities given to over 50 people who were engaged as forest guards.
The Emir of Daura Alhaji Umar Faruk, thanked the government for the programme which he said will go a long way in restoring land fertility by addressing desert encroachment.
 He called on the people to protect the plantations from vandals and report any one seen cutting down trees to the authorities for proper punishment.
Daily Trust reports that Katsina is among the eleven states that fall under the Great Green Wall project in which baseline studies have conducted in 2012 where ten local governments, namely, Jibia, Kaita, Mashi, Maiadua, Zango, Baure, Katsina, Batsari, Daura, and Sandamu were selected to be part of the GGW, particularly because they fall on the border of the country with Niger Republic.

Two years into the project in Katsina, a total of 55 km of shelterbelt starting from Gurbin Baure in Jibia local government which connected with Zurmi local government in Zamfara State  was established. This year it is expected that a total of 27 km will be established to cover Baure and Zango local governments and  connect with the one established by Jigawa State at Shabarun Jeke village in Sule Tankarkar local government.