Travelling a 50km journey from Damaturu where I live, through Gujba and to FGC Buni Yadi as the destination I used to be preoccupied with looking at the scenery provided by the wonders of nature. The forests, greenland, herbs, and shrubs are what would fascinate you as you look through the window. At some points your driver would need to slow down his speed to allow for monitor lizards, squirrels, birds and other bush animals to cross the road. At FGC usually around third term (around august) when it rains the influx of different varieties of birds such as Robbins, quills, hawks, doves, guinea fowl, and parrot-like birds is a common occurrence. Also, trees species there include; Parkia piglobossa (Dorawa), Balanite aegyptiaca (Aduwa), Ziziphus jujube (Magarya), Detarium senegalense (Taura) and others. Buni Yadi is a perfect biome and an area of biodiversity. The picture I have painted is what is also obtainable in other parts of Yobe state even though it lies in the Sahel/Sudan savanna belt.
But this is just a memory from the past, over 10years ago. Things have now changed for the worst from what it was then, to what it is now at a lightening pace. Travelling now from Damaturu to Buni Yadi one can easily make an attempt to count the number of trees remaining by the road side, erosion is everywhere, desert is fast encroaching, and, those animals are no more, or at least by the road side. The situation now can equal the fictional ‘Kobayashi maru’ situation at worst. The only question that remains is where do the vegetation and animals go? The essence of this write up is to open the Pandora box of environmental misuse and abuse and ratchet it up to a discourse with a view of proffering solution to its menace.
Firstly human activities involving deforestation such as farming, mining, and game hunting are parts of the problem and as such any solution being sought for to address these areas.
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Another cause of death of the environment indirectly is the insurgency affecting some parts of the state. People are being dislodged from their original settlements to become refugees settling in displacement camps. With businesses shut and means of livelihood severed these people tend to venture into anything just to survive. They cut down trees and sell them as firewood and burn some to make charcoal. This practice alone takes a sizeable percentage of total deforestation per capita. Forests take over a hundred of years to grow and a tree takes a decade to grow, but it takes hours to cut it into pieces and days to burn it as a source of energy for cooking.
Even as a radiographer by profession and practice and not an environmental specialist, I believe that the “earth is what we all have in common”. So let me point some solutions as follows;
Attitudinal change by all towards the environment. Climate change is on the rise and it’s a big challenge globally causing flooding, drought, and heat waves so anything we would do should be in tandem with clean and greener environment.
Robust and efficient afforestation. Governments and the private sector should encourage afforestation practices. For example, government should provide seedlings to farmers and to make it mandatory that every farmer should plant certain number of trees per hectare of farmland (say 10-20). Private sector should not be left out in organising and carrying out tree planting campaigns in rural and urban areas.
Discouraging deforestation. Governments should enforce existing laws protecting the environment and also enact new ones criminalising indiscriminate tree felling if the need arises. Doing this, existing trees and new ones planted would have the chance to live their entire life spans to the benefit of man.
Provision of alternative sources of energy. The federal government and multinational oil companies should be involved in this aspect. Since Nigeria is blessed with huge natural gas reserves efforts should be made to provide gas sufficiently and at an affordable price to serve as an alternative energy source for cooking and other domestic uses. When gas is cheaper to firewood and charcoal deforestation is discouraged economically.
Mass media awareness against abuse of environment is as good as the aforementioned solutions. On-air, online, and the print forms of mass media should be engaged squarely. People should be enlightened on the benefits of green and clean environment, so also the dangers associated with tree felling and other forms of environmental abuse. NGOs providing humanitarian services should also find a way of promoting the environmental cause. I will be willing to see the emergence of active NGOs dedicated solely for environmental protection so that I can volunteer to give my own contribution in this regard.
The menace of global warming is always devastating and it is a global phenomenon, hence we around this part of the world must be keen and proactive in its prevention, management, and control. An environmentalist once said that we must protect the environment we live or else we die together with it. As my regulars let me conclude this piece with a quote from Pope John Paul; “the earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then takes steps to destroy it for the use by future generation”
Muhammad Jumma’a, Radiographer wrote from Azare .
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