Ezinne Nneji, a 300 level student of Legal Studies at Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti has marked her 18th birthday with tree planting exercise.
The young girl said she set a target to plant 50 trees in one month for herself.
The trees she planted include: Masquerade tree, Whispering Palm and Hibiscus flowers, among others.
Ezinne told our reporter while planting trees in front of her house that the essence of embarking on a tree planting exercise was to beautify the environment.
“As you can see, we have one masquerade tree at both ends and two whispering palms at the middle,” she said.
Narrating what inspired her to plant trees, she said, “I attended a summit in the first week of August and I was wowed with what I saw as it inspired me and I decided to mark my 18th birthday with the tree planting exercise as a way of giving back to my society.”
“There isn’t much economic benefit except for the fact that these trees beautify the area and serves as shade for people. Also, we are in an era of global warming, it won’t be so hot as these trees help to maintain a cool atmosphere,” she stressed.
While she frowned at indiscriminate felling of trees, she suggested the use of gas cooker for women; noting that it is equally cheap and effective. “If at all, trees must be cut down, it should be done neatly,” she said.