The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has inaugurated a tree planting campaign to help mitigate the effects of climate change in Nigeria.
The campaign was inaugurated at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Keffi, Nasarawa State, by the Minister of Youth Development, Dr Jamila Ibrahim, on Monday, August 26, 2024.
The initiative aims to encourage corps members to plant and nurture a tree during their service.
Ibrahim emphasised that climate change was having a profound impact on Nigeria, just like the rest of the world, and therefore required urgent attention to mitigate its effects.
She noted that there was a strong connection between environmental degradation and communal clashes in the country, citing desertification as a key factor.
“Desertification has led to a decline in the quality of land resources available for cultivation, resulting in struggles and clashes over land for farming, grazing, and building,” she explained.
Similar situations, she added, were playing out in other parts of the country.
Ibrahim urged corps members to take ownership of the tree planting campaign, stressing that it was a collective responsibility to protect the environment.
She commended the NYSC for initiating the campaign, describing it as a laudable effort to address the challenges of climate change.
The NYSC Director-General, Brig.-Gen. Yusha’u Ahmed, expressed his appreciation for the minister’s support and encouragement.
He assured her that the corps members would take the tree planting campaign seriously and make it a success.
“The tree planting campaign is part of the NYSC’s efforts to promote environmental conservation and sustainability among young people in Nigeria.
“The aim of the group was preventing and mitigating the effects of environmental degradation across the country.
“Our engagement in tree planting is predicated on the belief that mainstreaming the activities of the youth in greening the country will go a long way in enhancing national and global environmental health.
“Corps members and other youths of our dear country remain a formidable force for rolling back desertification and other evolving climatic threats.
“Moreover, the increasing environmental threats resulting from the debilitating effects of climate change necessitates the scaling-up of our tree planting programme,’’ he said.
Ahmed said that the implementation framework for the programme was anchored on the theme “each-one-plant-and-nurture-one.”
According to him, the approach is deliberately designed to ensure sustenance of the campaign.
“Individual corps members are to plant and nurture their own trees during their service year.
“To this end, corps members will be sensitised on the tree planting campaign during orientation course.
“Zonal and Local Government Inspectors will conduct post- camp refresher sensitisation in all service locations,” he said.
Ahmed added that corps members would in turn step down sensitisation and mobilise members of the host communities for tree planting.
He said those on teaching assignment are to sensitise students and form tree planting clubs to encourage planting and nurturing of trees in schools.
The director-general said that the scheme would liaise with states and local governments on designation of sites for planting trees.
Meanwhile, the Environmental CDS groups would be responsible for maintenance of the mapped-out tree planting areas and nurturing of the trees planted in such locations.
He, however, said that to address the issue of procuring seedlings, which was a challenge in previous campaigns, the scheme was embarking on production of seedlings to service the campaign.
“The annual NYSC Tree Planting Week will be institutionalised with activities taking place simultaneously in all the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.”
Highlight of the inauguration was the planting of trees by the minister and the director-general.
By Folasade Akpan
