The Ogun State Government says it has requested for technical support and grant-in-aid from the Federal Government to further boost its reforestation programmes in its nine Forest Reserves.
Commissioner for Forestry, Chief Kolawole Lawal, made the disclosure while speaking at a meeting with the Executive Director, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The Commissioner, through his media aide, Olusola Olubodun, said the meeting was imperative so as to bridge the communication gap between the institution and Ogun State Government as well as to enable the institution identify with the state reforestation project.
Chief Lawal noted that the state needed technical support of the institution on the best ways to safeguard its forestry assets, especially on reforestation of depleted forest reserves in the state.
The Commissioner explained that, to achieve its set objectives, the state government had sourced for grants from the Federal Government to fund agro-forestry projects, saying that more capacity building would be needed especially in the training of forest guards that would combat illegal activities in the reserves.
Responding, Executive Director of the Institute, Dr. Adesola Adepoju, said the institution was established to assist states in capacity building and was ready to support Ogun State in achieving its set objectives, especially the reforestation project.
He promised that the institution would assist the state in accessing the grants by including it in the appropriation bill which would be presented to the Federal Government.
