The Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic (IMAP) Lafia in Nasarawa State has inaugurated a project to plant 1,500 trees to mitigate impacts of climate change and other environmental challenges in the institution.
Dr Justina Kotso, IMAP Rector, while inaugurating the project on Saturday, March 26, 2022, in Lafia, the state capital, said the project was a calculated approach to secure the school’s environment from degradation.
Dr Kotso, who explained that each member of staff of the polytechnic had been tasked to plant and nurture a tree, said the 1,500 trees were to be planted during the first phase of the project before the rainfall sets in fully.
“Since the establishment of the polytechnic over 20 years ago, no physical plan was put in place to secure the school, that has exposed it to environmental hazards such as erosion, flooding and desertification.
“The programme which is tagged: “Green IMAP 2022 Tree Planting Project”, was a deliberate approach to salvage and secure the school from environmental degradation by massive planting of trees,” she said.
Also speaking, Mohammed Yahaya, Managing Director, Nasarawa Urban Development Board (NUDB), said state government had set up a sustainable action plan towards mitigating the impacts of climate change and other environmental challenges in the state.
Yahaya said that the state, like every other part of the country was facing environmental challenges due to consistent climate change characterised by increase in the temperature level, variable rainfall, flooding and droughts.
Yahaya, represented by the Head of Department Town Planning of the institution, Malam Suleiman Alkasim, said the state government was working on a template to ensure that organisations and institutions of learning make tree planting a policy.
“Considering the importance of trees to human existence, the state government is working on a template to mandate organisations, agencies and institutions of learning to make tree planting as a policy in their programme of action,” he said.
By Oboh Linus
