The Federal government in partnership with the Anambra state government has planted over three thousand palm trees in Nibo, Awka South Local Government Area as a means of controlling the fast spread of an erosion site in the area.
The project which was supervised by the Federal Ministry of Environment has been handed over to the state Ministry of Environment through its Commissioner, Engineer Felix Odimegwu as part of Federal Government project on Phyto Control and protection of erosion and marginal lands in the state.
Speaking during the ceremony, Engineer Odimegwu stated that the project came timely as the erosion crisis in Anambra state has escalated to an alarming rate leaving one hundred and sixty of the one hundred and seventy-nine communities in Anambra State with one form of erosion or the other.
He appreciated the delegation for the economic trees, stating that the project will not only control erosion but will ensure ecosystem stability, food and agriculture security, climate regulation, protection of natural habitat, sustainable land and pollution control among others.
Engineer Odimegwu while assuring the federal government of their continuous partnership, revealed that the present administration places priority on its environment in order to reclaim the lost landscape of the state and appealed to industrialists, stakeholders, religious bodies and organizations to key into the massive tree planting campaign for more results.
A member of the Federal Government delegation, Mr Igbinosa Osakide during the handover, said that tree planting is highly beneficial to the existence of the environment and that as the seedlings of palm-trees, an ecological restoration of shorelines and erosion control will be established as well as increase the states’ forest cover thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.
Mr Osakide commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo for his visionary leadership which started with the distribution of economic trees to all the twenty-one Local Government Areas of the state and assured that when carefully managed, the trees will help to reduce the land degradation issues facing the state.
IBENEME MARIA NKILIMMA
SENIOR INFO AND PUB RELATIONS OFFICER
