By Mustapha Salisu
The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has unveiled a platform to facilitate the planting of one million trees across environmentally fragile parts of Nigeria.
CITAD Executive Director, Y.Z. Ya’u, disclosed this on Thursday at the Centre’s Office while unveiling the campaign platform, saying it would enable people from different parts of the country to contribute to the tree-planting initiative.
Ya’u said trees were crucial to human survival as they provide shade, wood, medicinal extracts and help prevent uncontrolled movement of wind and water.
He explained that trees also serve as a major carbon sink by absorbing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide generated by vehicles, generators and other human activities.
According to him, the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases contributes to rising temperatures and worsening climate change, with consequences including irregular rainfall, water shortages, flash floods and unpredictable seasons.
He said planting more trees would help absorb greenhouse gases and contribute to maintaining an environment suitable for human survival.
Ya’u stressed that the initiative was not a CITAD campaign alone, but a collective effort involving state governments, civil society organisations, the media, traditional rulers and other stakeholders interested in restoring ecological balance.
He said campaign coordinating committees had already been established in some states to bring stakeholders together and coordinate the initiative, with plans to extend the structures to more states.
He noted that the campaign would prioritise environmentally fragile areas, particularly states facing severe desertification and ecological challenges.
Ya’u listed Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno as frontline states, while Kano, Bauchi and Gombe would also receive attention, stressing that the campaign was guided by the level of environmental urgency in each area.