…..unveil plans to plant 1 billion trees
By Dare Akogun
Niger State Government on has unveiled its blueprint for a Green economy initiative with a plan to plant one billion trees within the next four years.
Governor of the state Mohammed Bago made this known while speaking with newsmen after the launch of the initiative at a side event titled with the theme sustainable future: harnessing Green Assets in Niger State held at the Nigerian pavilion on the sidelines of the ongoing COP 28 in Dubai.
The governor said the state put itself forward as a pioneer for Green Initiative in Nigeria so that it could be on the global map of climate action.
According to him “We have signed an agreement as a state with a sister state here in the United Arab Emirates (UAE); we want Niger State to be coopted as a sister state in Dubai.
“We want to plant one billion trees on one million hectares of land in the next four years and we are serious on that.
“We want to get carbon credits through our rivers and hydro dams for our state and for our nation. We are not going to be spoonfed anymore as a state.
“We understand the power we have on our rivers and hydro dams in the carbon market.
“We want to transition 800,000 homes from fossil fuels and national grid to off-grid solar power solution, he said.
The governor noted that the state had galvanized global support for the initiative and had been able to secure a line credit loan of £100 million from a Deutsch bank.
“If we spend $2 billion in Agriculture, we will make $5 billion every year,” he said, calling for international investment so as to create employment,” he added.
Earlier in his remark the state commissioner for environment and climate change Yakubu Kolo said the blueprint was a product of a summit held in the state recently.
Kolo described the COP 28 as a global opportunity to showcase the the initiative of Niger state government on climate change.
The event has in attendance the Minister for Youth Dr. Jemila Ibrahim Bio and Deputy Chairman House committee on Environment Hon. Mohammed Jamilu Katsina, DG NCCC Dr. Salisu Dahiru among others.
