14th April, 2017
The Kogi State Government says it has marked out 125 hectares of land for tree planting this year, as part of its afforestation measures.
Mr Augustine Adama, the Director of Forestry in the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, who disclosed this on Friday in Anyigba, said that the marked areas cut across all local governments.
He spoke at the closing ceremony of a four-day training programme for forestry officers in afforestation and forestry mapping techniques.
He said that the measure was part of government’s effort toward achieving the 10 per cent annual afforestation plan contained in the state’s “New Direction Blueprint”.
According to him, the plan is to plant a minimum 62.5 million trees every year.
The official said that 50 forest officers, including Nursery Attendants and Area officers, had been trained to facilitate the State’s afforestation project.
In her remarks, Mrs. Rosemary Osikoya, the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, thanked the state government for the special attention given to the forestry department.
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Osikoya, who was represented by Mr Aremu Ayodele, the Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry, enjoined the trainees to develop forestry resources and conserve them for future generations.
“I believe the participants have gained a lot, both in theoretical aspect in the class and practicals in the field. We want to tell them that Kogi is waiting to see the results,” she said.
Some of the participants, who spoke to NAN, commended the government for the training and for the attention being enjoyed by the forestry sub-sector.
Mr Olushola Jaiyeola, Kolade Isaac and Mrs. Victoria Olowo, who spoke on behalf of East, West and Central senatorial zones participants respectively, promised to put in their best to sustain forestry development in the state.
Olowo, however, urged the government to fulfill its promises by releasing funds at the right time, for timely execution of forestry projects.