Great Green Wall; 1,500km habitat protection

By Chidimma C. Okeke
The Great Green Wall (GGW) project which was recently flagged off in Bachaka, Arewa Local Government of Kebbi State by President Goodluck Jonathan entails planting of wall of trees, an exercise aimed at combating desertification in frontline states. This, it has been noted is capable of revamping the economic status of the 11 frontline states through the provision of employment and empowerment to millions of youths and women.
The programme which aims at fighting desert encroachment in the affected areas, is receiving a boost to help accommodate the projection of the federal government, which is for the programme to benefit over 40 million people in the northern parts of the country.
The president said the implementation of the GGW is to enhance the economic transformation of the nation and improve the livelihoods of the citizenry which requires that the risks and vulnerabilities in the drought and desertification affected states are addressed.
He said the GGW will cover about 1,500km-long (East-West) and 2km-wide (North-South) parts of the country, using both economic and forest tree species to be based on community-driven, integrated rural development approach as agreed for the Nigeria segment.
"The idea is that the project will principally check the advancement of desertification and erosion as well as restore eco-balance even as it creates sustainable jobs for thousands of our youths who are without jobs," he said.
He noted that GGW will be a vehicle in the determination to eliminate poverty, and create wealth for the people and help to reduce unemployment and rehabilitate over two million hectares of degraded land and improve agricultural productivity.
The Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laurentia Mallam, also noted that the project will positively enhance the livelihoods of residents in the affected states, as desert encroachment was becoming a menace in the areas.
Mallam said the project will provide shelter cover for the affected communities and will create an ozone friendly environment in the region.
She noted that 5,000 additional jobs were targeted by the GGW project in each of the affected states, and this will include jobs for tree planters, forest guards and citizens who sell vegetables.
She said: "Mr. President has provided funds for the 2015 framework. So all together he has provided N16 billion for this project.
"Since trees take carbon dioxide from the air, planting large scale trees will help absorb excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, thereby contributing its quota in checking ozone depletion and global warming."
Mouktar Lugga, Commissioner for Environment, Zamfara State and Chairman, Nigerian Frontline States Action Initiatives on Desertification (NIFSAID) said the beauty of the GGW is that it has actually created a lot of jobs for people within the host communities and reduced the rural urban drift experienced before.
He said: "After harvesting season, lots of young men go into cities to look for menial jobs but right now this programme is employing them and they are remaining within their communities."
According to Lugga, many people look at the programme as mere tree planting campaign but it is not; it is a whole economic programme targeted to settle, rehabilitate and to revamp the economy around the fringes of northern Nigeria.
"You are going to see a lot of programmes coming that will point to the fact that northern Nigeria is actually going back to the period of economic boom," he added.
He noted that the programme has started impacting on the youths as hundreds of both men and women actually took part in the planting of the trees and serving as forest guards to better their economic status.