JIGAWA SEEK FG ASSISTANCE ON ENVIRONMENT

Osadebamwen Patrick
Jigawa state government has said it would dedicate a substantial part of its 2010 budget to address the perenial problem of the environment in the state.
Governor Sule Lamido who said this in Abuja while soliciting the assistance of the federal government to complement its effort at addressing the environmental challenge in the state added that the environemnt “remains a very critical aspect of our lives.”
Lamido said Jigawa state suffers serious environmental problems comprising gully erosion, ravaging desert encroachment which has eaten up the vegetation and exposed the soil surface of the land to other harsh climatic elements which harms the natural species.
Governor Lamido also pointed out that the poorly developed planning of the Tiga Dam in Kano state has increased pressure on the Hadeja River with a consequence of flooding that resulted in annual destruction of houses sacking many home owners in Hadeja town.
He said: “We also have problems with Rivers that have not been properly controlled in terms of the planning arising from the Tiga Dam in Kano state. There is no certain control in terms of the way the water is being released and because of the pattern of its release it has this rampaging effect on a number of towns along the valley of Hadeja in Jigawa state.
“The effect is felt more especially in Hadeja town which is an important town in Jigawa state. If you go by the bank of the River and see the kind of hazards that it has created you will pity the people. Every year their houses are washed away and they carry out an annual ritual of rebuilding their houses and lives the flooding on the roads have also made them terrible.”
Lamido said his administration was interested in securing the Hadeja region from further degradation. This informed the need for the state to seek assistance for the federal government to intervene for remediation of the land.
He said that Jigawa state has already taken a bold step in the areas of afforestation with the planting of over 8million trees amongst which 5 million have survived to provide shield to the environment and help check the rampaging move of desertification.
His words: “I think our efforts in terms of tree planting in Jigawa state we have raised at least 10 million plants for our nursery in the last two years. We have planted eight million trees and about five million survived.”
The governor explained that these trees adorn the roads connecting villages and towns in the state offering a green environment.
Responding to the call of the governor, Minister of Environment, Mr. John Odey has said the federal government has been working with the states staff and hope that the visit would give more impetus to the collaborative efforts of both
Odey commended the state for its tree planting efforts which is stratic to assuage the challenge of desertification as it compliments the presidential afforestation programme. He said the FG would continue to collaborate with the state and sought the governor’s willingness to become the driving force on promoting awareness on climate change in the frontline states in the north.