Katsina State being one of the states in Nigeria with many environmental challenges, has experienced a lot of policies by successive governments to combat the scourge environmental degradation.
But, despite these concerted efforts by the previous administrations, it is obvious that there are still a lot of areas that need improvement as well as addressing the challenges.
This necessitates the reason why the present administration under Governor Umaru Dikko Radda took the bull by the hunk and swung to action shortly after he received the mantle of leadership on May 29th, 2023.
A few months into the life of the administration, he planned and strategized ways to chart a new course of tackling the menace of environmental degradation and hazards.
One key tremendous effort he made that kept a lot of people amazing, was the concrete reinforced drainages constructed in the flood-prone areas within the Katsina metropolis to avert the yearly floodings in which human lives, property, public structures, government buildings and materials were lost, due to the occurrence of the yearly disaster.
Aside from this, there is also construction of standard culverts and open drainages in different parts of the state to ease the flow of rainfall which had been causing yearly havoc in various communities of the state.
In ensuring that all environments are secured and well protected, the Ministry of Environment under the able leadership of the Commissioner, Hon. Musa Adamu Funtua has embarked on a multi-approached style of combating environmental degradation, caused by desertification, indiscriminate felling of trees among other human activities.
At present, the ministry has opened up collaborations with experts and specialists that will assist in bringing back the glory of the environment.
Under this collaboration and its corporate social responsibility, the Nigeria National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC), plans to revive and develop forests and shelter belts in addition to carrying out other projects that will benefit the community.
In addition, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have already indicated interest in keying into viable government programmes related to environmental protection.
As part of its action plan to combat desertification and encroachment, the state Governor, Umaru Dikko Radda has planned to plant 10 million tree seedlings on 26 hectares with the sole aim of reviving the economic trees to reinvigorate the environment and fight against degradation.
At the launch of this year’s World Environmental Day held at Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina, the Commissioner of Environment Hon. Musa Adamu announced that the standing steering committee on climate change, established to fine-tune strategies and come up with workable plans on how best the government can mitigate the effect of the phenomenon.
Experts have been assembled from within and outside the state to come up with a blueprint on how best to carry out this task.
Already, discussions have been on top gear towards achieving positive yields as expected for the committee to settle down for the usual business of doing the needful.
Other efforts being made by the government to tame the rise of environmental degradation and challenges include aggressive sensitization of the target communities through the electronic media, the production and paste of billboards in the local vernacular in strategic locations and holding town hall meetings as well as direct and one or one discussion with stakeholders across the state.
In addition, millions of tree seedlings have been procured and distributed free to many households, schools, government organizations, religious structures, farmers and NGOs to plant in their respective areas to overcome desertification and improve the environment.
The efforts of the World Bank agencies under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment also contributed significantly to the holistic approach to tame the menace. The likes of New Map, ACreSal, RAAMP, and WaterShed among many others, have separately carried out a lot of projects geared towards relieving, enhancing and improving the living environment of the state, and in particular, bettering the lives of the rural populace.
To this end, there is doubt the environmental challenges facing the society will be over, given the reality that led administration of Umaru Dikko Radda, has been up and doing to finally address the lingering environmental challenges and give a chance to the target beneficiaries to heave a sigh of relief.
* Danjuma writes from Katsina and can be reached via [email protected]
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