Gombe State coordinator of the Agro-Climate Resilience in Semi-Arid Land (ACReSAL) project, Ambassador Sani Adamu Jauro, has said the state will soon sign a N12.5 billion contract to address climate change challenges.
Under the programme, he said young talents will be harvested as ambassadors of the state in making sure they imbibe the culture of tree planting thereby catching them young.
The project will be executed with support from partners such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Jauro spoke yesterday at the commemoration of the 2023 World Children’s celebration with the theme: “Climate Change” organised by UNICEF Bauchi Field Office in Gombe.
He said the ACReSAL project gives priority to women and children with a revolutionary agenda on infrastructural intervention.
He recalled that the state government had prior to receiving the World Bank approval to commence the project, approved the sum of N503 million as part of its counterpart-funding.
“ACReSAL as a project intends in the sixth year of its life to reclaim not less than one million hectares of land through different kinds of afforestation activities. And if you divide it into a number of 19 northern states that are participating in ACReSAL plus FCT, making 20, each state is to reclaim not less than 50, 000 hectares of land”.
In a welcome address, the chief of field office, UNICEF Nigeria, Bauchi Field Office, Dr Clement Adams, sponsor of the Children’s Day ceremony, said the day was being celebrated to draw attention to issues affecting children with a view to making their lives better in the society.
Adams said, “What can stakeholders do to make life better for the children that we all have brought to this world? This year’s theme is on climate change, and it is observed that climate is changing practically, so what can we do as stakeholders to make our planet a better place for us to live.”
He said: “It is a day that children can remind themselves of things we can do to make them better citizens that could positively contribute to the society, and advised the media to celebrate the day to make the world a better place for the children to live.”
Also, the commissioner for education, Prof A’ishatu Umar Maigari, said, “Gombe State is the centre of the North East, it is the Jewel in the Savannah, it is the number one state in science, technology and innovation.
it is the heart of the industrial hub, it is first in so and so, so whatever you think of, Gombe State has everything.”
