Osun Decries High Rate Of Deforestation

Osun State commissioner for environment and sanitation, Hon. Mayowa Adejoorin, has expressed concern over continuous deforestation in the state.

The commissioner who spoke with journalists in Osogbo yesterday, announced plans to check abuse in felling of trees and also plans by his ministry to plant more trees to accelerate afforestation in the state.

Adejoorin said having gone through the available reports of the ministry, the rate of deforestation are faster than the rate of tree planting, saying he is going to organise a sensitisation programme to educate communities on the dangers associated with tree felling as well as to encourage tree planting in the society.

His words, “The people that are engaged in deforestation are not actually planting back, particularly the wood exporters, loggers and charcoal associations. They are the ones cutting trees.

“As we progress, I am going to organise a seminar to sensitise them that if they continue cutting trees at the rate they are doing, they will be out of business very soon because there will be no tree to cut again.

“Apart from going out of business they are also doing damage to the environment and once the environment is wrong our health is at risk.

“Afforestation is going to be my legacy that I believe will even outlive me, because where I am occupying today is for a while, some people were there yesterday.”

Dwelling on the flood that ravaged Ikire in Irewole local government, the commissioner assured the people that the government is working on how to make sure that the water ways are dredged. He however urged residents to desist from dumping refuse on water ways.

The former Obokun local government area boss applauded Governor Adeleke for his people oriented programmes which according to him have been yielding good result, as he called on the people of the state to continue supporting the current administration so that the good governance they have been enjoying in the last few months would subsist.