Niger to distribute 2m tree seedlings

The Niger State government says it will encourage massive tree planting before the end of the current raining season across the state.

To this end, it said it was distributing two million economic tree seedlings to check deforestation and enhance economic status of the people.

It said the Ministry of Environment had been approached to see that seedlings were made available and distributed in all the 25 local government areas of the state to prevent erosion and other natural disasters.

A statement by the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Jonathan Tsado Vatsa, said the state government was worried by the threat posed by global warning worldwide; adding that yearly flooding across the state showed the state was at risk of the trend.

“Trees help to conserve the water cycle by returning water vapour to the atmosphere. Without trees, many forest lands could degenerate to become deserts. Trees play a critical role in absorbing the greenhouse gases that fuel global warming. And so, we strongly warn against indiscriminate felling of trees especially Shea butter trees in parts of the state as the law against tree felling is still in force,” the statement said.