Thousands of square meters of land degraded daily in Nigeria’

The Minister of Environment, Surveyor Suleiman Hassan Zarma, has said the Federal Government is committed to conserving and protecting the dry lands for the benefit of affected communities.

He said the programme is being undertaken by the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW ).

The minister said 924,000 square meters is degraded daily as the population is also increasing, hence the need to urgently recover and conserve the lands.

Zarma who spoke during a familiarization visit to NAGGW, recently, said the agency should have a strong synergy with consultants and ensure that plants were nurtured to maturity before the site were left.

He also noted that the services of forest guards should be engaged in order to safeguard the trees that were planted.

In his remarks, the Director General of NAGGW, Dr. Bukar Hassan, commended the minister for finding time for the important visit.

Dr. Bukar stated that the agency was working hard towards actualising its major objectives which include, developing and promoting sustainable agricultural and water management practices, ecological restoration of degraded ecosystem using appropriate techniques and technology.

Others, to him, are according improving information sharing and cooperation among stakeholders and improving scientific knowledge on desertification and drought.

He added that about 22, 500 square metres of the degraded land in the dry region is targeted for rehabilitation of agricultural activities and that over 40 million people’s livelihoods would be improved by 2030.