FCT minister urged on policy against deforestation

The Etsu of Kwali, Alhaji Shaban Audu Nizazo, has called on the FCT minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, to as a matter of urgency, come up with a policy to tackle deforestation in the territory.

Nizazo, who spoke at a meeting with district, village heads and community leaders on Tuesday, said swathes of forests had been cleared due to the activities of charcoal and timber sellers in the chiefdom.

He said one of the best ways government would tackle the menace of illegal tree felling was for the FCT Administration to ensure there was a unified state policy that would checkmate the activities of charcoal and timber dealers.

He also said “to tackle this issue of deforestation, the FCT minister has to come up with a policy that will empower the six area council chairmen and agriculture secretariat to control deforestation across the territory,” he said.

He said the call for minister’s intervention a collective resolution traditional rulers, and district heads community leaders council.

The traditional ruler also said though the council was relatively clean in terms of environmental the was of all village as well as across the sanitation, there was need for traditional rulers and community leaders to ensure they embarked on sanitation exercise in order to curtail possible outbreak of diseases.

“We have also agreed that on this issue of sanitation, the village chiefs and community leaders would ensure they keep their communities clean and it can be achieved through the support of the of the government,“he said.