Parishes and institutions of the Archdiocese of Abuja have been directed to plant no fewer than 10 trees each, to conserve and protect the environment. The charge was given by Most Rev. (Dr.) Ignatius Kaigama, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, at the inauguration of a tree-planting/growing campaign organised by the Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) of the Abuja Archdiocese on Friday.
Stating that the environment has been kind to humans, providing food, air among others hence the need to preserve it, Archbishop Kaigama said the only way to be grateful is to be able to take care of the environment as clearly canvassed by the Holy Father, Pope Francis. The Archbishop said that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) had mandated that everyone should be involved in tree planting, adding that they (CBCN) have stipulated that every diocese plants at least 20,000 trees.
He said that the Abuja Archdiocese can surpass the minimum target of 20,000 trees, adding that the Archdiocese has many churches, schools and hospitals. He said. “We have many schools, we have hospitals, we have out stations, not just the parishes; if all the other stations will only plant five trees each, we have huge numbers to match our assigned target. “So we hope that everybody at least for now, start with planting 10 trees for all the chaplaincy and the pastoral areas should plant at least 10 trees; you can plant more, but do not go below 10.”
As he blessed and planted trees, he urged Nigerians to follow suit, saying, “like the gospel, the message of tree-planting will continue to be spread until it becomes a lifestyle.” Mr. Yussuf Idris, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment said that trees were the “lungs” of the earth, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to people. He said: “We are all aware of the current high rate of deforestation in our country. Nigeria’s forest resources are being depleted at between 3.7 per cent to 4 per cent annually, making it one of the highest in the world and resulting in climate change, flooding, soil degradation, and biodiversity loss among others.”
Yussuf called on corporate organisations and individuals to complement government’s effort in restoring the fast-degrading environment through planting trees. In his remarks, Josephat Abaagu, Abuja-JDPC Chairman, said that protecting the earth was crucial because it sustains all life, provides resources and a stable environment. He said that tree planting was a way to protect the earth and plays a major role in combating climate change.
Also, Project Director, Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAfOD), Mr. Edozie Abazie, said that tree planting mitigates the effect of climate change. According to him, planting of trees is one of the most important things that can be done to protect the environment. He said, CAfOD is in partnership with JDPC to produce solar powered machines called brickwet that would produce charcoal from biomass for domestic energy production as against tree felling.
