Climate Change: Nigerians urged to engage in tree planting

Stakeholders have admonished Nigerians to preserve, protect, conserve and encourage tree planting in order to forestall climate change and natural disasters caused by the rising temperatures.

They gave the admonition, while raising a public awareness and observing the International Mother Earth Day which is always celebrated every 22nd of April of the year.

Speaking with newsmen, The Director-General, National Orientation Agency, Mallam Isa Onilu, represented by the Director of the agency in Oyo state, Olukemi Afolayan, said that it has become imperative for all Nigerians to come together and be nature-friendly in order to confront the challenges of climate change.

He noted that “The part of climate change and planting of tree, it is necessary that we all put our hands together to be nature friendly, Environment friendly so that we can tackle the challenges of climate change and we are grateful, some years to come we will still you to come and see how we have nurture this.

In his address, Oyo state Director, Public Complaints and Commission, Adebayo Ojediran noted that the relationship between plants and human beings are symbiotic and there is a need for Nigerians to protect and preserve plants to the effects of climate change.

He said that “What is the relevant and importance of planting plants, am sure we all know that we are talking about the environment and the environment matters alot especially in a world where we are talking about climate change.

“In the creation of the world created God so did it that we live in symbiotic relationship .

“Plants need human beings to live, human beings need plant to live.

“The oxygen that we required for our sustainance to breath-in every day, this plant are the one that are giving us the oxygen.

“And the carbondioxide that we breathe-out, that we do not need, is what make this plant live.

“So plant need human beings and human beings need plant to live.

“Due to the activities of man we start to now punctured, we puncture the blanket, to the extent that it now allows for more space for the sun heat to come to the earth.

“The resultant effects of the sun coming down to the earth is that we are beginning to have more heat where we are as supposed to what we used to experience before.

“Due to the emissions from the factory, the emissions from the industries, the commercial motorcycles who are going on the road all of this emissions are going up to deplete the blanket.

“The long term implications of that it’s having impact on rainfall because the process of how rain fall, is that the sun when it rises, the heat that come down evaporate water from the rivers and the ocean belt and it goes on, then condensation happens, saturation happens and it results to rainfall.

“As soon rainfall, because the heat is not stopping the process again continues, it is impacting on the ideological cycle.

“Where we having more of the process activated because of the heat.

“It will now result in more rainfall and more flood, in some part of the world because of the increase in rainfall, it is impacting now on flood.

“There is a need for us to be very conscious of having to plant trees, planting more trees will mean that we will be doing ourselves alot of good and trees by all the terms and purposes are also a control to erosion.

“What we are doing today are very significant and I will admonish all of us in our own various little corners let us explore the possibilities of planting trees and we would be doing the next generation alot of goods.

“Sustainability is all about living in the world today, enjoy the world today and making sure that we keep and we preserved the beauty of the world for the next generation.

In her remark, the Managing Director, Peakthrust Insurance Brokers, Mrs Bimbo Onakomaya expressed the readiness of insurance industry to cover all the risks that come up due to climate change effect.

She averred “I want you to understand what exactly is the direct to relevance of insurance to climate change and planting of tree is an all what we are to do.

“It is so important for us to be able to maintain the environment.

“The basic things about insurance is that its important for us to be able to transfer our risks to those that responsible for taking care of the risks while we focus on our various core competencies.

“There is green insurance for green, for climate, for passing on tactically everything that we face whether changes even to the insurance industry.

“And so, unbehalf of Insurance industry in Nigeria, unbehalf of the new National Insurance Commission, Commissioner for Insurance, Mrs Asegun Omoseyin, i just want to say that we in the Insurance industry in Nigeria as well as in Oyo state we are more than capable to cover the risks that come up due to climate change.

In his address, The President For nature and future Eco-Green Initiative, Elijah Adejimi expressed the commitment of the group to preserved, protect, and conserved the nature for the present and future generations.

He said that “We just want to remind ourselves is home to all of us and we must as a matter of responsibility begins to prioritize our activities in such a way that is friendly to the environment so that become sustainable and liveable both for generations now and generations to come.

“This is part of our what we call safe change campaign speaking, acting for empowering change campaign so that we can begin to build capacity and the consciousness needed for us to live sustainably on planet earth.

‘Once again, I congratulate us for being part of this, for as we continue to live on this planet earth we will commit to preservation, the protection and the conservation of the earth for generations now and for generations to come, he said.

The International Mother Earth Day is a special celebration that brings together people from around the world to remember that planet earth is the home for all human beings to live and live in harmony with nature.

It is the responsibility of all and sundry to protect the planet and looking after all the species that live there.