In an effort to ameliorate the problems of land degradation, desertification, depletion of the forest ecosystems and biodiversity in Africa, the umbrella body of private nursery plant practitioners in the FCT, Association of Flower Nurseries and Landscaping Practitioners, Abuja (AFNALPA) has concluded arrangements to set up a Horticulture Village in Abuja as well as plant 10 million trees across the country.

This initiative is in support of President Buhari’s pledge to drive the re-desertification project of the United Nations under the Great Green Wall Commission.

While submitting that this programme is also in support of the United Nations climate change programme including the Great Green Wall initiative to plant 100 million trees in Africa, AFNALPA in a statement on Tuesday explained that it has set a target of Five Hundred Million Naira for the pilot scheme of this project which amongst others seeks to plant 10 million trees nationwide and build the Abuja Horticulture Village.

The association also congratulated President Buhari and Nigeria as a whole on her assumption of the leadership of Conference of Heads of States and Governments of the Pan African Agency of the Great Green Wall, an agency of the United Nations.

“With Nigeria’s stature in the comity of Nations, we know that this noble initiative would be further advanced,” AFNALPA said.

It also commended the Ministers of Environment, Agriculture, Water Resources Petroleum and also the FCT, among others, for demonstrating commitment in environmental matters. They saluted the President for driving the initiative of restoring over 100 million hectares of the degraded landscape for productive agriculture in Africa.

AFNALPA promised to support this noble project which it says will help in stimulating increased agricultural activities in the region, thereby enhancing peace and security in Nigeria and across Africa. These activities, the association added, would aid the preservation of the ecosystem, support global warming initiative as well as the provision of greenery for the beautification of the FCT and Nigeria as a whole.

It would be recalled that President Buhari had in October 2021 at the Climate Change Summit, COP 26 in Glasgow Scotland, stated that “Africa is committed to the restoration of 100 million hectares of degraded land, sequestration of 250 million tonnes of carbon, creation of 10 million green jobs, resilient economic development, capacity building and development in the various Member States.”

The President, at the summit stated that the programme was tailored towards ameliorating the problems of land degradation, desertification, depletion of the forest ecosystems and biodiversity in Africa.

Eleven Countries including Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eretria, Ethopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Sudan have been selected as intervention zones for the Great Green Wall.

AFNALPA called on Nigerians in the Public and Private sector to key into this global initiative and support the Federal Government in her bid to eradicate desertification.

AFNALPA, according to them, would soon unveil their “Plant a Tree and Save a Life Campaign” for Nigerians to key into.

They said the proposed launch of the Abuja Horticulture Village and the 10 million tree planting campaign will take place at an event to mark its 10th anniversary scheduled to take place between the 22nd and 23rd February 2022. The village is expected to host a 10 million capacity tree nursery as well a forest reserve on a 200 hectare land in the FCT.

The event will also feature public lecture and the exhibition of best of Nigeria’s horticulture and flowering organisations.

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