The Borno State Government has revved up the war against desertification by raising over 300,000 seedlings of assorted tree species to complement the efforts of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) in tackling the detrimental social, economic and environmental impacts of land degradation and desertification in northern Nigeria.

Larai Daze, Head, Press and Public Relations Unit of the Borno State Ministry of Environment, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday in Maiduguri. She said that the seedlings include neem, Jathropha and gum Arabic, among others.

“The seedlings are expected to be used for this year’s planting which will soon commence.

The Great Green Wall programme is a laudable achievement of the African Union towards fighting desertification which poses a great threat to the frontline countries,” Larai Daze said.

“It is expected that the State Governments should be the key drivers in the implementation stage serving as a pivot to sustain the programme with federal and local governments’ collaboration,” she added.

Larai Daze recalled that the almost a decade-long Boko Haram insurgency in the state has negatively affected the war against desertification as “the Great Green Wall (GGW) programme one of the Federal Government projects in some parts of Borno State was gravely affected by the insurgency activities as seedlings, planted tree crops, boreholes as well as fencing were destroyed.”

She expressed happiness that normalcy is gradually returning to the state, with Governor Kashim Shettima giving the fight against desertification the attention it deserves.

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