A climatologist, Mr. Nurudden Bello, has called on the Federal Government to subsidise gas and kerosene to reduce tree felling and promote cleaner energy use.
Bello, the Director of African Climate Reporters (ACR), made the call on Friday, May 24, 2025, in Kaduna, during a visit to Womenhood School of Health Science and Technology.
He said the high cost of cooking gas and kerosene forces many households to rely on firewood and charcoal, worsening deforestation in Northern Nigeria.
“Making gas and kerosene affordable will reduce pressure on forests and encourage households to adopt safer and cleaner energy sources,” he said.
Bello advocated for the promotion of fuel-efficient cooking stoves, especially among women in rural and urban areas as part of broader efforts to curb environmental degradation.
He emphasised the importance of tree planting in addressing environmental challenges such as desertification, erosion and windstorms.
According to Bello, planting trees around homes, schools, markets, hospitals, and places of worship can serve as natural barriers against strong winds and prevent soil erosion.
“In places like Kasuwan Magani in Southern Kaduna, several homes and worship centres have been destroyed by windstorms, damage that could have been mitigated by adequate tree cover,” he said.
He added that tree roots help to bind the soil particularly in areas with loose or weak soil, thereby preventing land degradation.
Bello described tree planting as a simple, low-cost solution with long-term benefits, including soil protection and environmental stability.
“Trees are more than just part of our landscape, they’re a natural defense against many environmental threats,” he said.
Bello called on government agencies, environmental stakeholders to intensify awareness campaigns and support afforestation efforts at the grassroots level.
In a related development, the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Faruq Umar-Faruq, says indiscriminate cutting of trees is worse than terrorism because it poses significant threats to the environment.
The Emir stated this in Daura on Friday, when Mr Saleh Abubakar, the Director General of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) visited him.
According to the emir, the emirate council has taking the act of tree cutting in the area as a serious offence, because it can have devastating consequences for the community.
The royal father said that for a very long time, the emirate council had concluded that cutting trees was equivalent to killing of a human being.
According to him, because of the importance of tree planting, the emirate has provided serious punishment against anyone found guilty of cutting trees.
He added that most of the environmental challenges facing many areas, was due to the none challant attitude of cutting down trees.
Umar-Faruq said that Daura emirate council was the first across the country, especially in terms of tree planting.
“The emirate council is fully ready to support the agency in the distribution of the date seeds, because it will reduce unemployment, and also insecurity,” he assured.
The emir also promised to further sensitise the public on the importance of tree planting in the area, urging the people to plant and nurture trees to combat deforestation and protect the environment.
He urged the agency to address deforestation and its impact on the environment, which could lead to desert encroachment and climate change.
Earlier, the agency director general, said the advocacy visit was to seek the support of the emir to fight the encroachment of the Sahara deserts.
According to Abubakar, the encroachment is really affecting farm lands, killing domestic animals, hence the need for the residents to adopt the culture of tree planting, in order to make the environment better.
He said that the encroachment had been happening for a long time, but it was beyond expectations in recent times.
“Therefore, if prevented, we’re going to witness the needed raining season, and it will enable the farmers to harvest more and boost the economy.
“In the recent time, we’re experiencing too much of heat unlike before, it’s only the planting of trees that can prevent this situation,” he said.
According to him, while on his way to Daura, he was impressed to see the vast lands and the tree planting along the environment.
He told the emir that the agency would visit the 11 northern states where it operates and Katsina was one of them, while Daura was among the most important areas to visit.
“The agency has plans to distribute across our operating states, about 5 million Saudi Arabian date seeds, which can grow and be used in four years,” Abubakar said.
According to him, when planted and harvested after four years, Nigeria can generate over N300 billion out of it, in order to boost the country’s economy.
The agency operates in Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kano, Zamfara, Sokoto, Yobe, and Katsina states.
By Ezra Musa and Abbas Bamalli