From Olukayode Idowu, Abuja
The Federal Government has lamented that desert encroachment is having a great toll on the nation as it has severely affected states which produce over 95 percent of Nigeria’s livestock population.
The government also decried that in the affected states reside over 40 million Nigerians.
Speaking in Abuja at the ceremony commemorating the 2021 World Desertification and Drought Day, with the theme: “Restoration. Land. Recovery. We build back better with healthy land.”, Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar said: “Nigeria is faced with rapid desert encroachment affecting about fifteen Northern most states from severe to moderate rate. It is worthy of note that these states affected by desertification has a population of over 40 million people and is home to over 95 percent of livestock population in Nigeria and has played a major role in the production of food for domestic consumption and export crops.”
Abubakar said, “Desertification is by far the most pressing environmental problem in the dry region of the World. In Nigeria, the problem continues to degrade land resources which provides livelihoods to majority of the rural populace with the ugly consequences of resource use conflicts, hunger, social vices and abject poverty in the affected areas.”
The Minister lamented that: “24 billion tons of fertile soil is lost globally due to dry land degradation affecting food production and food security, and in spite of all these it is estimated that 300 million hectares of land will be required to meet the demand of food by the year 2030.”
He said Nigerian government is well aware of these environmental issues and their impacts and committed to addressing them to ensure sustainable development and livelihoods of the people in the affected communities, noting that government has developed policies and plans and built institutional and legislative capacities to enhance effective and far-reaching actions to reduce the impacts of desertification and drought on the citizenry.
He added that government recognizes the importance of partnership in tackling desertification, and has therefore facilitated the involvement of other actors, including the private sectors, NGOs as well as Donor Organizations. Many of these actors including the Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST) and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) are actively participating in the activities of the Global Network on desertification.
In his welcome address, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Muhammad Bello said: “It is worthy of note that desertification and drought are
associated with challenges such as reduction in food production, increase in hunger, disease, malnutrition and limited pastoral land that often lead to conflicts and crises.”
The Minister who was represented by a director in his ministry, Udoh Attah, said in order to fight against desertification and drought and support the federal government’s efforts, the process of planting of about 170,000 trees across the FCT with the collaboration of several non-governmental organisations, and members of the public has already begun.