The Ekiti State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources,
Barrister Iyabo Fakunle-Okieimen has charged stakeholders in the
forestry sector to cultivate the habit of planting trees to prevent
forest and allied businesses from going into extinction.
The Commissioner made the call while flagging off the distribution and
selling of about 30,000 tree seedlings nursed by Ekiti State Forestry
Commission at Emirin, Ado- Ekiti.
Mrs. Okieimen who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the
Ministry, Mr Tokunbo Alokan appealed to people to always plant five
trees to replace every one tree they fell.
According to her, Governor Kayode Fayemi has approached World Bank
under the NEWMAP project to plant trees covering 250hectares of land
across the state, adding that the State Government was now poised to
embark on aggressive afforestation.
The Commissioner therefore called on all the stakeholders in the
sector to complement the efforts of the State Government by embracing
itsforestry regeneration policy.
The Executive Secretary of the Forestry Commission, Mr Festus Akinluyi
said the gestures became necessary to yield to the yearnings of some
stakeholders in the sector who requested for tree seedlings.
Mr. Akinluyi also said that the tree planting would go along way to
combat erosion problems and as well as address the effects of climate
change on our environment.
He mentioned some of the species planted to include; Obeche, Afara,
Mahogany, Appa and Mansonia. Others are; Apako, Ayin, Orunmodun, Ure
etc.