The Progressive Students Movement (PSM), foremost pan-African students movement, on Monday advocated for massive tree planting to checkmate wind and rain storms menace throughout the country. The President of PSM Nigeria, Amb. Bestman Okereafor told newsmen in Enugu that the continuous indiscriminate and massive falling of trees across the country for commercial and household usage should be discouraged by all.
According to Okereafor, the attention of the leadership of PSM, the foremost pan- African students movement, has been drawn to the series of continuous damages caused by wind and rain storms across the entire country. “Should a tree be cut down for any reason at least no fewer than two trees should be planted immediately in place of the one cut down. This is because trees serve as natural wind and rain breakers and preserve the soil against erosion, landslides and other negative climate change menace,” he said.
Okereafor said that recent reports show that sometime in April 2024, in Nasarawa State, a windstorm killed one person, injured 15 others, and destroyed 800 structures across four Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state. He said: “The Nasarawa State series of windstorm damages spread across several communities in Awe, Doma, and Keffi LGAs, causing serious havoc and destroying structures which included: houses, schools, worship centres and electric poles among others.
“Further reports also show some Ogun State residents also suffered rainstorm accompanied with windstorm tragedy sometime in April 2024 with several houses badly affected. Sometime in May 2023 in Lagos State; no fewer than 98 buildings including public schools and 13 electric poles were badly damaged across the state by a windstorm that accompanied a downpour which lasted over seven hours.
“It will also be recalled that sometime in May 2024; there was a windstorm in the Wuro-Chekke ward of Yola South Local Government Area of Adamawa State. Some private houses as well as the staff quarters of Mobile Police Force 14 Barracks in Mbambam, were also affected by the windstorm; while residents, however, lamented that the rainfall which accompanied the windstorm did not turn out to be so heavy.”
The PSM boss noted that the movement strongly believes that massive tree planting nationwide aside beautification of the environment had the potentiality of serving as a panacea to global warming and other climate change/ecological challenges.
He said that planting palm trees and some other big trees, which have a kind of canopy-like spread branches or leaves, could help drastically reduce the inimical effect of windstorms.
“We advocate drastic action by the Minister of State for Environment, Dr Iziaq Salako, who not too long ago, disclosed Federal Government plans of planting six million trees nationwide to mitigate the negative effects of climate change. We call for a speed up in the official launch of the project by President Bola Tinubu for commencement of immediate implementation without further delay.
“Records have shown that trees also lessen soil erosion which helps increase crop yields and protect livestock and humans from harsh weather conditions. PSM is also calling on other states to emulate Gov. Abba Yusuf of Kano State who in April 2024 flagged off the planting of the first three million trees by the Government of Kano across the state’s 44 LGAs,” he added.
