By Lucy Ogalue

The NNPC Foundation Ltd. is partnering with the Ministry of Environment to promote climate resilient environment for citizens.

Mrs Emmanuella Arukwe, the Managing Director of the foundation said this at an event to mark the 2024 World Environment Day (WED) on Wednesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the 2024 WED is” Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience”.

The WED is celebrated globally every June 5.

Arukwe, represented by the foundation’s Executive Director, Programme Development, Dr Bala David, said the aim of the foundation was to support environmental sustainability.

According to her, one of the ways of doing this is by planting of trees which is the reason for the gathering at the Government Secondary School (GSS) Kuje.

She said: “today being the World Environment Day, we are running this type of programme together with three planting in Bauchi, Enugu, Benin, Lagos and three schools in FCT.

The theme of this year’s event calls for the need to restore our environment and the importance of tree planting was to regulate climate, biodiversity support and soil protection among others.

Representing the Ministry of Environment and the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, Mr Sampraise Itomo, urged Nigerians and the World at large to treat the environment as its neighbour.

“Environment is everything around us inclusive of living and non-living things. As humans, we need to know and interact with our environment.

“And the environment around us is our neighbour and they contribute to our longevity, happiness, and joy so we should have regard for it and try to preserve it,’’ he said.

While reiterating the advantages of tree planting in our environment, Itomo said it was our responsibility to restore the environment for our safety and that of our future generation.

Also speaking, Mr Sani Adamu, the Manager Education of the foundation, restated that the environment was ours and there was the need for us to take care of it.

“There are various ways of taking care of our environment and one of such ways is tree planting and that is the essence of why we are here today.

“As the vice principal has rightly said, when you cut down a tree you should plant two more as a replacement

“We must take our environment very seriously so that the eco climate can be achieved and by so doing, we will live longer,’’ he said.

Similarly, the Vice-Principal Administration, Government Secondary School, Kuje, Muhammad Muhammed expressed the commitment of the school to safe guard the trees planted.

“We have gone ahead to make a protector around the plant to ensure it is protected from being eaten by animals or being destroyed

“We will make sure that morning and evening, we water them so that we can see them grow well and serve its purpose.

“Also, where ever we see encroachment or desertification, we should try as much as possible to grow trees in such areas, deforestation should be afforestation,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the students of the school commended the foundation for including them in the WED celebration and thanked them for the knowledge impacted on them. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams

By Emmanuella Anokam

The NNPC Foundation Ltd./Gte has planted 500 trees across the country through environmental clubs in public secondary schools, to tackle desertification and environmental degradation.

The Foundation also said that based on criticality and needs assessment, it had also commenced engagements with the Katsina State Government to plant one million trees in the state.

“We will be embarking on the first phase of the one million tree planting in July this year,” said Mrs Emmanuella Arukwe, Managing Director, NNPC Foundation Ltd.

Arukwe made this known on Wednesday at a Ceremonial Tree Planting at the Government Day Secondary School, Wuse 2, Abuja, to mark the 2024 World Environment Day (WED).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the World Environment Day is celebrated globally every June 5, and the 2024 edition has its theme as “Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience”.

NAN also reports that the NNPC Foundation Ltd. is the social arm of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) and one of the key areas of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) intervention programmes is in the environment.

Its school tree planting campaign to mark the World Environment Day involved over 500 school children in selected parts of the country, who are provided with tree seedlings for planting, which was carried out simultaneously.

Arukwe, while speaking, said one of the menaces of the environment and ecosystem was desertification, hence planting trees and restoration of degraded land were necessary.

“Today is World Environment Day, we are so excited about doing this, which is being done simultaneously across other states including Enugu, Bauchi, Lagos and Edo; we are in the forefront of advocating for this to be done.

“The young people still have a long future ahead, and because of that it is important they get enlightened and educated on the importance of planting trees.

“We are here in this school to plant trees; apart from its beautification and economic impact, it also reduces carbon dioxide and balances the ecosystem.

“We and the environment are symbiotic; whatever we do, affects us ultimately. We need to desist from cutting down trees and usage of biomass for cooking.

“We want to ensure that we are not only encouraging the children to plant, but to set up a mechanism for monitoring the planted trees for maximum impact and sustainability in the long run,” she said.

Arukwe further said that the Foundation would organise a prize giving event for the schools and students, for the best cared or nurtured tree in 2025.

She listed addressing land erosion, desertification and drought, climate regulation, oxygen production, wildlife preservation, air purification, noise reduction, social and economic benefits as some of the benefits of tree planting.

In a presentation, Mrs Lolade Oduwole, Manager, Fund Raising, NNPC Foundation, sensitised the pupils on global warming, adding that the increase in temperature worldwide had become alarming as human activities had affected the ecosystem.

Oduwole called for generation restoration by planting trees to restore desert, prevent global warming, maintain healthy environment, provide shed and climate regulation as well as promote oxygen production, essential for human lives.

In her remarks, the Principal of the school, Hajiya Jammaylah Yakubu, while emphasising the need to take care of the environment, promised to sustain the campaign by nurturing the trees.

Yakubu also commended the NNPC Foundation for setting up a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Mini Science Library in various schools across the country, including the Government Day Secondary School.

The pupils, who were also allowed to plant trees by themselves, were full of excitement for participating in the environmental preservation.

They vowed to intensify the campaign against environmental degradation.

The Foundation also planted trees in some schools in Gwagwalada and Kuje Area Councils of the FCT and other states. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Emmanuel Afonne

By Lucy Ogalue

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Foundation Ltd., has reiterated its commitment to restore Nigeria’s landscape and build a greener future for all citizens.

The Foundation’s Managing Director, Mrs Emmanuella Arukwe, said this at the planting of trees at the Junior Secondary School, Hajj Camp, Gwagwalada.

Arukwe, represented by Dr Bala David, the Executive Director, Programme Development, NNPC Foundation, said the importance of tree planting could not be overemphasised.

“We are here to mark World Environment Day, which is celebrated every June 5, and we have come to celebrate it with the pupils of Junior Secondary School, Hajj Camp, Gwagwalada.

“We had a session with the students on the Foundation and what we do. We are mandated to operate in the environment, health and education areas.

“So, being the world’s environmental day, we came here to be able to plant trees that will eventually restore the environment,” she said.

The principal of the school, Hajia Hauwa Aliyu, said collective climate action was needed to protect our environment.

“This day aims at encouraging communities to take action towards protecting their environment.

“As our climate changes and its impact continues to affect us, we must continue to find sustainable ways to protect it for future generations,” she said.

The principal, while commending the group for their efforts in restoring the school’s environment, said she was surprised by the team’s presence.

“I feel great that the NNPC Foundation remembered my school and is here to celebrate this remarkable day with us.

“When I was called yesterday, I did not believe it was real until I saw you here. I am very happy, and the students are equally very happy.

“Your presence today has taught me and the whole school a lot of things that we did not know about the environment and the need for it to be restored,” she said.

The principal then expressed the school’s commitment to ensure that the trees planted were cared for for the benefit of the students and Nigerians.

“I have a team of agricultural science teachers on ground, and I have given them the mandate to ensure the sustainability of this project.

“And I assure you that they will do their best to take care of the trees being planted today,” she said.

Meanwhile, Mr Abe Ajayi, the Vice-President, Association of Flower and Nursery Practitioners Abuja, said tree planting was important because it sustained life.

“Some of these trees have economic and health benefits. So it is key that we plant trees.”

He advised against cutting down trees, saying it was better to trim them instead of cutting them and distorting nature.

A student, Etuka Smile, expressed pleasure at the idea of planting trees in her school.

“I feel great about what is happening here because I want the environment to be clean. “I want to advise those cutting down trees to stop, as it is affecting our climate and living standard.

Another student, Sanusi Alamin, said, ”I am very happy that we got to celebrate World Environmental Day in our school today.”

“There are some areas I know without a single tree where one can have shade, and I wish this kind of exercise would reach such places.

“So that the people will understand the advantages of planting trees, what it signifies and be inspired to plant trees for the good of our environment.” (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams

By Emmanuella Anokam

The NNPC Foundation Ltd. says it is focused on mitigating land erosion, desertification and drought by re-vegetating the environment through aggressive tree planting campaigns.

Mrs Emmanuella Arukwe, the Managing Director, NNPC Foundation Ltd., said this at the 2024 World Environment Day (WED) in partnership with the Ministry of Environment on Wednesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the WED is celebrated globally every June 5.

The theme for 2024: “Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience.”

Arukwe who described the environment as being intricate noted that it must be preserved by creating a balance in the ecosystem.

Arukwe, represented by Mr Aminu Muazu, Executive Director, Programme Management, NNPC Foundation, said environmental degradation could be mitigated through partnership with relevant government agencies.

According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, about 40 per cent of the world’s land is degraded, directly affecting half of the global population, threatening economies and means of livelihood.

The convention also said that drought increased by 29 per cent since the year 2000 and if persistent, may effect over three quarters of the global population by 2050.

Nigeria, according to the United Nations, has the highest deforestation rate in the world, with an estimated 3.7 per cent of its forest lost every year.

She said that 15 out of the 35 states, predominantly in the northern part of the country, are affected by desertification.
Arukwe added that 63.3s per cent of the country’s entire land mass suffer desert encroachment.

She said land mass vegetation, farmlands agro-economies and other means of livelihood in the country were fast being overtaken by the twin challenge of desertification and drought.

Based on this, she said part of its efforts at the NNPC Foundation, was to mitigate land erosion, desertification and drought by re-vegetating the environment, through aggressive tree planting campaigns.

“I extend to you compliments from the NNPC Ltd. management and its Group Chief Executive Officer, Malam Mele Kyari, who is passionate about executing positive and impactful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes in the country.

“As a recently transited privately company, NNPC Ltd. is positioned to align with global best practice in the energy industry and is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals.

“The NNPC Foundation was established as the social arm of NNPC Ltd. to be the connect between the stakeholders who are the over 200 million Nigerians and the company, through execution of impactful and sustainable CSR initiatives/projects.

“One of the key focus areas of NNPC Foundation is to undertake impactful initiatives on environment and in commemoration of the 2024 World Environment Day; we have lined up strategic programmes.

“These include tree planting campaigns in schools, sponsorship of quizzes/competitions to celebrate the day, presentations to school children and other events all targeted to sensitising the citizenry on environmental preservation,” she said.

She said our existence with that of our environment was interwoven and we were mutually bound to our environment and must be careful not to hurt it through our activities.

She listed such activities as tree cutting, indiscriminate timber logging business, bush burning and others, adding that by so doing, we tend to hurt our own very existence.

Arukwe called for collective affirmative action of responsibility for the survival of our immediate environment and in essence, bring about positive spiral effects of our action to the global habitat.

“It is most pertinent that we intentionally work toward sustaining the balance in our ecosystem, by keeping our planet replenished with its natural forms and maintain its equilibrium,” she said.

NAN reports that the highlights of the event were environmental preservation sensitisation, enlightenment programmes and ceremonial tree planting at some schools in the Federal Capital Territory. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma