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NCF Commits to Partnering FG in 20bn Tree-planting Initiative
Bennett Oghifo
The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has said it would do all that is necessary to partner the federal government in its proposed planting of 20 billion trees.
The Director General of NCF,
Dr Joseph Onoja, stated this during a dialogue by NCF members and other stakeholders on ‘Preserving
Nigeria’s Natural Heritage’, at the Lekki Conservation Centre in Lagos, recently.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, after touring multiple agricultural and industrial facilities across Ethiopia recently, stated, “We intend to plant 20 billion trees in the next rainy season. It requires a lot of planning, energy and drive which Ethiopia was able to galvanise its population into doing.”
Nigeria, he said, “Will embark on massive tree planting and its campaign thereof in the upcoming rainy season as part of its national reforestation and environmental sustainability drive.”
He said the initiative draws strong inspiration from Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, which he described as a model for combining climate action with economic opportunity.
The NCF, Onoja said, would “partner with the federal government, especially in the light of the recent pronouncement by the Vice President Shettima in Ethiopia that Nigeria is going to plant 20 billion trees.
“At NCF, we have a model of making sure that happens, and we are willing to partner with the federal government. We’ve partnered with the Federal Ministry of Environment. We’ve done some work under the National Forestry Trust Fund, and we are hoping that we engage the office of the vice president to ensure that his pronouncement comes to light, because that is what we want. “And it’s very important for us to mention that that will go a long way to ensure not just the integrity of the Nigerian ecosystem, but it will also provide jobs, green jobs. Imagine the value chain from collecting the seedlings to breaking the dormancy, to raising the seedlings, to planting and then to nurturing. We have about five value chains there where we can create green jobs. And you can imagine 20 billion trees. The number of green jobs that will be created will be enormous. And it will be a continuous thing, not just a one off, because growing trees takes three- four years. And with that, people will be able to develop themselves. And some of these trees will have economic value, so that by time you grow these trees, there’ll be such a way that they will grow, and then they will start providing economic value.”
He said, “The past year, 2024, was adventurous, I must say. And we advanced our tree planting activities with our partners, planting over 184,000 trees. We want to emphasise that we’re growing 184,000 trees, because we are not just planting, but ensuring that they grow because we want them to play the role they’re supposed to play in the environment. “And that is what we continue to preach, planting the right trees at the right places, the right quantity, the right number at the right time as well, and because we’ve been doing this over the years, it has placed us in a very advantageous position to be able to partner with the government.”
He called for collaboration in protecting the environment “so that the environment will protect us. It is not just a responsibility of the government.”
The NCF stakeholders’ forum, attended by conservationists, environmental advocates, nature
lovers, policy stakeholders, and researchers, was an interactive session on the urgent
need to protect Nigeria’s unique natural landscapes, endangered species, and biodiversity hotspots. Discussions spotlight local conservation efforts, community engagement, and the role of ecotourism in sustainable development. As the country faces increasing threats to its natural ecosystems, the gathering was also designed to celebrate the country’s rich natural heritage, while spotlighting actionable strategies
for its preservation, according to Onoja.
Chairman of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Hon. Justice Bukola Adebiyi said advocacy on environmental preservation is a critical role the NCF plays.
“Our role is to educate you. Tell you what the problems are. Tell you how you can solve the problems, even in terms of planting trees. You know, there are certain kinds of trees that you have to plant that will quickly grow. There’re certain kinds of trees that will grow in your own community. So, those are the kinds of things that we do- advocacy, and that is how communities will benefit from the knowledge of NCF.
The Chairman thanked all their partners, particularly Chevron Nigeria, “because this foundation is run on philanthropy, on donations. It’s an NGO. So we have to thank everybody who partners with us, and then to thank those who believe in the cause of conservation. Because if we are getting all this money, and we don’t have people who are partnering with us and helping us, joining with us to fight the case of conservation, then we won’t be able to make any progress.”
An environmentalist, Desmond Majekodunmi said the dialogue was important, “because we’re having so many of these climatic catastrophes with heavy rain, causing terrible floods. And NCF is at the vanguard of this movement, using natural solutions and ensuring that we have tremendous amount of trees planted and protecting the forest.”
Majekodunmi said, “Nature is our life support system, and NCF is doing a wonderful job. NCF is really driving community resilience. It’s really pushing it big time now, because that’s what it’s all about. The community have to own the process, and once they own the process, it’s going to be done in the right way. So we’re so excited for what NCF is doing.”
