Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi
Worried by the threats of deforestation in the country, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Bauchi State, Natural Resources Conservation Foundation, has lamented the reckless felling of trees in the society, which it said, creates artificial desertification and other disasters such as the recent windstorm that rocked the state.
It therefore appealed to the federal government to make kerosene available and affordable to the common man in order to avoid the cutting down of trees to make firewood and charcoal for cooking.
Addressing newsmen weekend in Bauchi, the chairman of the foundation, Dr Ahmad Mai Abba, who expressed the NGO’s resolve to embark on massive awareness campaign on the negative activities of dumping of refuse in drainages and wanton felling of trees in the state, also advocated the recruitment of forest guards as part of measures to stop illegal deforestation.
He said the Foundation focuses on two major agendas which include, practical intervention in the areas of refuse collection, creation of drainage system among communities and aggressive trees planting.
The chairman noted that every human being has the responsibility to protect and conserve natural resources, hence the need for collective efforts towards safeguarding natural endowments from destruction.
On the recent windstorm and fire disasters in the state, Mai Abba called on the state government to do everything possible to ensure the victims are accorded the necessary assistance.