Some Corps members:

Mr Philip Bankole, the Director of Forestry, Federal Ministry of Environment, on Thursday, said Federal Government was partnering with the National Youth Services Corps (NYSC) to implement the National Afforestation Programme.

Bankole said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on the sidelines of a workshop to validate Communication Strategy Document to reduce gas emission in Abuja.

He said the partnership was to mandate all corps members to be involved in tree planting during their service year.

The director said that the programme, which would gulp a lot of money, was to reduce the effects of climate change on humans and the environment.

Bankole added that the programme would be implemented in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He noted that “every stakeholder must understand the importance of forest and the need for us to preserve it; destroying it is disastrous to climate
change because it causes desertification and drought.

“When the land is degraded, it can cause migration. We need to talk to everybody both the policy makers and the people to imbibe conservation
mentality.

“We are partnering with other agencies like the NYSC to make sure that corps members engage in tree planting during their service year.”

According to him, the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Environment, is working effectively to ensure the conservation of
forests in the country.

He cautioned that the rate of tree cutting was too high “and unless we embark on massive afforestation in the next few years, we will not have forests
in the country.”

He also urged other stakeholders and communities to engage in tree planting so as to support government’s efforts in that regard.