CITAD launches tree-planting drive in Kano schools to combat desertification

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has launched a tree-planting initiative in public secondary schools across Kano State as part of efforts to combat desertification, strengthen climate resilience and preserve indigenous tree species.

The initiative was launched on Tuesday at the Special Education School, Tudun Maliki, Kano, by the Executive Director of CITAD, Yunusa Zakari Ya’u.

Ya’u said the programme was designed to encourage students to take active roles in environmental protection while promoting tree planting and conservation within their schools and communities.

He said the initiative would be extended to public secondary schools across the state, with students expected to become advocates for environmental protection and contribute to building a greener and more climate-resilient future.

Read Also:

Illegal mass felling of trees ongoing at Kano government-owned institution – Report

“The initiative will extend to all public secondary schools across the state, empowering students to become champions of environmental protection and a greener future,” Ya’u said.

He disclosed that CITAD had trained teachers from selected secondary schools in Kano on promoting the planting and preservation of indigenous tree species.

According to him, the training formed part of the organisation’s efforts to address desertification, improve communities’ resilience to climate change and protect biodiversity.

Ya’u said Nigeria was endowed with diverse indigenous tree species across its ecological zones, ranging from the rainforests in the south to the savannah regions in the north.

He, however, expressed concern that climate change and the continuous felling of trees for cooking and other human activities were threatening the survival of many indigenous species.

“Climate change and our culture of cutting down trees for cooking and other human consumption have become threats to our indigenous trees,” he said.

The CITAD executive director warned that failure to replace trees lost to human activities could worsen environmental and social challenges, including soil erosion, rising local temperatures, declining air quality and the destruction of wildlife habitats.

He noted that trees provide shade, help control flooding, reduce soil erosion and support biodiversity, while inadequate vegetation could accelerate land degradation and the spread of desert-like conditions in vulnerable areas.

Ya’u appreciated the Kano State Ministry of Water Resources, Environment and Climate Change for supporting the initiative with more than 750 tree seedlings.

He also commended the Kano State Senior Secondary Schools Management Board (KSSSMB) and the Kano State Science and Technical Schools Board for their collaboration and support towards the programme.

According to him, the Senior Secondary Schools Management Board provided space for CITAD to establish a nursery where the seedlings would be nurtured before being distributed for planting.

The Principal and Director of the Special Education School, Shehu Sani, commended CITAD for bringing the initiative to the institution, describing it as an important intervention in promoting environmental responsibility among students.

Sani said, to his knowledge, it was the first time a non-governmental organisation had visited the school with such an intervention.

“This is the first time that a non-governmental organisation has come to the school with this kind of intervention,” he said.

He disclosed that the school had selected 10 students and appointed them as prefects responsible for supervising and protecting the newly planted trees.

According to him, the students would ensure that the trees were properly maintained while making tree protection part of their regular environmental responsibilities.

CITAD said its school-based approach was intended to give students practical experience in environmental conservation and encourage them to replicate tree-planting and protection efforts in their communities.

The organisation said replacing trees lost to human activities was critical to reducing environmental pressure caused by deforestation and land degradation.

It added that the tree-planting exercise would be expanded to more public secondary schools across Kano State.