NDDC holds one day sensitization workshop on Tree Planting

DDM NEWS

Participants at the one tree planting campaign sensitization workshop recently in Owerri

The Niger Delta Development Commission has held one day sensitization workshop on the importance of tree planting in our environment.

The program which held on Thursday July 25, 2025 had in attendance personalities from the academia, the Media, Youths Organizations, students, and other stakeholders.

Addressing newsmen after the program, the Chief Consultant Foundation for Sustainable Development Options, Dr Charles Chovwen said, that climate change is here with us. It’s not a dream, not theories and fantasies.

He said the menace of climate change cannot be overemphasized

“Climate change is established not just a phenomenon, but a menace that is now here with us.

“Knowing now that it’s here with us, what are we supposed to do as a people, as stakeholders, as communities, as schools, or as a nation?

“And this is why we are here.
We’re just taking an integral part of mitigating climate change, and which is planting of trees”, he noted.

Dr Chovwen explained that the campaign is about reawakening the practice of planting of trees across the entire Niger Delta states.

The consultant said people should do something about climate change by planting trees on spaces within our environment.

He asserted that flooding, increasing heat, depletion of ozone layer etcetera are all negative impacts of climate change that should be tackled with tree planting.

“We all contribute daily to the issue of climate change, not just hydrocarbon.
We have a poor maintenance culture in Nigeria.

“Now tree planting is very key in solving environmental issues.

“Now if you are setting up this initiative by sensitization, then you must start with tree planting”, he said.

Chovwen maintained that there are mechanisms and structures you are going to put in place to ensure that after planting these trees, there should be structures to ensure that they are maintained.

“Because a tree is a living organism, If it is not maintained and checked , t will die”, he stated.

In his speech, one of resource persons from the academia, Prof Bethel Uzoho
said what actually matters is not the government coming up with a program but the government being pragmatic about how to handle whatever thing they put their hands to do for the tree planting program to succeed.

He highlighted that before now we have been hearing from radio that if you fell one tree plant another adding that it did not go down well with people because they do not know why they should plant trees.

“But with what we have done today, making people realize actually what they will gain from tree planting ,we don’t need to tell them again to plant trees”, he stated.

Prof urged the organizers to ensure that anyone who participate in such a program should go home with at least one tree to be able to put to practice what they have learnt.

He said government should make financial incentives available for people to access to enable them plant trees and nurture them.

Uzoho noted: “With what we have done today, I’m happy that the secondary and primary students we have brought, who do not know anything about tree planting before now have learnt something and will now do well.

The event was well attended, lectures about tree planting were delivered and the attendees went home happy.

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