Dr. Yusuf Bukar, the Director-General of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), revealed that the agency has successfully produced 45,251,179 diverse tree seedlings for nationwide afforestation efforts. This announcement came during an engaging session with members of the House of Representatives Committee on Ecological Fund in Abuja. Dr. Bukar elaborated that 10,813,733 of these seedlings were distributed to farmers to foster agroforestry practices, while 14,118 degraded landscapes underwent rehabilitation through various plantation schemes. Additionally, the agency procured and distributed 4,455 units of solar home lighting systems and installed 3,102 units of solar streetlights in rural markets, boreholes, and plant nursery sites.
He also mentioned that the agency had acquired and distributed 6,300 units of super saver wooden stoves to rural families, discouraging indiscriminate tree logging for household use. Additionally, 128 units of solar-powered pumps with trolleys were procured and installed for irrigation across the 11 frontline states. The agency constructed 430 solar-powered and motorized boreholes, established five skill acquisition centers, and 71 community plant nurseries for seedling production. They also built 14.6 km of rural feeder roads, 110 tubewells for irrigation, and trained 1,397 youths as forest guards. To aid their patrols, 85 motorcycles were distributed. Empowering women and youth, the agency procured and distributed 205 grinding machines. Over 210,709 youths participated in direct tree planting, and 2,283 individuals were trained in off-land livelihood activities. Additionally, 275 farmers were trained in climate-smart agriculture. Automatic Weather Stations were installed for data collection, along with a robust monitoring and evaluation system. Chairman Rep. Sani Jaji emphasized the committee’s interest in understanding the agency’s activities for effective oversight and urged clarity on public complaints.
