Giwa Bisi Rodipe, popularly described as the Nigerian Tree Planter along with others have advocated that they stand to gain a lot if Nigerians can come together to plant 1 billion trees annually. Giwa Bisi Rodipe, popularly described as the Nigerian Tree Planter along with others have advocated that they stand to gain a lot if Nigerians can come together to plant 1 billion trees annually. According to him, we now know that Nigeria’s failure in sustainable forest management is responsible for:
(A.) The ongoing large-scale deforestation that has started since the late 1970s.
(B.) The lack of Nigeria Forest Sector contributing to the National GDP, Employment generation both on upstream and downstream and sustainable environment..
(C.) The termination of World Bank afforestation Programme since the 80s
(D.) The turning of Nigeria Forest sector into a Speculative Trade
(E.) The closures of Large and Medium Scale wood processing Industries particularly Plywood factories.
(F.) The Nigeria’s inability to compete in the International Timber and Wood Trades.
(G.) The Nigeria’s inability to compete in the Membership of International Timber and Wood Organizations; such as ITTO and others.
(H.) The poor training facilities and structure of the Technical Colleges Training Wood Workers.What does Nigeria stand to gain from these initiatives?
(1.) The One Billion National Tree Planting Project is capable of creating 3 million Productive and meaning plantation jobs for the common people that will eradicated the endemic poverty and unemployment in Nigeria.
(2.) Nigeria will become a forest sustainable nation, when Nigerian Forest Laws will become relevant to Sustainable Forest Management.
(3.) Nigeria will qualify for certification as a Timber Exporting Nation, and join the League of Sustainable Forest Nations and Timber Exporters
(4.) Nigeria would have met the global standard in combating global warming and qualify to receive carbon credit worth Billions of US Dollar from the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the U.N Frame Work Convention on Climate Change.
(5.) We would have succeeded in creating another solid source of wealth creation from the forest of our land.
(6.) Large and medium plywood, particleboard and wood products plants and factories that have closed down will spring back to production and new ones established. Nigeria will become wood product exporter instead of importer as it is happening presently.
(7.) Our environment would now be more Stable, Cooler and Safer ‘from the destructive consequences of global warming. (8.) Nigeria non-oil export of forest products will increase more than 100,000 fold.
(9.) The landscape of Nigeria will change from jungle bushland to a productive cultivated landmass.
(10.) Anew purposeful Nigeria will consequently be born .It is the wish and hope of Nigerian Tree Planters that our intervention in this hidden renewable resource should be exploited by the three-tier governments and the Nigeria Private Sector. He says spreading the gospel of tree planting cannot but be emphasised. He explained that tree planting will stop the tide of Global warning and poverty eradication. Other advantages includes. (1.) To create awareness of the important role Wood is, in the Sustenance of Human’s life and stability of the planet earth. Therefore survival of Humanity depends on trees therefore we need to care and protect trees. (2.) To influence Attitudinal Changes of Cropping without planting or harvesting without cultivation; To planting before cropping and cultivation before harvesting. (3.) To influence official procedural change of Direct Revenue drive from A Forest Reserves of Tree cutting; To’ indirect Revenue drive from’ viable wood paper Industries and a sustainable Forest Management Policy that promote Forest Conservation. (4.) To influence the various Government towards budgeting for Environmental Sustainability through Tree Planting, forest Conservation and Environment Beautification of our Towns and Cities. (5.) To employ the available know-how and resources in the Forest Research Institute, State Ministries of Forestry or Dept of Forestry of the Ministry of Agriculture for the benefit of the Tree Planter in every State or Local Government Area. (6.) To provide the missing link that affect viable Agric. Production with the various Agric. Research Institutes and Agric. Production especially Tree Planting in Nigeria. (7.) To influence Rural Landowners including Tertiary Institution with large expanse of land to add value to their land through Tree Planting. (8.) To influence Rural investors towards investing in Tree Planting, especially land speculators to add value to the landmass of the nation that is lying fallow. (9.) To influence the Nouveau riche in the Cities to look back to their root in the village to engage in Tree Plantations that will create everlasting wealth for the village people and for Sustainable Industries. (10.) To create awareness for the uniqueness of Trees in Environmental Sustainability, and as raw material for the Wood, Paper and Construction Industry that will ultimately create unlimited employment that will eradicate the endemic poverty that has plagued Nigeria for decades. (11.) To promote Tree seed collections for the establishment of tree seed nurseries in every town and villages. (12.) To encourage Commercial Production of Tree seedlings. (13.)To serve as the Activator or Motivator of Tree Planting and Environmental Beautification in the State and Local Government Areas. (14. )To convince would be Tree planting investors that Tree Planting is as good as a long time savings and or investment Tree Planting is the only investment you watch growing without management cost. It’s the only investment that is free of investment risk. It’s a Win, Win Affair. (15.) Emphasis that Tree Planting investment is the only sector that adequately rewards the producer or the tree planter directly on harvesting. Unlike the Oil/Gas Sector where there is no input from the common workforce and where the National Government control everything from oil Blocks Drilling to Refining, the tree planter earned not less than 95% from the sale of the matured trees on harvesting and depends on the employment of plantation workforce that will eradicate poverty among the common people plantation workforce. (16.)10 prevent the tide of Global Warming and the endemic poverty, The Nigerian Tree Plants have resolved today Wednesday 6th of February, 2008 on the First National Workshop on Tree Planting: * To talk of Tree Planting you our friends. * To Sing Tree Planting among our Clubs and Societies. *To encourage Tree Planting in our Neighborhood * To promote Tree Planting to our Communities . * To embark on Tree Planting in our States .* To plant 1,000,000 (One million) trees annually in bur Towns and Villages in each of the 7,74 Local Government Areas and the 36 States of Nigeria including Abuja the Federal Capital consecutively for 10 years. *To make Nigeria become A Forest Sustainable Nation, is a task that must be accomplished. Our collective interest and selfless service for a better environment will encourage our Government to budget for Tree Planting and execute Environmental Programmes for a better Nigeria.
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