NEWS
Climate Change: KDSG, Assembly Apologise Over Felling of Historical Trees in Assembly Complex
The Kaduna State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the House of Assembly on Tuesday apologised to the public for felling some historical trees in the assembly’s complex.
Reports says that during a technical review meeting on the draft climate change policy document for Kaduna State, the ministry and the assembly received knocks from stakeholders over their actions.
The House of Assembly is historically known for giant trees surrounding it and within the complex, but the trees were spotted to have been felled.
NAN learnt that each of the giant trees had files containing its botanical type, the planter and the nurtures.
The uproar by environment enthusiasts, arising from the trees’ felling, had generated disappointments after several advocacy visits and campaigns to the house on the need for commitment and laws to protect the environment.
The Chairman of the Assembly’s Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, Mr Usman Stingo, said they felled some of the trees for some cogent reasons.
He, however, expressed regrets over the action, saying they would replace the trees in double and nuture them to full growth.
Stingo said the major factor affecting the environment was human activities.
He, therefore, called for review of the draft climate policy document and assured of the assembly’s readiness for speedy passage of the bill at its floor.
Also, the state’s Comissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr Abubakar Buba, said they gave permission for pruning of the trees within the assembly’s complex.
“I was shocked when I heard they cut down the trees,” he said.
Buba, represented by Mrs Linda Yakubu, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, said in 2024, it planned to plant a minimum of 20,000 trees across the state, to mitigate the effects of climate change.
He stressed that the ministry was keen in ensuring the safeguarding of the forests.
“For every tree that will be felled in Kaduna, there must be approval and inspection to ascertain the need to fell the tree.
“If the needs are genuine, when it is approved, it must be replaced with planting of at least two,” he said.
According to Buba, most of the charcoal seen being transported within the state were brought from neighboring states.
He expressed optimism that the draft policy document, if completed, would go a long way to safeguard the environment, to further mitigate the effects of climate change.
Earlier addressing newsmen at the sideline of the engagement, Prof. Yahaya Ibrahim, a Consultant at Presting Green Environmental Safety, said when the British came to Kaduna, they mapped out the assembly’s location at the independence way to be a centre of the metropolis.
He explained that close to the complex was the stadium where durbah was held and trees were needed for relaxation.
“Prominent people at that time were those who planted the trees, from Fredrick Lugard Hall to Ranchers Bees and Ahmadu Bello stadium.
“All the trees were named and filed in the state. This is why the trees are being taken care of.
When we saw some of the trees being felled, we were shocked and had to immediately call attention of the assembly’s Committee on Environment.”
On the review of the draft policy document, Ibrahim said it would guide the environment ministry on climate change related issues and activities.
He said areas in the draft policy document which were observed not to have been included were those in children protection under climate change, which they added.
Ibrahim said the overall objective was to achieve a climate resilience, adaptation and mitigation in Kaduna State so that the people would not be vulnerable.
He mentioned some of the vulnerabilities that needed to be avoided to include reduction in agricultural yield, reduction in flowing rivers, among others.
Reports says that the engagement, supported by Safe the Children International (SCI) and Open Government Youth Innovation Hub, was attenxed by children from various schools in Kaduna and other stakeholders from MDAs.(NAN)
Chief Bode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged President Bola Tinubu to reduce the price of petrol to N300 per litre ,to make things easy for Nigerians during the festive season.
George, the Atona Oodua of Yorubaland, made this plea at an interactive session with newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos.
The price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, is currently above N1,000 per litre.
According to the elder statesman,Nigerians are going through hardship, the President should give an order to reduce fuel price, specifying time frame the people will enjoy such window of relief.
He said that the federal government as well as well- meaning individuals and businesses could bear the cost of such price slash , to bring happiness to all Nigerians.
The PDP leader, who noted that December and January are special months , said that such gesture could start from the middle of December and run through January.
“I have been thinking, as a Nigerian, what can we do because the anger and the hunger are almost equal on the streets of Nigeria.
“What am I suggesting is that Mr President should sit down with his managers and give an order that from the middle of December to the end of January, the cost of petrol will be N300 per litre.
“The government can absorb the losses in the interest of the suffering people.
“If they (government) want others to contribute, let us know how much that is going to cost and ask people to donate, to bear the cost.
“We will be sending a lot of messages of happiness across the tribes and homes.
“Everybody in Nigeria will be happy because it will positively impact on this period of the year. It is a challenge and he (Tinubu) can do it.
“We need this in this December and January to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians, ” George, a PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) life member, said.
Advising the President to take further measures to bring relief to the people, he said that the gesture would crash prices of essential commodities and services for the benefit of all .
He said that government’s efforts should be concentrated on reducing high inflation rate, unemployment, poverty and youth restlessness in order to create a better future for Nigerians
Speaking on the recent presidential election in Ghana, George noted that Nigeria’s electoral system needed reforms to guard against electoral frauds and manipulations.
According to him, the nation will continue to grope for development if the system fails to encourage best candidates to emerge.
Stating that election must reflect the wishes of the people and be devoid of religious and tribal sentiments, George said that Ghana election should be a wake up call for Nigeria.
“INEC performance must improve. The commission must make sure that the voice of the people is heard in elections.
“Electoral offenders should be made to face the music and sent to jail. We must be very firm about due process, credibility and transparency in elections,” he said.
Urging the President to revisit resolutions in the 2014 Constitutional Conference, George said that the current constitution was not federal in principle and practice.
“We should not deceive ourselves, the constitution is a problem. It is a military constitution, it is not democratic,” he said.
George called on the National Assembly to ensure devolution of powers and electoral reforms that would do away with manual collation of election results and mandate electronic transmission of election results from polling units.
George disagreed with political watchers saying no vacancy in presidency in 2027.
On the dwindling strength of the former ruling party, George, who noted that all organisations had its ups and downs, said that selfish interests and disregard for party rules remained PDP’s major challenge.
He said that PDP could bounce back and win presidential election if the leadership decided to elevate national interest above selfish interests and adhere to the party’s constitution.
“We will tell ourselves some serious old truth. We messed ourselves up. ” he said.
Stating, however, that the PDP was not dead, George said that lack of justice, equity, fairness and the inability to adhere to the party’s zoning and rotational principle cost the party victory in 2023.
Calling on the party’s founding fathers alive to wake up and rescue the party, George said that Nigerians were still waiting for the former ruling party to take over power and put things right. (NAN)
President Bola Tinubu, is set to perform the groundbreaking of 2,000 housing units of the Renewed Hope City in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, in the next few weeks.
Mr Ahmed Dangiwa, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, announced this during an official assessment visit, on Wednesday in Lagos
Dangiwa said Lagos would represent the South-west, while the president would do that of the North-West in Kano, before doing that of the four other regions.
“Arrangements is already on ground, we have gotten sites, and work has commenced for 2000 houses in the Renewed Hope City that we intend to build in Ibeju-Lekki,” he said.
Towards achieving the set goal, the minister said the visiting team also paid a courtesy visit to Gov.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu to discuss area of collaboration between the federal and state governments.He disclosed that the federal and Lagos state governments had agreed to set up a Tripartite committee and ensure all the issues of concerns between the parties were resolved amicably for the benefit of all.
Earlier, the Minister embarked on an assessment visit of deplorable Federal Government buildings and assets across Lagos state in a bid to commence rehabilitation on them in a few months.
Dangiwa said the rehabilitation was necessary as the deplorable buildings posed a challenge and security concerns to the Lagos state government. (NAN)
Gov. Hyacinth Alia on Wednesday presented the sum of N550.1bn as the 2025 appropriation bill to the Benue State House of Assembly for consideration and passage into law.
Alia told the lawmakers that out of the total budget size, N175.4 billion is for recurrent expenditure while the N374.
7 billion is for capital expenditure.The governor said that the total estimate represented a 47.
5 per cent increment over the 2024 revised and approved figure of N373 billion.He stated that the appropriation bill tagged “Budget of Human Capital Development, Food Security, and Digital Economy” was to consolidate the gains made in 2024.
Alia further explained that the proposed recurrent expenditure of N175.
4 billion was 13.55 per cent higher than the previous year.According to him, budgeted capital expenditure of N374.7 billion represents a 71.5 per cent increment on the 2024 revised capital expenditure.
“The budget breakdown indicated that the sum of N212.2 billion, representing 38.52 per cent is for administration; N196.6 billion, representing 35.68 per cent is for the economy; law and justice will take N26.6 billion, representing 4.84 per cent while social welfare will gulp N115.5 billion, representing 20.96 per cent.
“We have the vision. We have the will. And most importantly, we have the people ready to work alongside us to turn this vision into reality.
“Together, we will build a state where every citizen has the opportunity to succeed, where food is plentiful, and where the digital economy opens new frontiers of opportunity for all,” he said.
The governor said the intention of the government was to stay within the limits of its recurring revenue to build the state without accruing unnecessary debts for generations unborn.
He, however, said that since the 2025 budget was a deficit one, it proposed a borrowing plan of a conservative sum of N26bn, representing a modest 4.7 per cent of the proposed aggregate expenditure for 2025.
“This is lower than the state’s debt-to-GDP ratio of 8.2 per cent which is within the benchmark of the 25 per cent debt sustainability threshold.
“Despite these favourable debt ratios, I want to reiterate that borrowing will only be considered as a last resort and for regenerative investment purposes,” he added.
Alia stated that the problem of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) remained a challenge, adding that they have reasonably improved their living conditions.
He said the Bureau of International Cooperation and Development has elicited substantial grants from donors, totalling N85bn. (NAN)
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