The Great Green Wall initiative was launched in 2007 by the African Union to restore Africa’s degraded landscapes and transform millions of lives in the Sahel. More than USD 8 billion has been raised for the realization of the project. However, Nigeria’s climate has continued to see changes in its variability leading to more intense and untimely rainfall, land degradation, flash floods, landslides, and gully erosion.
Nigeria Vice President Kashim Shettima spoke Thursday at the inaugural Great Green Wall Day Celebration at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, on the theme “The Promise of a Green World.” He noted that the objective of the Great Green Wall Initiative cannot be abandoned and urged Nigerians and all environmental stakeholders to recognize the Great Green Wall Initiative as an Emergency Rescue Operation to save humanity from the effects of climate change and restore fertile lands. He emphasized the urgent need to address climate change and its effects on the environment, which varied from extreme temperatures, drying rivers, endangered wildlife, and thinning forests, to desert encroachment.
A year ago on June 16 in Abuja, cardinal resolutions were taken at the 8th Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of Member Countries in implementing the Great Green Wall Initiative. However, these resolutions are yet to be implemented.
Through reforestation efforts, terracing, agroforestry, biodiversity conservation, community engagement, and climate education, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere can be reduced and climate change can be combatted in Nigeria. However, more than talk we need sustained implementation of these measures.
