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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Vice President Kashim Shettima has made a passionate plea to Nigerians and all those involved to see the Great Green Wall Initiative as an urgent rescue mission.
He explained that its objective is to combat the adverse impacts of climate change and reclaim fertile lands, thereby safeguarding the well-being of humanity.
The Vice President made the call at the inaugural Great Green Wall Day Celebration at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, on the theme “The Promise of a Green World”, noting that the objective of the Great Green Wall Initiative cannot be abandoned.
Shettima stressed the urgent need to address climate change and its effects on the environment, such as extreme temperatures, drying rivers, endangered wildlife, and thinning forests.
“We are the silver lining in this search for a green and benign world, one that guarantees food security and prevents climate-induced migration. The Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI) was born in 2007 to prevent the ecological nightmare looming over us.
“It is a daring yet practical intervention to save humanity and rebuild the world to accommodate our desires, to keep our lands fertile, our silos full, and our agrarian economies booming once again.
“Ten years ago, Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Environment, took up the challenge to partake in this Pan-African mission to save our world. This has been prioritized by our policymakers, so that by 2015, the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) was enacted by an enabling Act of Parliament.
“Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I appeal to all of us to see this initiative as an emergency rescue operation. We inherited a dream that we can’t afford to relegate because doing so isn’t even an option.
“Our predecessors were aware of the danger ahead, and the burden is upon us now to pursue this mission as life-saving mission, and we must carry all stakeholders along to achieve this.
“The completion of the Great Green Wall was a promise made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his campaign manifesto because the cost of doing otherwise threatens our collective existence. We are, therefore, pleased to share that this inaugural “Great Green Wall Day” is both an exercise in demonstrating our commitment to this initiative and an act of self-preservation.
“This day is also designed to honour one of the cardinal resolutions taken at the 8th Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of Member Countries implementing the Great Green Wall Initiative held in Abuja on June 16, 2022”, he said.
The Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI) was initiated in 2007
The highlight of the event was the planting of trees by top government officials and dignitaries, including the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu.
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Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye
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