Directs Public Institutions to Embrace Tree Planting, Ensure Seedling Survival
Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has said his administration is targeting the planting and nurturing of 11 million trees across the state by 2030, beginning with two million trees in 2026, under the Katsina-One-Tree Initiative (KT1T).
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A statement signed by Ibrahim kaula Mohammed,Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, said Governor Radda stated this on Monday during the flag-off launch of the Katsina-One-Tree Initiative (KT1T) at Ladanawa, Rimi Local Government Area, which targets all 34 local government areas and 6,652 Climate Intervention Areas across the state.
“Our target is clear: 11 million trees by 2030, beginning with two million trees in 2026. Our message is simple: One Person, One Tree, One Responsibility,” Radda said.
He stressed that the initiative’s success would be measured by the number of trees that survive and mature, rather than the number of seedlings distributed.
“A seedling distributed is an opportunity. A tree that survives is an achievement. We will not count ceremonies; we will count living trees,” he added.
The governor said environmental protection was vital to agricultural productivity, food security and sustainable development, warning that desertification, climate change and flooding threatened livelihoods and community stability.
“Climate risk is a poverty issue. It drives up food prices, empties granaries, fuels conflict over land and water, and pushes young people out of our villages,” he said.
Radda noted that trees protect farmlands against wind erosion, improve soil fertility, provide fruits and animal fodder, and create additional income opportunities for rural communities.
He highlighted the state’s climate governance initiatives, including the State Climate Change Policy, the establishment of the State Council on Climate Change and climate expenditure tracking across MDAs and local government councils.
The governor also cited Katsina’s first-place ranking among Nigeria’s 36 states in the 2025 Sub-national Climate Governance Performance Ranking and recognition by the Forestry Association of Nigeria for its environmental governance efforts.
He further highlighted ACRESAL interventions, implemented in collaboration with the World Bank and the Federal Government, including stormwater drainage projects in Katsina metropolis and riverbank protection works in Jibia.
According to him, the interventions are strengthening community resilience against flooding and other climate-related risks.
To ensure effective implementation, Radda announced a Central Steering Committee, three zonal monitoring committees covering Katsina, Daura and Funtua, local government supervisory committees and ward implementation committees.
He urged traditional rulers, religious leaders, farmers, pastoralists, women, youths and community leaders to take ownership of the initiative.
“Governments can start a campaign, but only people can sustain it,” he said, urging residents to plant, water, protect and monitor seedlings and replace those that fail to survive.
The governor also directed schools, health facilities, MDAs and local governments to support the campaign. He encouraged more than 3,800 schools in the state to organise tree-planting activities and promote environmental awareness among pupils.
Hospitals, primary healthcare centres, government offices and local government secretariats were similarly urged to plant and maintain trees within their premises.
On accountability, Radda demanded transparent implementation, accurate registration and proper financial management, warning that committees must deliver measurable results.
He also urged residents to reduce dependence on firewood and charcoal, particularly as the harmattan season approaches, and embrace cleaner cooking alternatives.
“I urge every household to embrace clean cooking: gas, improved cookstoves and other clean technologies. This government is working with partners to make clean cooking more affordable and available,” he said.
Radda called on civil society organisations, NGOs and development partners to support the initiative, stressing that environmental protection was a collective responsibility.
“We inherited this land from our parents, but we are borrowing it from our children. Let us return it greener than we found it,” he said before officially declaring the initiative launched across the state’s 34 local government areas.
Earlier, the Director-General of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall, Alhaji Saleh Abubakar, representing the Minister of Agriculture, Balarabe Hassan, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to combating desertification and restoring degraded lands.
He said the initiative would strengthen federal-state collaboration through technical support, institutional cooperation and spatial monitoring systems to track progress and improve environmental data for national climate records and carbon-finance frameworks.
Abubakar urged traditional rulers, community leaders, women and young people to take ownership of the programme, describing grassroots participation as essential to achieving lasting environmental and socioeconomic benefits.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Climate Change, Professor Al’Ameen Muhammad, said the initiative aligned with the administration’s Building Your Future Strategic Policy, particularly its focus on natural resource management, ecosystem restoration and climate adaptation.
He said the programme would mobilise residents to plant and nurture 11 million trees by 2030, supported by seedling production and distribution, volunteer registration, monitoring and community participation.
Professor Muhammad added that the initiative would promote food security, agricultural development, employment generation and potential revenue from carbon credits. He urged residents to ensure that planted trees were properly nurtured and protected.
Similarly, the Executive Chairman of Rimi Local Government Area, Hon. Muhammad Ali, commended Governor Radda for introducing the initiative, describing it as an important intervention against desertification, land degradation and climate change.
He pledged to mobilise traditional rulers, councillors, youth and women’s groups, farmers, schools and other stakeholders to support tree planting, protection and maintenance across the local government’s wards.
Ali stressed that communities must go beyond planting seedlings to ensuring their survival and maturity, assuring the governor of the local government’s commitment to achieving the 2030 target.
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Those in attendance included, members of the State Executive Council, traditional rulers, APC leaders, local government chairmen, councillors, religious leaders, community representatives and climate and environmental stakeholders.