The Oyo State Government has identified a deficit of 240 million trees in the state and launched a 10-year reforestation plan to restore degraded forests, expand forest cover and promote environmental sustainability.
The Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Ademola Aderinto, disclosed this during the launch of the Oyo State Reforestation Plan (OYRP) and a stakeholders’ engagement meeting in Ibadan.
Aderinto said the initiative was designed to recover forest resources lost through mismanagement, illegal encroachment and other unauthorised activities.
He said, “Oyo State has identified a deficit of 240 million trees, and we are taking the necessary steps to address this challenge through a 10-year reforestation plan.”
The commissioner explained that the reforestation summit would become an annual event where stakeholders would assess progress, identify challenges and determine further actions towards achieving the target.
He said the initiative was also part of the state’s response to climate change, adding that the government was determined to take the lead in environmental restoration efforts in Nigeria.
Aderinto said the government was open to partnerships with individuals, organisations and relevant institutions to achieve its environmental objectives.
As part of efforts to encourage tree planting, he disclosed that the government would engage schools, train students and reward institutions that planted more trees within their premises.
He also said the government was working towards ensuring that every National Youth Service Corps member posted to the state planted at least one tree before completing the service year.
According to him, outstanding corps members would receive cash prizes and awards based on the number of trees planted and maintained.
The commissioner urged stakeholders to support the initiative, while appreciating Governor Seyi Makinde for approving the programme.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Dr Sunday Akinwale Moradeyo, said the relocation of the Forestry Department from the then Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in 2019 had improved its access to government attention, support and resources.
Moradeyo said that, for the first time in the department’s history, the Director of Forestry would attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP) as one of the state’s representatives.
He attributed the development to Aderinto’s efforts, particularly his commitment to tree planting and environmental protection.
The permanent secretary also disclosed that the reforestation plan was initiated by the commissioner, adding that the department had benefited from intervention projects through the Federal Ministry of Environment and related agencies.
He advocated a public-private partnership approach to forest restoration, expansion of forest cover and rehabilitation of degraded lands.
Moradeyo said relying solely on government ownership and management of forest resources was no longer sufficient to address deforestation and forest degradation, which also affected the livelihoods of people whose economic activities depended on forests.
At the stakeholders’ engagement meeting, themed “Shared Responsibility for a Greener Oyo State: Financing Restoration through Public-Private Partnership”, participants called for regular evaluation and monitoring of existing forest management measures.
They also noted that properly managed forest reserves could contribute to improved security by making it easier to monitor activities within the forests.
The stakeholders urged the state government to revive the compartmentalisation arrangement previously used to monitor forest reserves, saying stronger surveillance and collaboration among forest users could help curb criminal activities, including kidnapping.
They further recommended the establishment of a committee comprising representatives of different forest users to ensure the effective implementation and sustainability of the reforestation plan.
The participants expressed their readiness to collaborate with the government in improving forest management and protecting the state’s natural resources.
Those in attendance included the Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Williams Akinfunmilayo; directors from various ministries; and representatives of the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), Centre for Non-Governmental Organisation and Environmental Sustainability (CENRAD), Oyo State Investment and Public-Private Partnership Agency (OYSIPA), University of Ibadan, Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), Forestry Association of Nigeria and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
Others included sawmillers, timber contractors, charcoal dealers and other forestry stakeholders.
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