News Investigators/ The Nasarawa State Government has reaffirmed its ban on charcoal production, saying it is intensifying efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, waste management challenges and flooding in the state.
Ede Yakubu, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, stated this while speaking with newsmen in Lafia on Wednesday.
Mr Yakubu said that indiscriminate charcoal production had resulted in massive deforestation and land degradation, thereby worsening the effects of climate change in the state.
“People devised a culture of making charcoal as a business; they exploited our forest. All these trees you are seeing are no longer there, and our lands became degraded.
“That is why the government placed a ban on charcoal exploitation. Nobody should enter the forest to produce charcoal; it is illegal.
“The laws are there, policies are there, and enforcement agencies are there. But if we do not change our attitude, all these will not make any impact,” he said.
Yakubu said forest guards had been deployed to designated forests and strategic bushes to enforce the ban and arrest violators.
“Once we see you with charcoal, we arrest you and fine you. The ban has not been lifted. It is still in force.
“Anyone caught will be adequately dealt with. We have started arresting some, and they are being prosecuted,” he said.
He said the state government was also collaborating with the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project to replant trees in degraded areas.
Yakubu noted that the trees planted within the state Secretariat premises during the last World Environment Day were part of efforts to restore green cover and promote environmental sustainability.
He said the ministry had also scaled up sensitisation campaigns by visiting schools and tertiary institutions to educate students on tree planting and environmental conservation.
The permanent secretary added that the Department of Climate Change would soon commence community-to-community campaigns to educate residents on tree planting and environmental conservation.
On waste management and flooding, Yakubu said the government also planned to provide free waste bins to households and commence the construction of drainage systems in flood-prone areas across the state.
He said the ministry, in collaboration with the Nasarawa State Waste Management Authority (NASWAMSA) and the Nasarawa State Environment Protection Agency (NASEPA), had engaged a consultant to provide waste bins for households.
According to him, the initiative is aimed at complementing the services of existing waste managers, who currently provide services mainly to paying households.
NAN
