The Kaduna State Government has decided to plant about 10 million trees in four years under its afforestation programme to mitigate the effects of climate change and protect the environment and citizens.

Commissioner of Environment in the State, Abubakar Buba, spoke to stakeholders on Wednesday, pointing out that the Government had already planted about 1.7 million trees last year.

Abubakar pledged that his Ministry would double the number of trees to be planted this year, saying, ”We have the nurseries that have generated these three seedlings.”

According to him, “the major challenge of climate change is carbon emission; greenhouse gases, and the likes. And the major thing that absorbs carbon dioxide is trees. We expect residents not just to plant trees but to nurture them to grow; not just in the cities but in the suburbs and villages as well.”

Meanwhile, the commissioner commended Governor Uba Sani for initiating what he described as ”greener and cleaner Kaduna State”, adding that ”he is an environmentally-friendly Governor.”

”The Governor also mandated us to desilt about 140 kilometers of drainages within the city centres, so as to check flooding during the raining season by easing the free flow of water,” he said.

The Commissioner stressed that Sani has asked the Ministry to dredge River Kaduna and other water bodies within the state so that ”the water that will flow into the rivers as a result of our desilting the drainages will be so much that at the end of the day, it will flow back to the people’s houses.”

Abubakar also commended the Governor for the increased allocation in this year’s budget, adding that he promised substantial implementation of the 2025 budget.