By Abdallah el-Kurebe
ASHENEWS reports that the 200MillionTrees, a groundbreaking venture aimed at restoring Nigeria’s forest cover and combating deforestation, has appointed distinguished individuals to its advisory board.
A statement by the Chief Executive Officer of 200MillionTrees, Dr. Ibraheem Dooba made available to ASHENEWS on Tuesday, said each member was “carefully chosen from diverse fields to lend their expertise and influence to the mission of planting 200 million trees across Nigeria in the next 10 years.”
The appointed advisory board members are as follows:
1. Nuruddeen Lemu – Director, Lotus Bank.
2. Mariama Anthony-Williams – Country Director, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Sierra Leone.
3. Dr. Amina Abubakar – Consultant Gynecologist and former First Lady of Niger State.
4. Mustapha Ndajiwo – Executive Director, African Centre for Tax and Governance.
5. Abubakar Suleiman – CEO of Sterling Bank.
6. Sharon Ikeazor – Former Minister of Environment.
7. Captain Abdullahi Mohammed Muye – CEO of FlintAero.
8. Sherif Ganiyu Shagaya – CEO of Octavus Petroleum.
9. Hafsat Abiola-Costello – President of Women in Africa and Co-Founder of Connected Women Leaders.
Dr. Dooba expressed his enthusiasm about the newly appointed board members.
“We are thrilled to welcome these exceptional individuals to our advisory board. Each member brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from their respective fields, and their diverse backgrounds will contribute immensely to our reforestation efforts.
“Together, we will tackle deforestation head-on and work towards a sustainable and greener future for Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, “the advisory board will play a pivotal role in guiding the strategic direction of 200MillionTrees, offering invaluable insights, expertise, and guidance to ensure the success of the venture.
“With their combined influence and deep understanding of environmental issues, the board members will aid in devising innovative solutions and establishing partnerships that will support the ambitious goal of restoring Nigeria’s forest cover.
“200MillionTrees expresses deep appreciation for the willingness of these influential leaders to join their cause. Their appointment reflects the venture’s commitment to assembling a dynamic team of individuals dedicated to making a positive impact on the environment and securing a brighter future for Nigeria,” Dr. Dooba further said.
Dooba also stated why 200MillionTrees is planting 200 million trees:
The urgent and present danger
The world is getting warmer. And when we lose 40% of our forests, the world would’ve reached a point of no-return where we would experience daily natural disasters such as heatwaves, floods and droughts.
We’re already getting there. Already, we lose 10 billion trees every year.
Accordingly, IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports that 97% of climate scientists agree that this unfavourable outcome is due to human activities such as carbon emissions.
Africa Will Die First …
But Africa contributes only 3% of the global emissions. Yet, out of the 20 countries that are most impacted, only four are not African.
What does this mean?
It means that if the world is ending, Africa will die first.
… starting from Nigeria
The case is even worse in Nigeria where we’ve already lost 60% of our forests cover to charcoal production and other developments.
This means that the destruction of Africa will start from Nigeria. And we’re already seeing the adverse effects of annual floods which lead to the displacement of entire communities and the destruction of farms and crops.
But, most importantly, it also means that we need to save ourselves.
That’s why we’re planting 200 million trees all over Nigeria – within 10 years.
