GREAT GREEN WALL PLATFORM
Borno State is one of the states in the 11 frontline states where the Great Green Wall programme is being executed but the programme in the state had stalled following the insurgency that have crippled both socio and economic activities in the area.
Two Local Government Areas of the state, Abadam and Mobbar are the only local government areas in the state hosting the corridor of the GGW but unfortunately, these two local government areas have been inaccessible as they are under the control of Boko Haram insurgents.
Mr Ayuba Peter Shua, Desk Officer, GGW, Borno State said that the programme was doing well in the state before the insurgency grounded it. “We have planted over 13km of shelter belt and established 4 community orchards, drilled 4 boreholes but as a result of the insurgency, all our efforts were destroyed, the sect members used our fencing poles for firewood when they took control of the two local government areas.”
Shua said that the workers were not detracted by the destruction melted out to the 12km of shelter belt as they have resolved that as soon as the local governments are captured by the military they would go and replant the seedling before the end of the rainy season.
“Already we have raised and stocked 140, 000 seedlings of forest species and 1,000 of fruit trees including mangoes for onward transfer should the Boko Haram activities in the area be brought under control,” he said. He said that the programme’s plan of establishing a 30 km shelter belt in the local government was not possible and the seedlings moved to other parts of the state where land degradation was rampant because of their inability to access Abadam and Mobbar LGA.
He said that it was unfortunate that the insurgents not only destroyed the seedlings but also carted away facilities such as generators that were meant to power the boreholes.