Adamawa govt received 400,000 hybrid date seedlings from GG World, justifies LGA’s funds deductions for sanitation

Adamawa govt received 400,000 hybrid date seedlings from GG World, justifies LGA’s funds deductions for sanitation

From Umar Dankano, Yola.

The Adamawa state government has received a donation of 400,000 hybrid seedlings of dates from the Green Great World, GGW for plantation to mitigating the climate change impact across the state.

Commissioner of Environment, Hon. Muhammad Sadiq Muhammad revealed the development in an interview with journalists in Yola explaining that the seedlings are of high result driven formula which would germinate and mature in just four to five years duration not like in the olding days where dates plantation takes fifteen to twenty years.

Muhammad said that, his ministry has also distributed 1.5 million seedlings of different varieties of trees with each of the 21 local government areas planning 100,000 different seedlings for both scientific and economic growth noting that already 65% of the trees are being nurtured by experts.

Muhammad disclosed that the Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri’s administration has set up a committee named “The State Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee” (MIREMCO) chaired by himself to be looking at issues concerning mining and flood related concerns with a view to safeguarding the state through due diligence approaches.

He added that, the Committee has discovered 84 houses to have been built on water ways in Yola South Local government area while some people also built illegally on government refuses designated locations which contribute to sources causing flooding in some areas.

While responding to an allegation of deduction of local government councils funds by the state government for the conduct of monthly environmental sanitation exercise in the state, the Commissioner said that, it is true and legitimate because the said deduction are statutory.

He highlighted further that,in every local government allocation,there is sanitation levy which his Ministry is empower to choose how and where to undertake such sanitation exercise.

He advanced that his Ministry collect funds from corporate firms like banks, construction companies as part of their coorperate social responsibility to add up in performing environmental sanitation in the state.

“In every local government financial allocation, Sanitation levy is included which is given to the Ministry of Environment who has the powers to choose and conduct the sanitation exercise.

“For instance,if it is N11 million being deducted from the LGA’s.You know,it is negligeanble amount hence we solicite for funds from other ends”.He Confirmed.

The Commissioner therefore called on all and sundry to have a behavioural change towards the environment so that the air we breathe and the food we eat are healthy.