TotalEnergies, NCF plants over 200 trees in 2 weeks across Nigeria

Fadekemi Ajakaiye

As the world intensify its effort in combatting climate change crisis, TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeria Plc is implementing a project tagged “Green Stations/Schools Initiative”.

This project is a tree planting and environmental clean-up initiative of TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeria Plc across its Service Stations, neighborhoods and school perimeters. The project is being implemented by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) across eight (8) States in Nigeria.

The aim is to promote climate/environmental education, encourage sustainable lifestyles through environmental clean-up and tree planting as carbon sinks, as well as bring the TotalEnergies’ NetZero emission and environmental sustainability closer to its communities through schools and its service stations.

The tree planting and clean-up exercise were carried out in nine (9) schools across eight (8) States, namely: Opebi Junior Grammar School, Opebi, Ikeja Lagos and Falomo Senior High School, Ikoyi, Lagos on 9th &11th Nov. 2021 respectively; Government Boys Secondary School, Gwagwarwa, Kano on 9th Nov. 2021; Government College, Kaduna on 11th Nov. 2021; Community Secondary School Rumuoprikum, Port Harcourt on 12th Nov. 2021; University of Benin Demonstration Secondary School, Benin City on 15th Nov. 2021; Government Secondary School, Tundun Wada, Abuja FCT on 16th Nov. 2021; Molete High School, Ibadan on 17th Nov. 2021 and Abeokuta Grammar School, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta on 18th Nov. 2021.

Some of the post project activities include setting up of Environmental Clubs (Conservation Clubs) to promote environmental education among the students while encouraging them to take actions to protect their environment. This is to sustain the project as the clean-up culture. Also to set up Garden to promote organic farming by planting vegetables and making use of waste materials to beautify the garden.

In her statement, Mrs. Chinwe Ifechigha, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeria Plc, said that “the TotalEnergies Plc all over the world has the Netzero-emission ambition, to reduce the impact of human activities on the environment. The idea is to use the network of service stations spread across to effect a change in the environment.”

Also, another official of the company, Mrs. Vera Fakolujo, Marketing Manager, TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeria Plc said “When you change children, because they are the change agent, they talk to everybody, they go home talk to their parents, they change people, when children start to practice tree planting and clean-up, it tends to spread like wildfire.”

Mrs. Abidemi Balogun, the Project Lead for NCF said “the essence of tree planting to human existence cannot be over-emphasized. Trees give fresh air, absorb carbon, provide shades, fruits and so on. This project has also contributed to the goal of the Green Recovery Nigeria initiative of NCF.”

”Some of the fruit trees planted include sweet orange, coconut, mango, guava, cashew, pears and others,” she added.