Desertification: Niger to Reclaim 100 Hectares of Land, Empower 100 Youths, Women

Laleye Dipo in Minna

The Niger State Government, under its land reclamation programme, is to reclaim 100 hectares of land and will empower 100 youths and women, each, for the realization of the project.

Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago disclosed this in a message to the flag-off of the distribution of 10 tractors for the land reclamation project, an event which took place at the Abdulkhadir Kure University in Minna the state capital on Thursday.

Governor Bago said the 100 youths would be engaged in the establishment of plant nurseries while the 100 women would be involved in seedlings production.

The governor explained that the land reclamation programme “will support our initiative to develop multi-sectoral approaches for desertification control and landscape management in the state, thereby improving community resilience and enhance livelihoods of our rural communities”.

The governor, represented by his deputy, Comrade Yakubu Garba, also announced that government under the ACReSAL programme, a World Bank initiative will sink 100 boreholes in the 25 local governments in the state

 “To improve water and sanitation in our communities, 100 boreholes shall be drilled across the 25 local government areas of the state,” he said, adding that the first phase will cover Abdulkadir Kure University Minna, and seven communities of Kpanduko in Bosso, Baidna in Paikoro, Kaliko in Wushishi, Labozhi in Mokwa, Agaie, and Bida Local Government Areas, while others will follow in due course”.

Bago appreciated the collaboration the state had enjoyed from the World Bank, and assured that “our government will continue to honour its part of the engagement by prompt payment of counterpart funds”.

The Commissioner for Environment and Climate Change, Alhaji Yakubu Mohammed Kolo, commended ACReSAL’s response “to the unique challenges being faced by the semi-arid regions of northern Nigeria, including erratic rainfall, soil degradation and extreme weather patterns”.

These factors, the Commissioner said, have had “a profound impact on food production, water availability, and the livelihoods of farmers and rural communities”

Kolo therefore said the project aims to equip communities with the tools and knowledge needed to adapt to these challenges, ultimately reducing their vulnerability to drought and unpredictable weather conditions.