Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has restated his government’s commitment to curbing the menace of environmental degradation and providing resilience for sustainable livelihood and economic development.
The governor was speaking at the official launch of Gombe State Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes, ACReSAL Project Implementation support mission held at the banquet hall of the Government House Gombe.
Governor Inuwa noted that Gombe is among the states most affected by environmental challenges due to its unique geography; the challenges he said, have had adverse effects on agricultural productivity, natural resources, and the general livelihood of the people of the state.
“Incessant flooding, erratic rainfall patterns, desert encouragement, and diminishing arable lands all of which have taken a toll on the livelihood of our farmers and communities,” he remarked.
“As of today, there is a looming hunger in the country, and that could be as a result of so many factors, but I believe one of the principal factors is lack of proper care of the environment,” he affirmed.
He explained that considering these devastating consequences, his administration came up with various initiatives geared towards mitigating the adverse effects and strengthening resilience among the populace.
He recounted that when he assumed power in 2019, the first thing he did was to pay the counterpart funds for the NEWMAP project which led to the execution of numerous developmental projects in the state.
The governor also cited Gombe Goes Green (3G), a project that aimed at combating desertification, deforestation, and soil degradation, and beautifying the environment through the planting of four million trees in four years as one such environmental resuscitation and conservation initiative by his administration. He said through the 3G project alone, about 27,000 people mostly youths were engaged.
“In addition to the 3G project, we also partnered with the NEWMAP to address some of the monstrous gullies like the one running through the Gombe State University and Malam Inna Community.
“And as a mark of our commitment towards strengthening climate resilience, the state government paid the sum of 573 million Naira as a counterpart funding for the ACReSAL project in addition to meeting all other requirements for participation in the project,” he added.
Gov Inuwa assured that he will provide all the needed support for the successful implementation of the project in Gombe State including additional financial support.
“We will fulfill our obligation and we hope to see you too deliver your part so that the project will kickstart as soon as possible in order to take our people out of this quagmire.
The governor explained that recently he inaugurated a committee for the restoration of cattle routes, grazing, forest, and game reserves within Gombe State which he said is a testimony to his government’s commitment towards natural resource conservation and environmental sustainability.
He said, through various interventions like the ACReSAL project, his government intends to entrench environmental accountability and sustainability and foster a spirit of cooperation, ownership, and shared responsibilities in protecting the environment.
“Our major policy focus is to harness both our land and water potentials to strengthen our comparative advantage in agriculture.
“We aim to empower our farmers with knowledge and modern techniques so as to enable them to implement sustainable land management and water conservation practices,” he added.
Governor Inuwa expressed optimism that his government’s partnership with World Bank through the ACReSAL project will help to provide a healthy and eco-friendly environment for human habitation.
“We have acquired motorcycles and 6 tricycles, a boat, and a drone in order to bolster the capacity of our forestry unit for effective wildlife protection and conservation,” he said.
He assured of his administration’s commitment to working with all relevant stakeholders to protect the environment in Gombe State, expressing hope that FCE (Technical) and the Malam Inna Gully rehabilitation projects under ACReSAL will get fast clearance to allow for their immediate commencement.
The governor thanked all development partners, sponsors, and stakeholders especially the World Bank team and the Federal Project Management Unit for their support in the implementation of ACReSAL projects in Gombe State.
Earlier in her remarks, the ACReSAL Project, the Task Team Leader, Dr. Joy Iganya Agene commended Governor Inuwa Yahaya for his commitment to changing the ecological landscape of Gombe State, the policy she said, is compatible with the objectives of the ACReSAL project.
“We have seen your commitment to greening the environment, we have seen the name the ‘Green Governor’ and ACReSAL is about greening the environment and saving lives,” she said.
“The state is one of the leading states in the country in terms of ACReSAL projects. As a result of the governor’s dedication, Gombe is one of the states that has a notional allocation of almost 35 million US dollars”, she explained.
The team lead requested the governor’s continued support towards the success of the project while seeking his indulgence as Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum to facilitate engagement with other Northern Governors to discuss issues relating to the implementation of the project in the whole of the region, request the governor immediately granted.
Also speaking the National Project Coordinator of ACReSAL, Mr. Abdulhamid Umar, applauded the support of Governor Inuwa in actualising the project in Gombe State.
He said, “The governor played a remarkable role in the implementation of NEWMAP and Gombe topped the chart under his leadership, hoping to see more under ACReSAL,”
The team, which comprised officials from the Bauchi and Plateau Offices of the ACReSAL, earlier paid a courtesy call on the Governor at the Executive Council Chamber of the Government House before proceeding with the formal launching of the project.
