The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has warned that continued loss of trees to human activities could worsen soil erosion, rising temperatures, declining air quality, land degradation and the destruction of wildlife habitats in Kano State.

The Executive Director of CITAD, Mr Yunusa Zakari Ya’u, gave the warning during the launch of a tree-planting exercise at the Special Education School, Tudun Maliki, Kano.

Ya’u said Nigeria was endowed with a wide variety of indigenous tree species across its ecological zones but noted that climate change and indiscriminate felling of trees for cooking and other human needs were threatening their survival.

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“Climate change and our culture of cutting down trees for cooking and other human consumption have become threats to our indigenous trees,” he said.

He explained that trees provide shade, help control flooding, reduce soil erosion and support biodiversity, stressing that inadequate vegetation could accelerate land degradation and the expansion of desert-like conditions in vulnerable areas.

Ya’u said the tree-planting programme was designed to combat desertification, strengthen communities’ resilience to climate change, preserve indigenous tree species and encourage students to take active roles in environmental protection.

He said the initiative would be extended to all public secondary schools across Kano State, with students expected to become advocates of environmental conservation and promote tree planting in their communities.

“The initiative will extend to all public secondary schools across the state, empowering students to become champions of environmental protection and a greener future,” he said

The CITAD executive director disclosed that the organisation had trained teachers from selected secondary schools on the promotion of indigenous tree planting as part of efforts to address desertification, improve climate resilience and preserve biodiversity.

He thanked the Kano State Ministry of Water Resources, Environment and Climate Change for supporting the programme with more than 750 tree seedlings.

Ya’u also commended the Kano State Senior Secondary Schools Management Board (KSSSMB) and the Kano State Science and Technical Schools Board for their collaboration.

He said the Senior Secondary Schools Management Board had provided space for CITAD to establish a nursery where the seedlings would be kept before being distributed to schools for planting.

The Principal and Director of the Special Education School, Mr Shehu Sani, commended CITAD for bringing the initiative to the institution.

Sani said, to his knowledge, it was the first time a non-governmental organisation had visited the school with such an intervention.
“This is the first time that a non-governmental organisation has come to the school with this kind of intervention,” he said

He disclosed that the school had selected 10 students and appointed them as prefects responsible for supervising the newly planted trees.

According to him, the students would ensure that the trees were protected and properly maintained, while their involvement would make environmental conservation part of their regular responsibilities rather than a one-off exercise.

CITAD said the school-based approach would give students practical experience in environmental conservation and encourage them to extend tree-planting and protection efforts to their communities.

The organisation stressed that replacing trees lost to human activities was essential to reducing environmental pressure caused by deforestation and land degradation.

It added that the exercise would be expanded to more public secondary schools across Kano.