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A non-governmental organisation, (NGO) operating under the aegis of Save Sahara Network was on Wednesday 3rd of February flagged off its “Green School Initiative” Project which is targeted at mitigating the harmful effects of climate change and resuscitate school farm garden.
The sensitization programme which held at the African Hall of the University of Ilorin Secondary School, Adewole, Ilorin, kwara state capital had in attendance Students and Teachers from various Junior and Senior Secondary School drawn across various secondary schools in Ilorin metropolis.
Addressing the Pressmen at the event, the founder of the foundation, Dr. Fola Babalola, who is also a lecturer in the Department of Forest Resources Management, University of Ilorin said the initiative was birthed to resuscitate the dwindling culture of farm gardening and tree planting in schools and society at large.
According to the founder “Trees are the ‘lungs’ of our planet, drawing in carbon dioxide and breathing out oxygen”
“So far, the Save Sahara Initiative has planted over a thousand of trees in about 10 schools and hopes to carry out the tree planting exercise in more than 20 schools in this current phase II of the project”
Dr. Babalola, however, appeal to the principals and other management officers in the schools that will be visited to give support to them and know that any school that perform excellently in maintaining and sustaining of trees and farm gardens they will put in their custody will be compensated in terms of donation of classroom and scholarship to outstanding students.
Talking on the rate in which the deforestation is happening in the country, Mr. AbdulRahman Olumoh, who represented the Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Environment, said “there is large scale of deforestation everywhere and this call for great concern”
“We must know that the oxygen we all breath is coming from trees and this should be enough to made us know how much important is planting of trees in our environment, noting that any single tree cut without planting another one in replace would have negative effect on the oxygen breathing of nothing less than four persons and urged attendees to support the ministry and the organizer of the event to achieve their mandate”
Also speaking at the event was the representative of the permanent secretary of the state ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Mrs. Modupe Adekeye, pledged the support of the ministry for the programme and urged the schools in attendance and beyond to give necessary support to the team of Save Sahara Initiative anytime they visit for the practical exercise.
Speaking on behalf of the Teachers at the event, Mr. Joel Adegboyega, who teaches at the Government Secondary School, Ilorin, said “the workshop is eye opening to us, students, adding that the green garden environment, will help School to revive the lost culture of farming in our secondary schools and as well be of great help in educating students about farming”
Some schools that present at the event were; AbdulAziz Atta Memorial School, Government Girls Secondary School, Baboko Community Secondary School, Shiek Alimi Junior Secondary School, Ilorin Comprehensive High School, Government Day Secondary School, Odokun, Bishop Smith Secondary School, Ilorin. Government Day Secondary School, Tanke and many more
This is great work, thank you for inspiring the young ones on the need to take care of our environment.