FUNAAB tackles global warming, plant tress in communities

The Federal University of Agriculture (FUNAAB), has embarked on urban forestation programme with a view to reducing the challenges to the barest minimum. 

As a way of tackling the bedeviling challenges and rejuvenating the dwindling economic system, students of the institution, in their large number at the weekend took to the streets of Abeokuta, the State capital to plant seedlings in different houses while sensitising the people on the importance of planting trees.

Trees planted included; Masquerade trees, Malina, Tick tree among others.

The students, mainly of the department of Forestry and Wildlife Management of the Institution had earlier embarked on rural forestry  where countless tress were planted in different rural communities.

The Acting Head of The Department, Dr Oladapo Odukoya who spoke to Journalists on the sideline of the exercise maintained that the bothering issue of global warming had gotten to the attention of the institution, hence the need for the exercise.

He regretted that global warming had had a damaging effect on the country’s economy, adding that the institution could no longer fold harm until the situation gets out of hand.

His words “Presently, there is a problem of global warming. The various problem global warming is causing include flooding; when a little rain falls everywhere becomes flooded, these are parts of the problems. Also the high level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which has resulted in high heat. The trees will  provide shade against sun in the afternoon.”

Odukoya who supervised the exercise  boasted that the trees also have high economic values, assuring that people could eat or sell the fruits gotten from the fruit tree and they  harvest the leaves for many other purposes.

He stressed “It is more of urban forestry. It’s about sensitising the people about the importance of planting trees in their homes, having gardens in front of the house for various purposes. In time past, you will hardly see a house without tress in front of it but the practice is no more”.

“This our own community development programme. We have done it in the rural areas before so we decided to bring it to the urban. In the next three or four years we will come back and access the whole areas to see whether we have achieve success. Its our own way in contributing to the development of the country, he said”

The Representative of the the students, Michael Oluwadamilola said “We have observed that economic global warming is serious, the more you cut the plants the more you kill mankind and also you discover that this day hit get so intense that we need trees around us to give us fresh air. For the community, we had over 70 plants we have been able to plants all of them. What we are doing now is urban forestation.”