Flooding: Bauchi bans illegal charcoal business, tree felling

The Bauchi state government has banned illegal charcoal businesses that have aggravated the felling of trees.

While launching the 2023 tree planting campaign in Dungal village, Bauchi LGA, Bala Mohammed, governor of the state, said the felling of trees has led to erosion and flooding.

The governor said efforts to curtail the trend had failed but added that the state would intensify measures to protect the environment.

“This is a great day to accentuate and reaffirm our commitment to our environment,” he said.

“Our dedication to fight and survive as a people irrespective of the climate change, since around us, there are those who are doing things that are not good, which is helping the enemy, the manifestation of drought, deforestation, flooding, hunger amongst others are attributed to climate change.

“Unfortunately, we are the unwilling messengers or collaborators.

“We have to work on our ecosystem, it is a harmonious call, it is an organism, we are all part of the system.

“The universe is devastated by our activities, but certainly we appear to be overwhelmed by the activities of criminals, those who don’t want to listen, those who wish to disobey and cause problems for all of us.

“Our trees are being felled, charcoal business has become the business of the day, we have been arresting them everyday.

“But we have willing collaborators in our leaders, political leaders like me and you and members of the traditional institution in the villages who give the right of way to do charcoal.”

Mohammed frowned on residents who build homes on drainage channels.

He pointed out that the essence of the event was to show that tree planting is the way to go for sustainable development.

He also ordered the employment of youths across the state to nurture plants for massive afforestation.