By Sam Kaye
A climate change activist, Suleiman Dikwa has said that Nigeria is the most deforested nation in the world as at today.
Dikwa stated this during an interactive session with newsmen in maiduguri recently.
Dikwa noted that climate watchers do not need to look very far for the abundant evidences of deforestation affecting the country “because our forests have been depleted by 7 to 14 percent on a yearly basis.”
In his opinion “this is because firewood has become a major business in the sahel region. Water has equally receded in the nearby Lake Chad coupled with an irregular pattern of rainfall in the region.
” The truth is that with these lingering activities, the Sahel has fallen badly into the hands of climate change. And what do you expect when over 5 countries depend on the lake Chad for economic sustenance?” He asked.
” And by the way, the Lake Chad and climate change are fundamental not only to the sahel savanna region but the entire world” he posited.
Dikwa stressed that since the economy in the sahel was built around the lake Chad, his company “Green Sahara” will continue to be interested in what happens in that region as soon as the criminal elements are routed out of the place.
“I was a child when the then Prince Charles came here to talk about climate change and years after that he is now the King of England, he still believes a lot can be done to reverse climate change here when we met two years ago.” he revealed.
On how they plan to sort out the climate challenges of the lake Chad region, he went on : ” The lake Chad issue can be sorted by landscape restoration. It has receded by over 90%.
On average income per unit trees cultivated lands, he posited that Nigeria has the lowest, if factors like the receding lake Chad, increased desertification and afforestation is put together.
Dikwa noted that his company the green Sahara has carried out the largest tree planting campaign in the country in the last 60 years and that makes them a very serious participant in the climate change business.
On living labs, he said his company will soon commence collaborations with universities to get the best results “and that is why it is called a living laboratory”
On charcoal production,he said that the creation of briquets would be the option B of the charcoal thereby reducing the harmful effects of climate change.
