By Kehinde Akinpelu, Ilorin
A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Moringa Development Association of Nigeria (MDAN) has endorsed President Muhammad Buhari’s action planto combat climate change enunciated in the United Nation’s Assembly.
In a communique at the end of its National Executive Council (NEC)
meeting held in Ilorin, signed by Professor Samuel Ibiyemi and Dr.
Kayode Ige made available to newsmen in Ilorin, they advocated moringa plantation development as a way forward.
According to the Association, “We associate our association with the
new agenda of the President and plead that we will be facilitated to
benefit from the lofty policy that President Buhari presented to World Leaders on September 23rd, 2019 when he announced robust plans and initiatives by his administration to reverse the negative effects of climate change in Nigeria.
“We desire to key into the plans revealed in his address to the United Nations Climate Action Summit with the theme, “A Race We Can Win. A Race We Must Win.” We agree with his declaration that the world is on the verge of climate catastrophe, an human induced phenomenon.
“He pledged Nigeria’s commitment to its obligations under the Paris Agreement, the aspirations enshrined in our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and ensure a resilient future that mainstreams climate risks in our decision making that will position the Government of Nigeria will develop a more robust sectoral action plan, and expand the scope of our Sovereign Green Bonds in line with our intended upward review of Nigeria’s NDC’s towards the inclusion of the water and waste sectors by 2020.
“He also declared the intention of the government to take concrete
steps to harness climate innovative ideas by including youths in decisionmaking processes as part of our overall climate governance architecture; this in fact is the main thrust of the association.
“Our program is to mobilize Nigerian youths and women towards planting Moringa trees in all 36 states and Abuja for its multiple services; , jobs creation, provide food supplements for all ages, particularly children and old people, with efficiency for immunity of consumers, carbon capture, the greatest menace of climate change,
provide cattle and other livestock feeds, a program that will promote use of ranches that will curb activities of insurgents with
great potential to scuttle farming by youths and women, the seeds
will be processed to provide organic chemical for township water treatment as superior to the use of alum and chlorine and its oil to provide biodiesel.
“Our progression is to work with Federal Ministry of Environment to plant Moringa trees and Thevetia trees as a long green belt in the states with boundary with Sahara desert, this shall be 11 northern states spanning a distance of at least 1,500 km through the Great Green Wall initiative. The belt certainly will be in excess of the 25 million trees projected by President Buhari to enhance Nigeria’ carbon sink.
“The president also said that I should also inform the summit that our Government has introduced Climate Smart Agricultural Practices to unlock Seventy-Four (74) Million tons of carbon dioxide per annum, through relevant technologies, advocacy and best practices.
“The association wishes to promote the plant for its following other virtues: Moringa is the best cash crop to motivate youths and women for early prosperity because the tree;: it is ready for the 1st harvest by the 60-75th day of planting the seeds and another round of harvest by the 35th day of subsequent harvests; there shall be two types of planting depending on trees population densities.
“There may be one type in which the trees in the farm will principally be maintained for leaves.Farms for leaves shall contain about 1600 trees / hectare. While farms for seeds shall contain about 1000 trees .
“The leaves of the trees provide money for the farmers in the 1st 3 months of planting, the best of all cash trees. The leaves have great potentials as medicinal/ food supplement for local consumption and for export.
“By the time our farms shall be certified as organic farms, market demands in Europe and USA may be greater than what we may provide.We are working to establish a certification laboratory for our farms in Nigeria.Trees that will be planted at low population density shall be preserved for 12 months before 1st harvest for seeds.
“Seeds shall be feedstock for production of bio-oil with potentials in food, production of drugs, an organic chemical for township water treatment, production of biodiesel and used as livestock protein supplement.
“The state government shall work to benefit from each of the federal government provision of N5.2b Green Bond in the 2017 budget. There is CBN anchor farmers facilities that our farmers can access.
“We are working with the Federal Ministry of Environment to establish a pilot farm in BIOFARE Farm in Edidi, to produce a standard pilot farm for data that will be used to replicate the Moringa green belt nationwide.
“We plead to Kwara and other state governments to provide seed fund that will promote the replication of the pilot program of the Federal Ministry of Environment in Edidi because of the immediate accruable benefits by Moringa planting to the people and the state governments(LGA & state) is immense.
“The youths and women in hundreds, as farmers, and another set in processing and marketing shall reap bounty rewards within three months of the time the government shall decide to prepare farms in as many
LGAs.
“Taxation may begin by the 12th month of 1st harvest. We plead that
the government may work out a formula of funding the farms development by a joint fund between the state government and the LGA Councils.
“Each farm shall be 10 hectares / location and there shall be a
borehole well. There shall be a plot of 20 hectares, prepared and
equipped with a borehole well, as in BIOFARE Farm, Edidi, that will
serve as a training center. Each state MDAN chapter is admonished to replicate this program for the benefits of its members.
“We wish to plead that each LGA government shall institute a security assurance that will protect the farms against risks by nomads’ cattle which could lead to confrontation by the youths, living in rural communities to promote and strengthen community resilience, as well as assist in addressing the environmental and security crisis that threatens farming and the economic empowerment of indigenes in control of its resources.
In order to guide against this frustration by the herdsmen, that has kept many indigenes away from farming, we plead that the government shall work out the best form of Community Policing.”
“We had suggested to the Presidency and the IG of Police a form of Community Policing that will involve Vigilante, to be recruited by the community leadership and trained by the police; payment of the vigilante shall be by a joint account of 25% by the community and 75% by the LGA Council; supervising / controlling committee shall be constituted, with legal backing.