By Musa Kutama, Calabar
It has been asserted that the Niger Delta region is at risk of massive ecological collapse with erosion rising to sea level and deforestation continues to devastate communities in the as nearly 27 communities are at at Red alert.
At a one-week tree planting campaign held in Calabar, organised by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, with the theme ‘Reawakening the Practice of Tree Planting Across the Niger Delta Region’, experts stressed that only native tree species should be planted if the exercise must yield results.
Former chairman of the Cross River State Forestry Commission, Odigha Odigha, said survival of the region depended on deliberate planting of indigenous trees that can withstand local soil and climate conditions.
“Mangrove trees taken out of coastal areas cannot survive in arid regions. We must emphasize economic trees that benefit individuals while protecting the environment,” he said.
Odigha noted that tree planting was critical in absorbing carbon dioxide, mitigating erosion, and improving soil health.
He warned that failure to act urgently would put millions of people across the Niger Delta at risk.
Similarly, another conservationist, Arikpo Arikpo, decried the alarming rate of logging in Cross River State, describing it as embarrassing.
He said 97 per cent of the state’s forests had been depleted, the worst in Nigeria, yet it still accounted for nearly half of the nation’s remaining forests.
“We must deliberately plant trees to save our environment and absorb the massive amounts of carbon dioxide released daily. If nothing is done, future generations will inherit an ecological disaster,” Arikpo said.
Dr. Ferdinand Giadom, an environmental geologist at the University of Port Harcourt, also expressed concern that Nigeria had failed to harness the region’s vast green energy resources.
He disclosed that at least 27 communities in the Niger Delta were already being washed away by erosion and ocean surges.
According to the experts, Nigeria releases about 70 million tons of carbon dioxide daily, making urgent reforestation and environmental protection measures imperative to secure the survival of the Niger Delta.
