Forestry Research Institute to partner Gombe in Gombe Goes Green initiative

The Director-General, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, FRIN, Professor Adeshola Adepoju, has pledged the support of the institute, to the Gombe Goes Green initiative, a project targeted at planting of 4 million trees. The pledge was made when Professor Adeshola Adepoju visited the Gombe state Governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya to discuss areas of collaboration in technical support, research, training and capacity building, towards the Gombe Goes Green (3G) initiative.

According to a statement by Senior Special adviser to the Gombe Governor, Ismaila Uba Misilli, Governor Inuwa Yahaya stressed his administration’s readiness to partner with the FRIN in tackling environmental challenges as well as in other aspects of forestry, including forest products utilization, watershed management and agro-forestry as well as the forestry value chain. Governor Inuwa Yahaya also told the FRIN DG that the choice of Gombe to serve as a regional hub for seedlings production for the afforestation programme is apt considering the centrality and other numerous advantages of the state.

Governor Inuwa Yahaya further commended the Federal Government’s plan to commence planting of 25 million trees to combat climate change, adding that his administration has since initiated measures towards ecological restoration through the 3G initiative, which is now a model for the country.

On his part, the Professor Adeshola Adepoju commended Governor Yahaya’s afforestation drive and pledged his institute’s support to Gombe state through training and capacity building, research and assessment, improvement of forestry value chain using economic trees with reduced gestation periods as well as attracting other international funding to strengthen and improve the 3G and other afforestation projects and programmes in the state.