The Federal Government has distributed over 10.8 million drought-resistant tree seedlings and 869,089 date palm seedlings to farmers as part of efforts to combat desertification, restore degraded land and boost climate resilience across Nigeria.
The distribution was announced on Thursday during the 2026 Great Green Wall Day celebration and national tree planting campaign held at the headquarters of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) in Kano.
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Speaking at the event, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, said environmental sustainability remains a key pillar of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that healthy ecosystems are critical to food security, economic growth and national well-being.
He said the theme of this year’s celebration, “The Green Shield: Restoring Landscapes to Silence the Sand and Dust Storms,” reflects the urgent need to address rising desertification and dust storms affecting northern Nigeria and the Sahel region.
According to the minister, the Great Green Wall Initiative goes beyond tree planting, focusing on land restoration, biodiversity conservation, livelihood improvement and the development of climate-resilient communities across the 11 frontline states — Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.
Lawal noted that the Federal Government relocated the NAGGW headquarters to Kano in recognition of the state’s strategic role in driving environmental restoration in northern Nigeria.
He disclosed that the agency has raised over 48 million tree seedlings and established thousands of hectares of shelterbelts, community woodlots, orchards and indigenous forests nationwide.
Beyond seedling distribution, the minister said more than 210,000 Nigerians — particularly women and youths — have benefited directly from NAGGW programmes, while over 1,300 forest guards have been trained to support conservation efforts.
Representing Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, the Commissioner for Water Resources, Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Dahiru Muhammad Hashim, described the relocation of the agency’s headquarters to Kano as a landmark decision.
He commended the Federal Government for the move and assured continued support to ensure effective implementation of environmental and climate programmes in the state.
In his remarks, the Director-General of NAGGW, Saleh Abubakar, said the agency has recorded significant progress in restoring degraded landscapes across frontline states, including the rehabilitation of sand dunes into productive farmland.
He added that NAGGW has also established banana plantations in Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Jigawa and Yobe states, while expanding access to clean energy through solar home systems, fuel-efficient cookstoves, solar-powered irrigation pumps and boreholes.
Abubakar described the relocation of the agency to Kano as a strategic step that will improve coordination of interventions aimed at tackling desertification and supporting vulnerable communities.
Also speaking, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative in Nigeria and to ECOWAS, Dr. Hussein Gadain, said the inauguration of the National Steering Committee for the SURAGGWA Programme marks a major milestone in Nigeria’s environmental efforts.
He noted that Nigeria is the largest beneficiary of the Green Climate Fund-backed programme, which is expected to impact over 1.9 million people through land restoration, climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation and livelihood support.
Gadain commended the Federal Ministry of Environment, NAGGW, the National Council on Climate Change, the ACReSAL Project and other partners for their collaborative efforts in addressing land degradation and rural poverty.
The event also featured the formal inauguration of the SURAGGWA National Steering Committee, aimed at strengthening coordination of climate and land restoration initiatives nationwide.
