Speeches

Second Anniversary Of Tree Planting

Jul 14, 2010 - As I welcome you to yet another tree planting day, I do so with a lot of pleasure and immense pride.

I am pleased because of the success we have made of something so simple but which has had and will continue to have important and enormous consequences on our lives for many years to come in a positive way.

I re-call that during the campaign leading to the elections, a number of communities such as Magodo and Alimosho brought my attention to the problem of erosion faced by those communities.

The simple fact is that erosion is a natural occurrence and nature has provided its own solution as it usually does, to every challenge that it creates. If we plant trees in erosion prone areas, it firms up the soil and provides protection and erosion control mechanism in the cheapest and probably most efficient way.

Since our people have adopted tree planting and conservation as a way of life, I am certain that it is now only a matter of time before the full difference and impact of our efforts begin to manifest in a better life and less erosion prone environment.

Of course another positive impact of the tree planting and beautification programme is the almost unquantifiable economic benefit at a micro level that it has unleashed in our State.

It has provided a steady source of jobs for 43 (Forty three) companies and their employees who did not have a business before. As at last count, over 4,800 (Four Thousand, Eight Hundred) people have been employed directly and indirectly in a continuous cycle of supplies, labour, transportation, nursery and seedling development; sand mining and supplies, welding and fabrication to mention but a few.

How could something so simple and yet environmentally beneficial have such a profound and far reaching effect. How did we as a people not pursue this earlier?

If there was any wish I had to express about the tree planting and beautification project, it is simply that I wish we had started many years earlier. The truth is that we must pay attention to little things if we are desirous of achieving big things.

This is the lesson of many projects, programmes and policies that our Government has embarked upon.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I assure you that the story of the economic possibilities is not finished; on the contrary, it is only about to start.

As the whole world focuses on the preservation of nature as mitigation and adaptation strategies against the adverse effects of climate change such as flooding and green house gases, the demand for more trees and green can only increase.

Your Government is already acting proactively to be at the forefront of policy formulation and decision making to ensure that our people are not left behind.

A botanical garden is being developed, and an institutionalization of tree planting and greening through the use of law has received the blessing of the State House of Assembly with the imminent passage of the law establishing the Parks & Gardens Commission.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I thank you all for turning out yet again to plant a tree on this tree planting day. I urge you to make this a daily habit whenever you live.

Plant a tree a day for cleaner air, plant a tree a day for environmental protection against erosion and flooding, plant a tree a day to create jobs for the unemployed.

Plant a tree for the social, environmental and economic well being of Lagos.

It is my honour and pleasure therefore to flag off the Y2010 Tree Planting Day.

Eko o ni baje o!

Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN
Governor of Lagos State