UNICEF supports RUWASSA, selected tertiary institutions  to commemorate 2025 World Environment Day

By Samuel Luka,
Bauchi

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has supported Bauchi State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), in collaboration with the Environmental Departments of selected tertiary institutions to commemorate the 2025 World Environment Day (WED) through targeted advocacy and community engagement.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the event at the Bauchi college of agriculture on Friday, UNICEF’s Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) officer, Nanbam Michael said that the world environment day is been celebrated every year on the fifth of June.

She recalled a flooding that occurred recently in some parts of Nigeria where houses and valuables were lost due to climate change.

“If things are happening like this, we have to wake up, remind ourselves and take action by planting trees, avoid indiscriminate felling of trees to avert future occurrence and make the environment habitable for all.

According to her, one of the ways to prevent rainstorm, flooding, erosion and other environmental hazards is to plant trees.

“We celebrate world environment day to remind us about the importance of keeping the environment safe for ourselves, our youth and our children.

UNICEF recognize the importance of environment and the importance of this day and so we are just gathered to remind our community leaders, our fathers the traditional leaders and all stakeholders, the duty bearers of this topic to ensure that we mobilize people, we sensitize on the need to plant, protect and nurture trees around the environment and not to cut them. With trees in the environment, it will help in mitigating the effect of flood in our communities.

She said as the topic says “Generation Restoration”, Youth Corpers were also engaged to implement a new project introduce by the UNICEF around climate change calling for an active involvement of the youths in the fight against climate change.

“We want them to have it as a lifestyle, planting of trees and not cutting it.

She urged the participants to propagate the message of planting trees rather than cutting them all the time.

“We are not speaking technically today, it’s simple, the issue is there is climate change problem and we need to take action and one of the action that we are reminding ourselves today is the planting of trees”, she said.

In his remarks, the Provost of the Bauchi state College of Agriculture, Dr. Ahmed Isah Ahmed expressed gratitude to UNICEF and the state government for allowing the institution host the event.

Represented by Modibbo Saleh Misau, Head of Department (HOD) Forestry and Environmental Technology of the college, the Provost urged the traditional leaders in attendance to sensitize their subjects on the dangers of climate change and the need for environmental Protection through planting of trees around them.

He said that college has earmarked a plantation complex within the school that will accommodate over one thousand trees.

According to him, the college intend to plant many varieties of trees without the earmarked complex such as 150 Malaina tree (a timber producing specie), 100 stands of Mango (improved variety), Sweet orange, Guava tree and a number of cashew tree.

“Most of these trees are fruits and they will yield fruits that will supplement food in terms of scarcity of other food items and they also have the ability to restore soil quality, improve soil fertility, as well as address the incidents of erosion and flooding”, he said.

He expressed readiness to collaborate with the RUWAS and the UNICEF any time similar event is held.

In a goodwill message, the district head of Birshi, Alhaji Lawal Ahmed who was represented by a traditional tile holder, and the village head of Yelwan Tudu, Adamu Zabairu commended the effort of the UNICEF and the Bauchi state government towards enlightening members of the public on the dangers of environmental hazards to human existence.

Speaking separately, the traditional leaders while sharing their experience of environmental threat within their respective communities, pledged to step down the awareness to their subjects for a better environment.

World Environment Day is the United Nations’ flagship day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of the environment.