By maryam Diallo Dakar
Great Green Wall Day 2025 Commemorated in Jigawa: GECCI Leads Youth Delegation at 10th Anniversary Flag-Off of Date Palm Programme
Dutse, Nigeria — July 31, 2025
The Government House in Dutse, Jigawa State, was the scene of a historic celebration on Thursday as stakeholders gathered to mark Great Green Wall Day 2025 and commemorate the 10th Anniversary and Flag-Off of the 50 Million Date Palm Programme.
The event, themed “Sustaining the Momentum: Ten Years of NAGGW’s Contributions to Environmental Sustainability”, and sub-themed “Planting Hope, Growing Impact”, was organized by the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW).
In a strong show of youth leadership and civic engagement, the Global Environmental and Climate Conservation Initiative (GECCI) and the Great Green Wall Youth Advisory Board, under the leadership of Abdulhamid Tahir Hamid, led a vibrant delegation comprising youth, women, and civil society representatives from Jigawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Kano, Kaduna, and Katsina States.
Speaking at the event, GECCI representatives emphasized the role of young people and grassroots organizations in advancing environmental sustainability and climate resilience across northern Nigeria.
The Director General and CEO of NAGGW, Alhaji Saleh Abubakar, MFR, was commended for his continued leadership, alongside the Local Organizing Committee and dedicated agency staff.
Also in attendance was the Honourable Minister of Environment, represented by Permanent Secretary Alhaji Mahmud Adam Kambari, as well as key dignitaries from frontline states. These included Hon. Dr. Dahir M. Hashim, Kano State Commissioner for Environment and Climate Change, and Amb. Usman Aliyu, Director General of the Borno State Great Green Wall Project.
Special recognition was given to Khadeejah Muhammad, NAGGW Field Officer in Bauchi, for her tireless support of the initiative and youth-led environmental actions.
The GECCI Jigawa team, led by Amb. Shamsudeen Sani Kandi, was joined by a nationwide cohort of youth climate advocates, including:
Dayyabu Musa, Nasir Abdullahi Tafida, Umar Isma’il Ibrahim, Sadiya Ibrahim Karamba, Muhammad Abatcha, Adams Abdullahi Bako, Musa Ibrahim, Ibrahim Babagana, Salisu D. Dankumbo, Ibrahim Iliyasu, and Abubakar Aliyu Abubakar.
As the Great Green Wall initiative enters a new decade, GECCI reaffirmed its commitment to “planting hope and growing impact” through sustainable development, climate advocacy, and ecosystem restoration in the Sahel and beyond.
