By Aliyu Gerengi
The JEWEL Environmental Initiative, in collaboration with Muslim Ummah under its Directorate of Health, Welfare and Rural Development, has distributed 2,000 tree seedlings to five schools in Kwami Local Government Area of Gombe State as part of efforts to promote environmental conservation and combat climate change.
The seedlings, comprising Gwanda, Zogale, Cashew, and Dorawa, were presented to Government Comprehensive Day Secondary School (GCDSS) Kwami, Government Junior Secondary School (GJSS) Kwami, Government Technical College (GTC) Kwami, Government Junior Secondary School Walin Kwami, and Science Primary School, Kwami.
Speaking during the distribution ceremony held at Government Comprehensive Day Secondary School, Kwami, the Director of Health, Welfare and Rural Development of Muslim Ummah, Malam Usman Baraya, said Kwami has continued to benefit from tree-planting initiatives, noting that previously distributed seedlings had been properly nurtured. He urged beneficiaries to maintain the momentum by ensuring the new seedlings are well cared for.
Also speaking, the Director of Sanitation in the Gombe State Ministry of Environment, Dr. Umar Musa Kwami, described tree planting as essential to environmental protection and sustainable development. He commended Muslim Ummah and the JEWEL Environmental Initiative for extending the programme to Kwami.
The Head of Natural Resources of the JEWEL Environmental Initiative, who represented the Chief Executive Officer, Hussaini Ishiyaku, said the organisation would monitor the growth of the seedlings to ensure they reach maturity. He called on the beneficiary schools to properly nurture and protect the trees.
Responding on behalf of the benefiting schools, the Principal of Government Technical College, Kwami, Malam Nasiru Abdullahi, assured the organisers that the schools had put measures in place to ensure the seedlings are properly maintained until maturity. He expressed appreciation to the donor organisations for the initiative.
Also speaking, the representative of the District Head of Kwami, Umar Abdu Kwami, called on residents and the schools to work together in protecting the trees and commended the two organisations for their commitment to environmental sustainability.
