From Mu’awiya Bala Idris, Katsina
The Katsina State Government has announced plans to plant 11 million trees by 2030 as part of efforts to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of climate change across the state.
The Special Adviser on Climate Change and Commissioner for Environment, Professor Al-Amin Muhammad, disclosed this to newsmen shortly after the State Executive Council meeting.
Al-Amin said two million trees would be planted in the first phase in 2026 across 6,652 sites in the 34 local government areas of the state.
He said the initiative was approved by the council under the “Katsina One Person, One Tree” programme.
The commissioner also disclosed that the council approved the award of contracts to address erosion problems at 17 sites across the state.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Faisal Kaita, said the council approved the payment of compensation for the construction of the Albaba–Unguwar Alkali Road project.
Kaita said the approval was aimed at ensuring uninterrupted execution of the road project while guaranteeing fair compensation to affected persons.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency (KASEDA), Dr Babangida Kabir Rumah, said the council approved the “Catch Them Young” Entrepreneurship Programme for public secondary schools.
Rumah said the initiative would expose students to practical entrepreneurship from an early stage, while teachers would receive specialised training to enable them to effectively transfer the knowledge to learners.
“The programme is designed to nurture innovation, promote self-reliance and prepare students for future business opportunities,” he said.
In another development, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Surajo Yazeed Abukur, said the council approved recommendations for the repositioning of Katsina United Football Club.
He said approval was given for the purchase of a branded CNG bus for the club, as well as air transportation for long-distance away matches, in order to improve the team’s welfare and performance.
Abukur further disclosed that the council approved the establishment of a Sports Scholarship Programme to support talented young athletes in combining academic excellence with sporting careers.
