Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, has said his administration is committed to planting five million trees to support afforestation and fight against climate change.
Ayade stated this while flagging off the Green Carnival, the first of its kind in Africa, held in Calabar, the Cross River capital.
According to the governor, “Calabar is going to go green, introducing urban afforestation which is a classical departure from what we know,” adding that “that is why we have the first green police in the entire of Africa.”
Ayade who reasoned that Cross River should lead from the front and take full control of the affairs of Africa, explained that as a business dimension to the innovation, the World Bank has set aside $100 billion to support Africa for afforestation and climate change, even as the United Nations has also set aside 100 billion dollars annually to support climate change in third world countries.
“Time has come for Cross River to understand that climate change is also business, we will create green millionaires, young men like you and I will come together and become rich men by planting, managing and taking full values for the trees,” the governor emphasised.
He averred that Africans do not believe that it is right to advocate for extreme decarbonization of Africa, hence the need to have a delicate and calculative balance between utilisation and regeneration.
Ayade who lauded the visiting Transport Minister and former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, affirmed that his administration, through the Green Carnival would also create a foray of greenery that has a camouflage of beauty and elegance, pointing out that “as we embark on our superhighway, we are encouraged to plant trees so that as we drive through a canopy of trees, it will be like driving from Singapore Airport into the city centre.
Others at the green carnival were the deputy governor, Professor Ivara Esu, the speaker of the state House of Assembly, John Lebo, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, members of the National and State Assembly, Nollywood actors including John Okafor a.k.a Mr. Ibu, Okon Lagos, among others.
