Climate change: JDPCI Abuja distributes 10,000 tree seedlings in Abuja

The Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) Abuja, an agency of the Catholic Church, has distributed additional 10,000 economic tree seedlings in Abuja and environs to cushion the effect of climate change.

JDPC Chairman, Sir Josephat Abaagu, while supervising the distribution on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, said the exercise was in line with the directive of Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja. He said that the directive was from the message of Pope Francis on environmental protection. Kaigama had directed all catholic institutions and parishes in Abuja to plant a minimum of 10 trees to conserve and protect the environment.

Abaagu said the trees comprised high breed cashews, oranges, jumbo guavas and mangoes of various varieties and species. He said that the trees, which were donated by Catholic Relief Service (CRS), would serve as a source of income, protect the environment and also provide food within four months.

The chairman said that the plants would reach every catholic organisation and parish in the FCT. “We believe that at the end of the day, we will be contributing to humanity; we will be contributing to reforestation and every other advantage that tree planting is supposed to bring to our society.

“As we all know, we breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide which the trees use, and then they excel oxygen back to us. “So it is very healthy having trees wherever we are,” he said. Abaagu urged deanery coordinators to monitor the project and ensure compliance to achieve maximum benefits. He commended CRS for the gesture saying that it would go a long way to alleviate poverty, reduce hunger and safeguard the environment. Also speaking, the Executive Director of the commission, Rev. Fr. Solomon Uko, pledged that his parish, Holy Ghost Parish Kpeyegyi, would plant 50 trees. According to him, trees are very important for the environment. “I thank all those who will be involved in the planting; I thank all the distributors of these three. “And we pray that as you do so, God will bless the efforts of our hands and grant us success,” he prayed.

Also, JDPC Programmes Director, Mr Timothy Ejeh, said that the commission had earlier distributed 1,000 tree seedlings donated by CAFOD. He said that with the 10,000 tree seedlings donated by CRS and the Archbishop’s directive of 10 trees per catholic institution, Abuja would surpass the target of planting 20,000 trees. “We are appealing to parishes, chaplaincies institutions and pastoral areas to kindly plant and nurture these special trees given to them for free,” he said. Mr George Odoh, the Gwagwalada Deanery Coordinator, who spoke on behalf of other coordinators, pledged to ensure all the trees are planted and nurtured. “By God’s grace, we are going to ensure that the various trees that are given to us will be planted in our deaneries. “I also believe that by God’s grace, we will also work hard to ensure that if not all, majority of them will survive, so as to be able to achieve the purpose. “I want to thank you for giving me the honour and may the good Lord bless us all amen,” he said.