Fintiri forbids Adamawa’s tree-felling for the production of charcoal

The state of Adamawa has banned the felling and burning of trees for the purpose of making charcoal, according to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri.

On Thursday, the governor said that an existing legislation prohibiting tree cutting and the use of tree trunks to generate cooking charcoal will henceforth be aggressively enforced.

Fintiri first gave the order to traditional leaders who came to pay him tribute on Sallah from all over the state, and then to members of the state House of Assembly who paid him a visit at the Government House in Yola.

He explained that it is everyone’s duty to see that the law against tree cutting is upheld to the parliamentarians, who were being led by Speaker of the House of Assembly Bathiya Wesley.

“We have made the strong determination that no trees should be cut down or charcoal produced. We are all expected to do our lot to ensure that the law prohibiting tree cutting, which we haven’t been enforcing, is now properly enforced. When the traditional leaders arrived, I told them this.

“We must all take the necessary action in this direction in our individual capacities. We need to promote sustainable alternatives to charcoal among our people.

The governor added that after it was discovered that deforestation significantly increased flooding throughout the state, his administration made the clear decision to oppose cutting down trees, primarily for burning and producing charcoal.

“We have seen areas that had never experienced flooding before now flood frequently, destroying our farms, homes, and valuable assets,” he said.