The federal government says it is committed to restoring more degraded lands for environmental sustainability.

Balarabe Lawal, environment minister, gave this assurance at the Stakeholders’ Engagement of the Federal and States Steering/Technical Committees by Agro-Climate Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) on Thursday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the programme was organised by ACReSAL, Federal Ministries of Environment, Agriculture and Food Security and Water Resources and Sanitation in conjunction with the World Bank.

The minister, the steering committee chairman, expressed satisfaction that the collaboration would restore degraded lands in the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Mr Lawal said, “We need to emphasise the collaboration between the federal and state governments, and I hope this collaboration will be extended to the local government.”

He expressed worries over the dryness of Lake Chad and charged ACReSAL with its recovery as Lake Chad was just a micro level of what used to be there.

Taimur Samad, World Bank Operations Manager, said the ACReSAL project was an ambitious and transformational engagement to restore degraded lands.

“Globally the World Bank has continued to deepen its commitment to climate change, resilience, adaptation and mitigation,” he said.

Mr Samad urged the 19 states and the FCT to ensure renewed commitments to implementing the projects.

Abdulhamid Umar, the ACReSAL national project coordinator, said the project was driven by three ministries, namely the ministries of environment, water resources and sanitation and agriculture and food security.

He said the ACReSAL project was implemented in 19 northern states and the FCT.

Lawrence Adigwe, the director overseeing the permanent secretary’s office in the environment ministry, said ACReSAL had been a success story on land restoration in the 19 northern states and the FCT.

He assured the ministry’s commitment towards ACReSAL’s project and urged the 19 northern states and the FCT to be more efficient in securing the environment.

(NAN)