Koko Maxwella 
CALABAR, Nigeria – The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has launched a large-scale tree planting campaign aimed at combating erosion and rising sea levels threatening coastal communities in the region.
The initiative, unveiled in Calabar, Cross River State, is being executed in partnership with the Foundation for Sustainable Development Options, an environmental non-governmental organisation.
NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, said the campaign will cover all nine states of the Niger Delta. “We have planted trees along the eastern bypass near Igbunabali in Port Harcourt and completed the exercise in Cross River State. Our next phase will expand to three additional states,” he disclosed.
He stressed that the project would help absorb carbon dioxide, sustain biodiversity and improve public health. “Our leadership is determined to secure the coastal environment and preserve nature,” Ogbuku said.
Residents were urged to protect existing trees and desist from indiscriminate felling. “Tree planting will restore ecological balance and protect organisms within the ecosystem,” noted NDDC Director of Environmental Protection, Dr George Ajunwa.
The campaign also included sensitisation programmes in schools to instil tree-planting culture in pupils.
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Hussaini Ibrahim 
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