Trees are part of human existence and play crucial, importance to our environment, and human health.
Without the trees, our environment and geographical landscape would be faced with serious environmental disadvantages.
Arbor Day / Tree planting Day, is a day set outside to celebration street, this is annually carried out in my State. This event is celebrated on the 14th of every March in my state.
The one for this year was held on March 14th, in Uyo the capital City of Akwa Ibom State. In Ikono Local Government, the theme nurture and sensitization of deforestation of our environment.
On the July 14th of last month, it was also celebrated in Lagos, and theme for this year was nurturing our feature. But it is yet to become a national, celebration in Nigeria my country.
We don't have a full exhibition, to say that trees are being celebrated in Nigeria, it is a collaborative work done in some parts of the States, but we have one that has been done before in Akwa Ibom State, my state origin. Which the federal government is considering adopting it into the national day celebrations.
This day, is an integral cultural activity celebrated in Nigeria to maintain a serene atmosphere in all the locality, streets, and homes in Nigeria. The government and the entire locality holds a great responsibility for these in their homes and environments.
The Nigeria Government made this day compulsory for every household, to plant trees around their environment. And it is highly recognized by every indigenous person leaving in Nigeria.
This is not basically done alone by the individuals and government, Non-profitable oriented Organizations, donate trees to each locality, and across the street of Nigeria.
But that is not how it is celebrated. In, Arbor day is always declared a public holiday. The essence of the public holiday decorations is to enable people to stay back home and look after their home, and those dead trees around them.
That day, old dead trees are cut off all over the country and new one are planted. Agency are sent to schools, churches and working places to inspect the kind of trees that are planted around these places.
Because many trees are just there and do not have value or even medicinal purposes, and such trees are instructed by the government, village youths and NGO to be transplanted.
The government organized sensitization programs to enlighten the public on the importance of Arbor Day/ Tree planting in their environment. Mostly, organize in the school premise, for the staff.
Thereafter, the chiefs would organize a get-together with the entire villagers. So Arbor Day/ Tree planting is not basically celebrated as new tam festival, but in Akwa State, we consider it a culture too, that we all most carry out.
This culture is also celebrated in some parts of Lagos State, the
But if I am to suggest a way that this day should be, I would suggest it should be celebrated as other cultures, yam festival, masquerade festival and unity ceremony. That would help build more consciousness of tree maintenance.
People tend to fear the sanctioned in the law than the law. So if the community heads made it a law, many people would never default the instructions. Even some of these trees, are not giving adequate care and attention. As soon as the celebration ends, people go about their ways, not caring about the trees anymore.
But if the government makes it become a law, many people would understand that the failure to grow the tree, and care about, or cut it down as fire wood as it is done in most villages in my country. Especially the Rural areas.
If this is done, mostly in Nigeria, like my community, most of the trees they planted alone the street and all the medical trees have all been cut off. And this is very crazy.
All these happened because it doesn't have a strong law backing it up.