Lagos State Government has designed a competition for schoolchildren between the ages of four and 12, to drive its tree-planting campaign, which will take off on July 14.
In the campaign, children would create any art form that interprets this year’s tree-planting theme: ‘Restore and Recover,’ while participants with the best entries would be rewarded with learning resources like electronic tablets, books and other educational materials.
General Manager, Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK), Mrs. Adetoun Popoola, disclosed this during a media conference on the state’s plans for this year’s Tree Planting Day, which is celebrated yearly on July 14.
She said the state had also designed an online book reading and a question-and-answer session for children scheduled for the Saturday, July 10 event.
“We will be reading a book to help children better understand why it is important to protect the environment, as well as identify simple ways to care for the environment and take individual action. It is important to engage children from a young age to give them a healthy respect and appreciation for nature,” she said.
Popoola stressed that about 4,000 trees would be planted on that date simultaneously across Lagos by both private and public sector institutions, while about 7.6 million trees had been planted between 2011 and end of last year, with 50,000 targeted for 2021.
According to her, there will be ceremonial tree-planting events by members of the state executive at designated locations.
In addition, trees would be planted across the 57 local governments and local council development areas.
“We have commenced sensitisation and mobilisation in preparation for the exercise. Tree seedlings are already being distributed to all the state local government areas and development councils for this purpose.
