Kwara Gov launches environmental sustainability club in schools
* Tasks students on tree planting
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has implored school children across the state to embrace agriculture and see it as a catalyst of promoting food security and creating wealth.
He also encouraged them and the entire residents to cultivate the habit of planting trees, protecting green spaces, and avoiding indiscriminate waste disposal in the schools and across communities.
The Governor was speaking in Ilorin at the flag-off of the Inter-Local Government Quiz Competition on Agricultural Education Training Programme (AETP) and official launch of the Environmental Sustainability Club through Tree Planting in Kwara State.
“This event represents two critical pillars of our administration’s development agenda: quality education and environmental sustainability. It is particularly gratifying to see our young learners at the centre of this initiative,” the Governor said while declaring open the quiz competition.
“These children are the future leaders, innovators, farmers, scientists, and environmental stewards who will shape the destiny of our state and nation.
“We are encouraging them to see agriculture not merely as a means of subsistence but as a modern, technology-driven sector capable of creating wealth, ensuring food security, and driving economic growth.”
The 2-legged event was organized by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
The Governor said the initiative aligns with his government’s efforts to strengthen climate-smart agriculture and agricultural capacity development in the state.
AbdulRazaq said the Inter-Local Government Quiz Competition is more than an academic exercise but a platform for intellectual engagement, innovation, and healthy competition among students from across our sixteen local government areas.
“The trees we plant today symbolise life, hope, resilience, and our collective responsibility to protect the environment,” the Governor said through the SUBEB Chairman, Prof Sheu Raheem Adaramaja who represented him.
He noted that beyond beautifying our surroundings, trees improve air quality, prevent soil erosion, absorb carbon emissions, and contribute to a healthier ecosystem for future generations.
Dignitaries at the event included the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr Lawal Olohungbebe, represented by Director of School Services in the Ministry, Mrs Osanupin Olubunmi;
State Women Leader for APC), Hajia Falilat Ronke Mohammed; Kwara Central Senatorial Chairman,
Alhaji Mahmud Tunrawa; Local Government Education Secretaries, Coordinator, Adaramaja Women Alliance, Hajia Rafat Ajao Gomi; representatives of the Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS)
and Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), and students.
Prof Adaramaja, whose speech was delivered by the Director of Administration, Alhaji Abdulateef Sholagberu, said the occasion represents another significant milestone in the collective efforts to strengthen basic education through practical learning, environmental responsibility, and the promotion of agricultural knowledge among the learners.
He said the Agricultural Education Training Programme (AETP) has been carefully designed to expose pupils to modern agricultural concepts and practices, stimulate their interest in farming and agribusiness.
He, however, requested contractors who recently secured contracts with the state government for school construction/rehabilitation to make sure they germinate trees in their sites before they can deliver the projects.
At the end of the quiz competition, where at least 19 students of the public basic schools had participated, Torkuma Perfect (St Anthony Secondary School) got the first prize and went home with 500,000. Ibeh Daniel (also from St Anthony) turned out a first runner-up and received N 250,000, while Abdulrahman Thani Fatimah from Queen Elizabeth School got 100,000 for a second runner-up position.
Highlight of the event was the practical demonstration of tree planting by school children.
