Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has been honoured with the prestigious Champion of Green Governance award by the Forestry Association of Nigeria, a recognition widely seen as a national endorsement of his administration’s far-reaching environmental reforms. The award was presented on Tuesday 25 November, at a ceremony attended by policymakers, environmental experts, development partners, and top government officials from across the federation.
Speaking on behalf of the Governor, the Special Adviser on Climate Change, Alamin Muhammed, said Governor Radda was “deeply humbled” by the recognition. According to him, the honour is “a validation of Katsina State’s collective resolve to build a greener, more resilient and more prosperous future.”
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Mr Alamin, a professor noted that when Governor Radda assumed office, the state faced the harsh realities of desertification, land degradation, water scarcity and rising temperatures across the Sahel. “We refused to respond with despair,” he said. “Instead, we responded with vision.” He explained that this vision birthed the Katsina State Green Growth Agenda (KAGGA)—a comprehensive framework focused on climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy expansion, green industrialisation, and resilient water and infrastructure systems.
He highlighted major milestones achieved under the Radda administration, including the allocation of 30% of the state’s annual budget to climate-resilient initiatives, the creation of a ₦50 billion Green Investment Fund, and the ambitious target of mobilising ₦150 billion for the state’s emerging carbon economy. He further pointed to ongoing reforestation efforts such as the planting of over 100,000 economic trees, the nurturing of three million seedlings, and Katsina’s commitment to planting 10 million trees by 2030 under the Great Green Wall initiative.
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“Every tree we plant is a statement of hope for the next generation,” the governor’s representative emphasised. Key community-based programmes—including A Tree for Every Child, the reintroduction of forest guards, and strengthened conservation systems—are, according to him, “laying the groundwork for long-term environmental stability.”
Reaffirming Mr Radda’s commitment to water and infrastructure security, Governor Radda disclosed that the state has constructed 120 solar-powered boreholes, with 60 more underway, alongside investments in rainwater harvesting, rehabilitation of major dams, and the deployment of solar-powered pumps, tillers, tractors and machinery to support climate-resilient agriculture across the 34 LGAs.
He added that Katsina’s green transformation agenda extends to rural electrification through solar mini-grids, the establishment of a Solar Industrial Park in partnership with Genesis Energy, and a Waste-to-Wealth programme that will convert plastic waste into eco-friendly products while creating opportunities for thousands of young entrepreneurs.
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“Our green economy is becoming a source of jobs, innovation and dignity,” he said. He expressed Governor Radda’s gratitude to the Forestry Association of Nigeria “for recognising Katsina’s bold and strategic reforms,” and acknowledged past award recipients whose work “continues to inspire new possibilities.”
Governor Radda dedicated the award to the people of Katsina State, assuring them that “the journey toward a fully sustainable and climate-resilient Katsina has only just begun.” Those in attendance included the SSA on Climate Change, Suleiman S Ribadu; the Director of the Forestry Department, Ministry of Environment, Saminu Soli; and the immediate past Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Muntari Kado.
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