NDA@61: Commandant leads planting of one million tree seedlings 

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NDA@61: Commandant leads planting of one million tree seedlings 


The Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Major General John Ochai, has led officers and soldiers of the academy to commence the planting of one million tree seedlings in a major campaign to halt desert encroachment.

The campaign is part of activities to mark the 61st anniversary of Nigeria’s foremost military training institution.

The academy had in 2024 targeted the planting of one million tree seedlings over the next few years. The seedlings were raised at the NDA Biodiversity Conservation Center.

At Wednesday’s relaunch of the campaign, General Ochai and other personnel planted 500 trees.

He explained that the tree planting campaign was to enhance environmental sustainability, “which translates to giving back to the earth what we took from it due to human development”.

The Commandant said that the academy is also teaching cadets to be mindful of the environment so as to ensure the survival of indegenous species of trees
that are home to this part of the country.

He emphasised that desert encroachment is a reality and that the NDA is leading in the charge to halt it.

“What we are doing is an example for other organisations, both private and public to follow.

“Thankfully, the Government of Kaduna
State also has a tree planting campaign.
Their plan is to plant 10 million trees
within four years. Ours is one million trees and you can see that those two visions align,” he said.

Ochai said that the trees being planted will part of the history of the academy.

“Once future generation of leaders will come here and see the trees we are planting here today. It will mark part of our history and that significant 61 years of existence will not be forgotten,” he added.

Speaking further, the Commandant said that the biodiversity and conservation center established in 2024, was aimed at enhancing knowledge and education, as well as the academy’s capacity for environmental sustainability.

He equally said the centre aimed at aligning the institution with global practices of care for the environment.

To the officer cadets of the Academy, he charged them to imbibe the habit of taking care of the environment in order to align with international global practices.

Ochai also urged staff members to take care of the environment by planting trees so as to provide shelter, add to the aesthetic beauty of the environment and halt desertification and other threats to the environment.

Ochai said the NDA has in its 61 years of existence, lived up to the expectations of the Nigerian people, as it continues to  train leaders for the armed forces of Nigeria.

“We have products of this institution as leaders in all spheres of human endeavour, from royal fathers to captains of industry, to chief executives of organisations both private and public,” he said, and added that the NDA would continue to train more and play significant role in the development of the country.

In his remarks, Prof. Bryian Onwumere, the Director of NDA Biodiversity Conservation Center, expressed joy that the military has imbibed the concept of environmental protection.

“The military train in the bush, and when they are training in the bush, they don’t have regard for any other thing. Today, they have now seen that the bush is a very vital place to protect, even in the course of training.”

Onwumere said this implied that the military, knows what values are in the forest and the way people have been misusing them.

“So, we are happy the military has imbibed the culture. It is not just about planting the trees, it is also about making sure that adequate protection and conservation is given to the trees.

“As you can see, we have different species and as much as possible, we are using indigenous species, we are not using any exotic so they don’t come to kill off the native species,” the director said.

He explained that one of the concepts of biodiversity is that trees’ existence gives joy.

“Beyond the environmental protection, the oxygen we breathe, and climate amelioration we get, all of them come from these diversity of plants.

“You can see that everybody is walking through the bushes. Some people have even said clear the grasses, but thanks to the commandant who said no clearing of anything and that all lives are precious.”

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