Zulum Unveils Free Gas Cylinders for 23,700 Teachers, Environmental Vanguards as Borno Launches 4m-Tree Campaign

By: Michael Mike

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum has unveiled an ambitious clean-energy and environmental restoration initiative involving the distribution of 23,700 free cooking gas cylinders to teachers and environmental vanguards across the state’s 27 local government areas.

The initiative, which includes refill vouchers for beneficiaries, is designed to reduce dependence on firewood, curb deforestation, improve household health and strengthen Borno’s environmental resilience as the state continues its post-conflict reconstruction and recovery efforts.

Zulum announced the programme on Thursday in Maiduguri at the 2026 National Tree Planting Campaign and the distribution of clean cooking stoves and gas cylinders, where the first phase of the intervention was launched.

Under the initial phase, 5,000 cooking gas cylinders and clean cooking stoves will be distributed to teachers and environmental vanguards in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Jere Local Government Area. Beneficiaries in the remaining 25 local government areas will receive the equipment in subsequent phases.

The governor said the programme would go beyond the distribution of the cylinders, with beneficiaries also receiving vouchers to enable them refill their gas through designated vendors.

According to him, the initiative is aimed at tackling the twin challenges of energy poverty and environmental degradation by providing practical alternatives to firewood use.

“This initiative will significantly reduce dependence on firewood, improve household health, protect our forests, reduce carbon emissions and improve the quality of life of thousands of families across our communities,” Zulum said.

He added that the state government would extend the programme to teachers in other local government areas, stressing that environmental restoration remained central to the administration’s rebuilding agenda.

“As we reconstruct communities affected by conflict, we must equally restore the ecosystem that sustains the communities. Sustainable peace and sustainable development cannot flourish in a degraded environment,” he said.

The governor commended President Bola Tinubu for his commitment to environmental sustainability under the Renewed Hope Agenda, while also acknowledging the contributions of First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu to the promotion of a greener Nigeria.

He further praised the Federal Ministry of Environment, its agencies and development partners for supporting efforts to build a climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable Borno State.

Flagging off the national tree planting campaign, the Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Lawal, described Borno’s approach as a model that combines tree planting with practical alternatives to firewood.

The minister said the provision of clean cooking alternatives was critical to the success of environmental protection efforts, noting that removing thousands of households from dependence on firewood would significantly reduce pressure on forests.

“I want to say here that this is the first time I have seen tree planting getting connected with alternatives. The Governor is giving you alternatives. He is giving out 5,000 clean cooking stoves to our teachers. That’s the starting point. If you can remove 5,000 people from using firewood, it is a great achievement,” Lawal said.

He disclosed that four million seedlings were being planted as part of the campaign, adding that more than 20 million trees had already been planted across Borno State.

The minister described the achievement as commendable and pledged efforts to encourage other states to adopt similar measures.

Lawal called on governments at all levels, schools, faith-based organisations, the private sector, youth and women’s groups, as well as citizens across the country, to embrace tree planting as a civic responsibility.

The campaign, he said, was not merely an environmental exercise but a national investment in the health, livelihoods and future security of generations yet unborn.

For Borno, the combined rollout of clean cooking alternatives and the planting of four million seedlings signals a broader environmental strategy in which reconstruction is being pursued alongside ecological restoration, with the state seeking to rebuild communities while protecting the natural systems on which their long-term survival depends.

Zulum Unveils Free Gas Cylinders for 23,700 Teachers, Environmental Vanguards as Borno Launches 4m-Tree Campaign

NIMC Deepens MDA Partnerships to Drive Nigeria’s Digital Identity Transformation

By: Michael Mike

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has intensified collaboration with key government institutions as part of efforts to implement the newly enacted NIMC Act 2026 and accelerate Nigeria’s transition towards a secure, interoperable and citizen-centred digital identity ecosystem.

The renewed engagements, led by the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, have seen the Commission hold high-level working sessions with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Ministry of Youth Development and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.

The consultations are aimed at aligning national priorities, strengthening institutional cooperation and expanding the role of digital identity as a critical pillar of Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).

During a working visit to NITDA, its Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, commended NIMC’s ongoing reforms and pledged the Agency’s support for the effective implementation of the Commission’s mandate.

Inuwa said NITDA was ready to make available the digital infrastructure developed by the Agency, including the National Public Key Infrastructure (NPKI), to support seamless implementation of the country’s digital identity agenda.

The two institutions agreed to deepen cooperation in secure data exchange, cybersecurity, DPI, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and the development of trusted digital frameworks capable of supporting Nigeria’s expanding digital economy.

The NIMC leadership also met with the Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, who expressed the Ministry’s readiness to partner with the Commission to expand digital identity access among young Nigerians.

The Minister said stronger collaboration would enable more young people to access government programmes, digital opportunities and socio-economic initiatives, while commending the reforms being undertaken by NIMC under the new legal framework.

At INEC, the Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, acknowledged NIMC’s progress in expanding National Identification Number (NIN) enrolment and recognised the complementary mandates of both institutions.

He noted that the NIMC Act 2026 provides a stronger legal basis for collaboration in identity management, cybersecurity, data protection and the identification and resolution of duplicate identities within the electoral register.

Discussions with the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, focused on the role of trusted digital identity in driving trade, investment and economic growth.

The Minister congratulated NIMC on the enactment of the NIMC Act 2026 and commended the Commission’s efforts to expand Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem.

She emphasised the importance of the NIN in improving the ease of doing business, strengthening economic participation and unlocking opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The engagements form part of NIMC’s broader strategy to build stronger partnerships with critical Ministries, Departments and Agencies to ensure the effective implementation of the NIMC Act 2026 and consolidate Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure.

The Commission said the ongoing consultations would support improved service delivery, promote economic inclusion, strengthen national security and accelerate the country’s digital transformation.

NIMC, according to its Head of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke, remains committed to working with strategic government institutions to build a trusted and interoperable digital identity system capable of supporting citizens, government services and Nigeria’s economic development.

NIMC Deepens MDA Partnerships to Drive Nigeria’s Digital Identity Transformation

Northern Security Fund Must Back Forest Guards, State Police, NCYP Says

By: Michael Mike

The Northern Christian Youth Professionals (NCYP) has called on the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund (NNSTF) to become the financial backbone of the proposed Forest Guard Initiative and State Police, warning that the security of Northern Nigeria would remain vulnerable if any state is left with weak security capacity.

The organisation made the call on Thursday while congratulating the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) on the inauguration of the Board of Trustees of the NNSTF, describing the initiative as a landmark development capable of transforming the region’s response to insecurity.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Isaac Abrak, NCYP said the commitment by the 19 Northern states to contribute ₦1 billion monthly each to the Fund could generate approximately ₦19 billion monthly and ₦228 billion annually, making it one of the most ambitious regionally funded security initiatives in Nigeria’s history.

The group, however, said the success of the Fund should not be measured by the volume of money mobilised, but by the concrete security outcomes it delivers.

According to NCYP, the Fund must help reclaim and secure forests, protect vulnerable communities, strengthen intelligence gathering, restore public confidence and revive economic activities across Northern Nigeria.

The organisation congratulated the Co-Chairmen of the Board of Trustees, former Defence Minister Mahmud Yayale Ahmed and former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Luther Agwai (rtd.), expressing confidence that their experience would help position the Fund as a catalyst for lasting peace and stability in the region.

NCYP said the creation of the Trust Fund provided Northern political leaders, traditional rulers, elders and other stakeholders with an opportunity to demonstrate collective ownership of the region’s security challenges.

It said Northern Nigeria could no longer depend solely on central security institutions to address threats that emerge within communities, forests and other ungoverned spaces.

“Lasting peace cannot depend solely on central security institutions; it requires taking security closer to the people, where threats first emerge, intelligence is first gathered and criminal activities can be disrupted before they develop into larger security crises,” the statement said.

The group welcomed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Forest Guard Initiative and renewed advocacy for State Police, particularly by Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, describing both initiatives as complementary components of a modern, layered security architecture.

While the Forest Guard would focus on securing forests and other ungoverned spaces used as operational bases by terrorists, bandits and kidnappers, NCYP said State Police would strengthen community policing, intelligence gathering and rapid response.

It therefore urged the Trust Fund to establish dedicated intervention programmes for the expansion and professionalisation of Forest Guard formations across the region, noting that several states were still at the early stages of implementation while others had yet to commence.

The organisation also called on the Fund to prepare to support the development of professional State Police Commands once the constitutional and institutional processes for their establishment are completed.

Such support, it said, should include training, personnel welfare, operational vehicles, communications systems, intelligence infrastructure, surveillance technology and other logistics necessary for effective policing.

NCYP further urged the Trust Fund to promote joint planning, intelligence sharing, interoperability and regular exercises involving Forest Guards, future State Police Commands and existing federal security agencies.

The organisation warned that uneven security capacity among Northern states could create vulnerabilities that criminal groups would exploit.

“Terrorists, bandits and kidnappers do not recognise state boundaries. They move towards areas where security gaps exist,” it said, insisting that the region must ensure that no state is left behind.

It declared: “The security of Northern Nigeria is only as strong as the security of its weakest state.”

NCYP commended President Tinubu for implementing the Forest Guard Initiative and praised Governor Uba Sani for his advocacy for State Police and Kaduna State’s proactive implementation of the Forest Guard programme, including the training of pioneer recruits.

The group also commended the Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, Northern governors, traditional rulers, eminent elders and members of the Board of Trustees for what it described as collective leadership at a critical moment.

It urged the Board of Trustees to make transparency, accountability, measurable outcomes and regional cooperation the guiding principles of the NNSTF.

NCYP said the Fund should go beyond financing isolated security interventions and instead serve as the foundation for an integrated regional security framework capable of protecting lives, securing livelihoods and creating the conditions for economic recovery.

The organisation disclosed that it would release a comprehensive policy memorandum containing detailed recommendations on how the Trust Fund could support the expansion of the Forest Guard, prepare for the establishment of State Police and strengthen grassroots security across Northern Nigeria.

Northern Security Fund Must Back Forest Guards, State Police, NCYP Says