09/09/2026
๐ฑ ๐ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ง๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐, ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ง๐ผ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ผ๐
๐ต ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ | ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ธ๐ผ๐๐ผ.
There was a time when climbing trees was simply part of growing up.
Reflecting on his childhood, Most Rev. Dr. Matthew Hassan Kukah, CON, Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, recalled a time when trees were abundant enough to provide shade, gathering places, and part of the everyday experience of children.
Today, many of those trees are gone.
It was against this backdrop that The Bakhita Initiative JDPC Sokoto carried out a tree-planting exercise at St. Kelvin Catholic Church, Sokoto, and St. Patrick Catholic Church, Raymond Village, Sokoto, with Bishop Kukah leading the activity.
For Bishop Kukah, the exercise was more than a symbolic gesture.
โWhat we are doing today is symbolic, and it is also a guarantee of the future.โ
He reminded us that Nigeriaโs villages once had tree-covered squares where elders gathered, shared conversations, and built community. But as these trees disappear, so too do some of the spaces and experiences that once defined community life.
He also reflected on Nigeriaโs long-standing environmental challenges, noting that while initiatives and resources have been created to address ecological problems, the country continues to experience the consequences of environmental neglect.
In a place like Sokoto, where the heat can be unforgiving, the importance of trees is even more evident.
The message from todayโs exercise is simple: we cannot wait for the future to plant what the future will need.
Every tree planted is a commitment to cleaner air, more shade, stronger ecosystems, and a healthier environment for generations to come.
Through this initiative, The Bakhita Initiative JDPC Sokoto is encouraging individuals, communities, and institutions to make tree planting and environmental protection a responsibility not just for today, but for tomorrow.
๐ฑ Plant a tree. Protect it. Let someone else enjoy its shade.
