The Federal Capital Territory Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) in Collaboration with Abaji Area Council recently had an engagement with Nuku Community on proposed plans to establish a 5 hectares Shea butter plantation in the Community.

Led by the FCT ACReSAL Project Coordinator, Mrs. Caroline Opara, and supported by the Supervisory Councilor of Environment and Forestry, Hon. Abubakar Sadiq from Abaji Area Council, the delegation visited several key locations, including the palace of the Aguma of Nuku, His Royal Highness Tanimu Gbayinbwa. They were warmly welcomed by the Aguma, the district head, and members of the community.

Mrs. Opara, during her introduction of ACReSAL to the villagers, emphasized the project’s objectives, which encompasses combating climate change through environmental conservation and enhancing the livelihoods of communities in the 19 Northern states of Nigeria and the FCT.

She specifically highlighted the critical need to revive shea butter production, as the shea trees responsible for this valuable resource are facing endangerment in Nuku. Importantly, she reiterated to the villagers that the proposed 5-hectare shea butter plantation belongs solely to the community, emphasizing that it is not owned by the government or ACReSAL.

Mrs. Opara underscored the significance of gender equality, emphasizing that the project welcomes active involvement and participation from both men and women, recognizing the invaluable contributions that women make in agricultural activities. She also highlighted the project’s commitment to inclusivity and explained how measures would be taken to ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal opportunities to benefit from and participate in the project.

She also emphasized the need for sustainable peace building amongst the various stakeholders in the catchment area, especially amongst the farmers and pastoralists. Hence, the resident Fulani groups will be represented in the Ste Implementation Committees (SI)to accommodate their interests in the livelihood improvement activities.

The response from the villagers was overwhelmingly positive, as they expressed their wholehearted acceptance and pledged their full support for the project which they believe has huge economic potentials and environmental benefits for the Nuku Community.They also voiced their aspirations for additional development initiatives, such as the provision of portable water and sustainable sources of livelihood.

The youths turned in their numbers to receive the ACReSAL team, and their presence was specifically recognised by the traditional leadership of Nuku and the ACReSAL team. As a show of their enthusiasm for the partnership with ACReSAL, they were present during the inspection of the proposed site and made useful contributions to all the discussions during the visit.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 C𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 Environment 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐀𝐛𝐚𝐣𝐢 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 C𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐇𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐛𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐪 in his remarks 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐂𝐓 𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐞𝐒𝐀𝐋 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 for its choice of Nuku for the project stressing how women 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 enhanced economic opportunities,𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 and improved livelihood.

The team had the opportunity to inspect the proposed land for the shea butter farm intervention.