FUGA Launches Green Code to Combat Desertification, Promote Climate Resilience

By Auwal Ahmad Umar

The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Gashua (FUGA), Professor Yaqub Ahmed Geidam, has officially launched the FUGA Green Code (FGC), an institutional environmental initiative aimed at combating desertification, restoring vegetation and promoting climate resilience through tree planting.

This was contained in a press statement signed by Adamu Saleh, Deputy Director, Information and Public Relations of the University made available to Northeast State Magazine in Damaturu.

The initiative was launched on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at the University under the theme “Restoring the Climate through Tree Planting.” The ceremony was attended by the Mai Bade, representatives of the Federal and Yobe State Governments, members of the University community, development partners, traditional leaders, students, members of the host community, and the media.

Speaking at the occasion, Professor Geidam described the FUGA Green Code as more than a tree-planting campaign, calling it a long-term institutional commitment to environmental restoration, sustainability and climate action.

He noted that the realities of climate change and desertification in Yobe State were evident in declining vegetation, exposed soil, rising temperatures, wind erosion and increasing pressure on natural resources. As a university situated within the fragile Sudano-Sahelian environment, he said, FUGA could not afford to merely discuss environmental challenges without taking practical steps to address them.

The Vice-Chancellor explained that the initiative was designed not only to increase tree cover but also to restore degraded land, protect the environment, improve the University campus, restore biodiversity and cultivate a culture of environmental responsibility among staff, students and the wider community.

He said the University was determined to transform FUGA into a model Green Campus for the Nigerian dryland environment, where sustainability would be practised and demonstrated, not just taught in classrooms.

Professor Geidam noted that purposeful action, scientific knowledge, innovation and community participation could help restore the environment despite the challenges posed by the Sahelian climate. Addressing students, he urged them to take ownership of the initiative through the FGC Student Ambassadors Programme, which is expected to produce environmental champions and climate advocates among the student population.

He challenged them to embrace the slogan “One Student, One Tree,” stressing that planting a tree was only the beginning—nurturing it to maturity was the real measure of success.
“You must become not merely tree planters, but tree custodians. Every tree you plant should become a living symbol of your contribution to the future,” he said.

Professor Geidam also called for partnerships with government agencies, development organisations, the private sector, civil society organisations, environmental institutions, traditional leaders and host communities to expand the impact of the initiative, saying such collaborations would focus on tree planting, environmental research, climate education, innovation, capacity building and community engagement.

He emphasised that the University’s environmental responsibility extended beyond its campus, noting that FUGA and its host communities shared the same environment and faced similar climate-related challenges.

He therefore expressed the University’s readiness to work with traditional institutions, farmers, youths, community organisations and other stakeholders to extend the FUGA Green Code beyond the University.

Professor Geidam assured that Management was committed to making the initiative a long-term institutional programme rather than a one-day campaign, and would support research, partnerships, student participation, staff engagement and community involvement.

He described the FUGA Green Code as the University’s response to desertification, a contribution to climate resilience and an investment in the wellbeing of present and future generations.

In his welcome address, the Chairman of the FUGA Green Code Committee, Professor James Ishaku Dantata, described the initiative as more than a tree-planting campaign a collective commitment to environmental stewardship, climate resilience, combating desertification, restoring biodiversity and building a model green campus for future generations.

Professor Dantata noted that FUGA was located within a fragile Sahel ecosystem, and that the initiative aimed to encourage members of the University community and neighbouring communities to become custodians of nature by planting, nurturing and protecting trees while promoting sustainable environmental practices.

He stressed that the success of the FUGA Green Code would not be measured by the number of trees planted on launch day, but by the number that survived through sustained care and protection, urging the University community to embrace the spirit of “Plant, Protect and Preserve.”

“As we formally launch the FUGA Green Code today, let this day be remembered as the day we collectively resolved to transform our campus into a thriving symbol of environmental sustainability and climate action,” he said.
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