The National Youth Parliament in collaboration with Ministry of Youths and Sports, Ministry of Forestry and the Environment and the local government authorities recently embarked on a tree planting exercise and road safety campaign.
The participants convened at regional education directorate office in Janjangbureh town in the Central River Region.
Speaking shortly after the tree planting exercise, Malang Saibo Camara, the deputy governor of the region, underscored the significance of the exercise, adding that, ‘as human beings we are interdependent with trees, and if there are no trees there will be no lives. Then we must plant more trees, if we are to live healthily,” he said.
According to him, youths are the cream of any nation, and they should take charge of their responsibilities as young people, as they take the lead in any community development initiative at the grass roots level.
Mr Camara went on to challenge the youths to participate in national development endavours, particularly in environmental sustainability activities, lamenting that our environment is dwindling on a daily basis.
“Some years ago, our forest was thick and green and provided a habitat for wild life species, but today where are all those species and the green forest?”
Mr. Camara commended the National Youth Parliament and its collaborators for the noble initiative, and urged all and sundry to act as police or guardians in protecting our forest and the environment as a whole.
He noted that the forest cover is degrading on a daily basis due to bushfires, exploitation of forestry resources and conversion of forests into farmlands.
Cherno Gaye, regional forestry officer CRR, underscored the importance of protecting and caring for the forest and the environment, while cautioning the youths of the region to continue planting and protecting more trees for environmental sustainability.
On the side of road safety, Kemeta Sambou CRR’s regional police commissioner spoke of the need to sensitize road users, especially drivers, on the importance of traffic signs and their meaning.
He noted that authorities have provided road traffic signs in all strategic places for safeguarding road users, and as a warning to drivers, so as to avoid the unnecessary accidents that sometimes claim the lives of innocent people.
He opined that these traffic signs warn drivers about bends, turning points, bridges, crossing points for people and animals, and also caution drivers on speed limits at specific places.
Siaka Dibba, programme officer of National Youth Parliament of the
He asserted that the National Youth Parliament is a representative network of young people across the country, and their aim is to promote and uphold the principles of good governance, democracy, youth development, as well as inculcate responsible citizenship in the minds and hearts of young people.
Other speakers on the occasion included the chief of Janjangbureh, Seyfo Bakary Jam Jawo, Alhagie Sanneh a representative of regional education directorate, Adama Sabally, the regional youth coordinator, and Mrs Lolly Camara area youth representative, who all expressed similar sentiment about the exercise.