The Kano State Government has opposed any move to convert parts of the Afforestation Programme Coordinating Unit (APCU) complex in Jambulo into residential or commercial plots.
The government said the property remains an important federal environmental facility and should continue to serve its original public purpose.
The Commissioner for Water Resources, Environment and Climate Change, Dr Dahir M. Hashim, made the position known on Friday while speaking to journalists in Kano.
Hashim said the state government was concerned by reports that portions of the property had been transferred to private interests and that there were efforts to remove federal environmental agencies operating from the site.
He explained that the APCU complex had played an important role in Nigeria’s environmental efforts for many years.
“The APCU complex was established in 1988 and has, for decades, served as a centre for coordinating afforestation activities and training forest guards and other forestry personnel,” Hashim said.
He noted that the importance of the facility had increased following the relocation of the operational headquarters of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) from Abuja to Jambulo.
The commissioner said the state government respected the courts and would not interfere in any judicial proceedings, but warned against using the dispute to convert the environmental facility into private property.
“Any attempt to convert this strategic environmental facility into private residential or commercial plots is against the overriding public interest,” he said.
Hashim also highlighted the environmental benefits of the trees and plantations within the complex, saying they help reduce heat, improve air quality, protect against erosion and provide a habitat for biodiversity.
He warned that breaking up the green area would result in the loss of mature vegetation that had taken decades to develop.
The commissioner urged President Bola Tinubu and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to examine the reported alienation of the property and take necessary legal steps to protect it.
He also called on the Federal Ministry of Environment to continue its opposition to the reported alienation and explore all available legal measures to safeguard the complex.
Hashim said the Kano State Government would support the Federal Ministry of Environment, NAGGW, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and APCU in efforts to preserve the property.
“Our position is clear: public environmental assets must remain in public service,” he said.
Kano opposes conversion of APCU Environmental Complex into residential, commercial plots