By Chinonso Alozie – Owerri

The former Imo state governor, Ikedi Ohakim, has said that Nigeria murder rate has risen to 9.85 per cent of 100, 000 in population.

Vanguard in Owerri gathered the part of Ohakim’s speech at the 2019 public service lecture and awards organized by the University of Ibadan Alumni Association, led by the chairman, Mr. Richmond Amechi, to mark the founders day anniversary of the University.

Ohakim added that the country now has  30 per cent increase in divorce rate. He also said that Nigeria has top other countries as having the highest rate of deforestation.

He pointed out that the Federal government of Nigeria, just as a matter of urgency begin the planting of five billion trees to avert climate change disaster.

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In what Ohakim described as vital statistics that the country has “40 million unemployed youths, 30 per cent increase in the divorce rate. Nigeria has the largest extreme poverty population in the world at the moment with 87 million living in extreme poverty.

“Nigeria shockingly has a murder rate of 9.85 per cent 100,000 population. In the area of environment, the annual rate of deforestation in Nigeria today is approximately 4 per cent which about 400,000 to 450,000 hectares per year.

“Nigeria therefore has the highest rate of deforestation in the world. Again we are now faced with rapid desert encroachment affecting fifteen states in Nigeria. For example out of 909,890 km2 of our country’s land area.

“About 600,000 km2 or 65.94 per cent of our total land area is today completely lost to desert encroachment. Over 100 million people or 50 per cent of our citizens are directly or indirectly being threatened by desertification, deforestation and gully erosion.”

He continued: “Unknown to many we have only a decade before we tip over to disaster. Mr President must decide now that climate change is a crisis worthy of marshal plan level response to mobilize the people, mobilize finance and technology on a scale never seen before.

“We must plant a minimum of five billion trees in Nigeria in the next three years. We must all get our hands dirty on the ground in every community and plant trees. This is a matter of collective survival.”

Vanguard News Nigeria.