The indiscriminate felling of trees in the rural communities across the state has been described as sabotage against the government in its effort at fighting against deforestation and desertification in the country.

Spokesman for the Abua/Odual Youthful Initiative on Climate Change (AOYICC), Comrade Oye Jerry Oyeni who made the condemnation in a chat with our special correspondent over the weekend in his office at Ayama, Abua Central called for intensive tree planting campaigns at the grassroots to enhance timber production in the future.

He said the unwholesome practice had led to houses being built on waterways and channels without minding the dangers inherent during flooding in the rainy seasons.

According to him, out of the 23 local government areas in the state, only seven had urban status while sixteen are rural and mostly not planned by town planners.

On why people choose to build on natural waters without minding the consequences, Comrade Oyeni attributed the practice to lack of professional advice from environmentalists at the grassroots level.

He called on environment experts to take the war against environmental degradation to the grassroots as most of the rural dwellers were not aware of the causes and dangers of climate change.

Comrade Oyeni said most of them were not even aware that their activities were major contributors to climate change. He called for a check on land owners who give out their land for sale irrespective of the terrain.

He attributed the trend to the craze for quick money were land ownership has become a norm with the highest bidder acquiring as many plots of land as possible.