CARNIRIV:Rivers To Plant 1,000 Trees

Director General,
Rivers State Tourism Development Agency, Mr Sam Dede, has said that the 2013 edition of the state’s carnival would include the planting of 1000 trees as part of efforts to safeguard the environment.
Dede told news men in Abuja last week that the carnival, with the theme “Our environment, bedrock for sustainable development,” would be used to sensitise the public on the desirability of safe environment.
“We intend to use the carnival to mobilise people to be conscious of the environment.
“The damage we have done to our environment is enormous and so we should begin to make amends towards savaging what we have destroyed by our own life style,” he said.
He also said that the state government was working towards making the Rivers carnival, a global brand.
“Our carnival is targeted at a global brand. That is what we are working on.
“We have a five year development plan for the carnival, but this year, we are consolidating on the gains of last year,’’ he revealed.
According to Dede, the state government has intensified efforts at sensitising the people to consider tourism as ‘a way of life’ not just ‘site seeing’.
“People must begin to have an attitude of gaining from tourism; we will have to empower our people to make tourism a big business,’’ he said.
The Tide reports that the 2013 carnival is to take place from December 15 to 21.

Partial solar eclispe in Calabar, yesterday.