A global expert on climate-smart development, Dr Abiola Bashorun, has commended the Ondo State Government’s ongoing urban expansion into parts of the Omi-Eja corridor and Fasoranti Park in Akure, describing the initiative as strategic, security-driven and guided by a comprehensive climate remediation framework.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Dr Bashorun said the land-use transition should not be misconstrued as indiscriminate deforestation, but rather understood as a controlled and carefully planned response to Akure’s rapid population growth, rising housing demand and increasing pressure on urban infrastructure.
According to her, Ondo State is confronting the realities facing many fast-growing African cities, where limited urban space, informal settlements and infrastructure deficits threaten long-term sustainability if not proactively addressed.
She acknowledged public concerns surrounding forest clearing, noting that such concerns are valid in the context of climate change and biodiversity loss. However, she stressed that urban expansion, when properly designed, must deliver long-term ecological, economic and social benefits to justify its implementation.
Dr Bashorun explained that the designation of sections of Omi-Eja and Fasoranti Park for development is intended to close housing and infrastructure gaps, unlock new economic opportunities, create employment and prevent chaotic urban sprawl that often results in unplanned settlements lacking basic services.
Beyond development pressures, the climate expert highlighted growing security and safety challenges linked to retaining large, dense and unmanaged forest reserves within the core of Akure.
She observed that such areas have increasingly been exploited as hideouts for criminal elements, heightening the risks of kidnapping, armed robbery and other security threats, while simultaneously limiting effective surveillance and law enforcement.
“The proximity of unmanaged forest land to residential, commercial and government facilities poses additional risks as the state capital continues to expand. Converting select forested zones into planned urban districts will improve policing, ensure clearer land ownership and reduce the misuse of ungoverned spaces,” Dr Bashorun said.
On the economic front, she noted that land reclassification and structured development would significantly boost the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) through land leases, property taxation, development charges and increased commercial investment. She added that these revenues are expected to be reinvested into infrastructure upgrades, social services and environmental remediation programmes.
While acknowledging the environmental impacts associated with forest clearing — including reduced carbon sinks, temporary biodiversity disruption and loss of green cover — Dr Bashorun said these challenges are being addressed through a multi-layered climate strategy.
Central to the approach, she disclosed, is the Ondo Climate Offset and Reforestation Programme, which mandates the planting of two to three hectares of forest for every hectare cleared. She said reforestation would prioritise degraded forest reserves, river basin buffer zones and erosion-prone areas, using exclusively native and climate-resilient species.
Dr Bashorun expressed confidence that the state government would soon establish permanent urban green belts, city forests and ecological corridors across Akure, while granting legal conservation status to remaining natural green areas to help mitigate flooding, urban heat stress and air pollution.
She also advocated a mandatory tree-planting policy requiring every residential, commercial and institutional property to plant a minimum of ten trees. Compliance, she said, would be integrated into building approvals, certificates of occupancy and major renovation permits, with seedlings supplied through state-supported nurseries.
In addition, she disclosed that new developments in cleared zones would be required to meet low-carbon construction standards, while future industrial facilities around Akure must be carbon-capture ready.
Dr Bashorun further revealed plans for habitat banking, funded by developers, and biodiversity restoration outside urban cores, supported by independent ecological monitoring from academic institutions and civil society organisations.
The statement also highlighted the Ondo State Climate-Smart Agronomy Programme, designed to reduce pressure on natural forests through agroforestry, regenerative farming practices and the integration of economic trees into farmlands. The programme, she said, would improve crop yields, boost farmers’ incomes and transform agricultural landscapes into carbon-offset assets.
To ensure inclusiveness, she added that host communities would be actively engaged in tree nurseries, reforestation contracts and forest monitoring, creating sustainable jobs and fostering local ownership of the state’s climate initiatives.
