The Federal Executive Council (FEC)has approved the sum of N1.737 billion to the Nigerian Customs Service to enable them procure an aircraft that they will be used to fight smuggling.

According to the government, smuggling has led to loss of financial resources.

This is coming a week after the cabinet approved the sum N3.7 billion for the custom service to purchase two speed patrol boats for the policing of the Nigerian water ways.

Briefing state house correspondents after the meeting on Wednesday, the Minister of State for Finance, Dr Yerima Ngama stated that efforts of the customs officers on ground can only be successful with air coverage and that is why the Ministry of Finance brought the memo to buy the aircraft.

He said that the aircraft is equipped with satellite materials that can survey the borders as well as communicate with the officers on ground whenever illegal movements are dictated.

Also, the Minister of Environment, got approval for the afforestation programme known as ‘Green Wall’ designed to check desertification in the front line states in the country.

Minister of the Environment, Mrs Hadiza Mailafa said the Green Wall will cover a distance of 7,700 km and will take care of more than 11 million hectares of land.

According to her, government wants to ensure sustainability in the well-being of the people that live in the areas hit by desertification.