Nigerian climate advocate, Micheal Odenigbo, has broken the Guinness World Record for the most trees planted by an individual in 24 hours after successfully planting over 25,000 trees in Enugu State.
The historic feat took place at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Agbani, and coincided with the World Environment Day, June 5, 2025.
The record-setting attempt began shortly after 4pm on Thursday and ended shortly after 4pm on Friday, June 6, completing a full 24-hour cycle of continuous planting.
Speaking to CGTN Europe after the event, Odenigbo confirmed that he had surpassed the previous world record.
“Today as you can see, we did a tree planting project which kicked off on World Enviromental Day, 5th of June. I don’t know how much we planted, but our aim was 27,000. But we know that we surpassed the record. We surpassed 25,000. We have broken the record and what is left for us is to upload the evidence to Guinness World Record.”
Odenigbo had previously set out to beat the existing record of 23,060 trees planted by Canadian environmentalist Antoine Moses. His goal was to plant 27,000 trees in 24 hours using only manual methods, as stipulated by the Guinness World Records.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the planting was focused on Moringa oleifera, a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree known for its ecological and nutritional value.
The event was hosted on a four-hectare site at ESUT, a location chosen for its commitment to green initiatives.
The university’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Aloysius-Michaels Okolie, had approved the use of the land and praised the initiative as being in line with ESUT’s Green Revolution and Environmental Sustainability Programme.
The school also emphasised that the planted trees must be maintained for a minimum of three months.
Odenigbo’s record attempt was officially accepted by Guinness World Records on January 14, 2025, under the title “Most trees planted by an individual in 24 hours,” with reference number 241216003153mtpb.
The guidelines from Guinness required that each tree be planted in a hole dug at the time of planting without the use of digging machinery.
The attempt also had to be thoroughly documented with videos, photographs, logbooks, and verified by at least two independent witnesses, one of whom had to be a qualified botanist or arborist.
Witnesses were required to rotate every four hours, and the planting had to continue non-stop for 24 hours, though rest breaks were allowed.
