**5.2 Neems characteristics**

Shade is not the only appreciated characteristic of neem. It has so many uses and potentialities for future usage, that was why it considered as miraculous, it is used for furniture, fuel and in construction, it also attract bees and honey flavor. Neem has been declared as local pharmacy. In India, people use neem twig to prevent from teeth damage. It also cured skin disorders, enhanced tonic, treats infectious diseases and fevers [19].

#### **5.3 Neem as part of the West African trees**

Neem was brought to West African region through Ghana in the year 1919 and 1927. It became familiar and well spread across towns, villages and cities including Sahel regions. Neems have been declined due to some biotic and abiotic factors which lead to its deterioration in the whole region; it served as a great set back in the development of the Sahel region [20]. Moreover, certain factors also lead to neem declination such as; defoliation by insects, drought or an exposure to pollutants at times certain microbes' infestation may lead to decline in the neem population as well, similar case has been reported on *Acacia nilotica* in Sudan which shared same peculiarities with the Sahel parts of Nigeria [19]. Nevertheless, Sahel normally has a very long dry periods, (July–September rainy season), neem has been reported widely adapted to the arid and semi-arid tropics, long-term stress could result from the developing of neem in plantations where trees compete for available moisture, a narrow genetic base with little variability in susceptibility to stress, poor planting techniques and localized soil nutrients deficiencies in combination with a long dry period as well. Furthermore, other factors such as soil compaction also leads to the declination of neem especially areas of much human and livestock activities resulted to some fungi such as *Nigrospora* and *Curvilaria* as well as cruising by some livestock [21].

#### **5.4 Uses of neem tree in the Sahel**

Native to India and Myanmar, the neem being a member of the family Meliaceae together with the mahoganies. It does possessed compound leaves of nine to 15 leaflets which are dark green in color. The fruits are yellow-green to green, smooth, olive-shaped and about 2 cm in length, with a sweet pulp enclosing a seed. Consequently, Neems can grow up to 30 m in height and 70 cm in diameter, with

broad, dispersal pinnacles that retain their foliage all year round. Neem due to its attributes, it is highly valued [19].
