‘Nigeria loses 400,000ha of forest annually’

Ahmad Mansur Liadi, is an environmental advocate and Nguvu change leader. He launched a petition calling on the Federal Ministry of Environment to enforce stricter laws to protect Nigeria’s forest resources. In this Interview with Daily Trust, he highlights critical issues and advocates a better law enforcement to promote sustainable practices.

How would you describe Nigeria’s forest reserves now?

Nigeria’s forest reserves, once vital ecosystems, are rapidly diminishing due to deforestation, illegal logging, agricultural expansion, and urbanisation. Forests now cover just 12.8 per cent of Nigeria’s 910,770 km² landmass. According to a 2018 report by Omail, another study by Aigbe and Oluku in 2012 suggests only 10 per cent of the country’s 997,936 km² landmass is under forest reserves. The Federal Department of Forestry highlighted that 974,674 hectares are productive with 2.3 million hectares partially so.

The country’s diverse forests, from tropical rainforests in the south to savannah woodlands and coastal mangroves, are essential for biodiversity, water regulation and local livelihoods. Yet between 1990 and 2020, Nigeria lost more than half of its forest cover, driven by population growth, unsustainable farming, fuelwood collection, and illegal logging. Deforestation continues at a rate of 400,000 hectares annually, with forest cover declining by 3.5 to 3.7 per cent each year, according to the UN’s REDD+ programme.

Nigeria’s forests face further degradation, threatening biodiversity, worsening climate change impacts, and endangering the livelihoods of rural communities reliant on these ecosystems.

There are concerns that the country is fast losing its forest resources; what are the major factors driving this scenario?

Nigeria’s rapid loss of forest resources is driven by several key factors as highlighted by stakeholders like FAO. Agricultural expansion, particularly through unsustainable farming practices, is a leading cause, alongside illegal logging that depletes forest cover. The heavy reliance on fuelwood for energy, especially in rural areas, accelerates tree loss, while urbanisation and infrastructure development clear vast areas for housing and roads. Weak enforcement of environmental laws further exacerbates deforestation, allowing these activities to continue unchecked. If these trends persist, Nigeria risks severe biodiversity loss, increased carbon emissions, and degradation of critical ecosystems

Do you think the Nigerian forest policy is adequate to address or halt this situation?

The revised National Forest Policy of Nigeria in 2020 focuses on sustainable forest management, forest conservation, and afforestation programmes for checking deforestation. Better frameworks for biodiversity conservation are in place, and there is a call for much more consideration of the role forests can play in mitigating climate change. Still, there are substantial implementation challenges. Weak enforcement mechanisms, inadequate funding, and limited coordination between federal, state and local authorities continue to undermine its effectiveness. This policy has also completely failed to involve the local communities fully, something quite important in ensuring success. Without more stringent enforcement, improved governance, and deeper engagement with the communities, the 2020 policy cannot stop the continuous deforestation crisis facing Nigeria.

What sort of policy do you want in place to tackle this problem head-on?

I believe the government should ensure proper enforcement of penalties to tackle illegal logging. Illegal logging is the indiscriminate removal of logs from the forest without following the due process highlighted in the government logging and harvesting policy.

The illegally logged are usually converted into planks (flinches) at the site using a hand power-saw machine. Illegally harvested timber constitutes more than 50 per cent of the value of timber legally harvested in Nigeria today.

There is a need for strong policy enforcement to stop it, as well as coordination between the national and sub-national governments.

How much of a threat does the booming charcoal industry, especially in North Central, pose to forest resources in the country?

This industry, from a national point of view, adds to deforestation as large tracts of forest areas are cleared down for charcoal production. With Nigeria already at a high level of deforestation, this tends to increase the loss of critical ecosystems that come with contribution to reduced biodiversity and worsening climate change impacts. The high demand for fuel in both urban and rural areas has driven charcoal production to constitute a dire threat to national efforts in sustainable forest management and conservation. If left unchecked, this could lead to severe environmental degradation and damage the nation’s forest cover for generations to come. It is not only a threat to forest resources but with a severe health impact on the people. This is as dangerous as illegal logging and adequate steps should be taken to educate the public on its environmental and health impact that outweighs its economic benefit.

Erosion, flood and drought are now intensifying in Nigeria. Would you say we are on the brink of major climate disasters?

More than 830 kilometres of coastline are increasingly threatened by flood and soil erosion. The recent deluge in Lagos State in July, along with neighbouring states like Ogun, highlights the growing severity of these events. Driven by climate change, deforestation, poor land management, and unplanned urbanisation, these disasters are worsening, leaving the country increasingly vulnerable. Rising global temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns are amplifying the threats to food security, displacing communities, and overwhelming infrastructure. Without urgent efforts to enhance climate resilience, disaster preparedness, and sustainable land use, Nigeria faces a future of more frequent and severe climate disasters, with far-reaching socio-economic and environmental consequences.