The Federal Government has raised alarm over the growing deforestation crisis driven by the unregulated charcoal trade across the country. It warned that Nigeria is losing hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest annually, with the bulk of the damage caused by excessive logging for charcoal production and export. The Ministry of Environment lamented that despite existing regulations, enforcement remains weak due to overlapping responsibilities and the Land Use Act, which places land control under state governments.
Officials explained that the charcoal business, though economically beneficial to rural communities, is having devastating environmental impacts. Mature hardwood trees, crucial for ecological balance, are being felled indiscriminately in regions like Niger, Nasarawa, Cross River, and Oyo States. This widespread loss of forest cover is endangering biodiversity, accelerating climate change, and increasing the vulnerability of rural dwellers to poverty and desertification.
To address the challenge, the government is initiating a national task force to promote reforestation, regulate charcoal production, and encourage alternative energy sources. Stakeholders, including the National Association of Charcoal Producers, have also begun afforestation programs and are calling for incentives to support clean energy adoption. Environmentalists stress that without urgent action, Nigeria risks losing its remaining forests within a few decades.