Nigeria bans wood exports, orders nationwide enforcement

President Bola Tinubu has signed an executive order banning the export of wood and allied products from Nigeria, as part of efforts to combat climate change and halt the rapid depletion of the country’s forest resources.

The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, announced the directive at the 18th meeting of the National Council on Environment held on Wednesday in Katsina State. He said the order, titled “Presidential Executive Order on the Prohibition of Exportation of Wood and Allied Products, 2025,” reflects the federal government’s renewed commitment to environmental protection and sustainable resource management.

Mr Lawal explained that Nigeria’s forests play a vital role in environmental sustainability by providing clean air and water, supporting livelihoods, conserving biodiversity and mitigating climate change.

He noted that continued exports of wood and related products undermine these benefits and threaten the long-term health of the environment.

According to him, Nigeria’s ecosystem is under intense pressure from illegal logging and unregulated exports, which have significantly reduced forest cover across the country.

As part of the new policy, all licences and permits previously issued by any ministry, department or agency for the extraction and export of wood have been suspended and declared invalid.

The ban represents one of the federal government’s most far-reaching policy interventions to address illegal logging and strengthen climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts.

Nigeria has faced international scrutiny over unsustainable logging practices in the past. In 2018, the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) recommended a suspension of commercial trade in African rosewood (Pterocarpus erinaceus, also known as Kosso) from Nigeria. This followed the authorisation of massive exports—estimated at over 180,000 cubic metres—to China and Vietnam without evidence of sustainability, raising concerns about the species’ survival.

In response, Nigerian authorities imposed bans and levies, drawing attention to the scale of illegal logging in West Africa. In 2023, the federal government also announced a review of its charcoal export ban and suspended the export of processed wood and allied products.

However, enforcement of these measures remained weak.

Illegal logging has persisted in key biodiversity hotspots, particularly in Cross River State, home to Nigeria’s largest remaining rainforest. In the north-east, failed harvests and widespread poverty have driven many farmers into illegal logging, fueling a cross-border trade controlled by middlemen.

Data show that between 2001 and 2022, Nigeria’s most forested areas lost an estimated 11 per cent of their tree cover, a trend that has continued as commercial interests encroach on protected zones.

While experts have consistently called for large-scale tree planting to enhance climate resilience and carbon sequestration, investigations have shown that government afforestation programmes are often poorly implemented and largely ineffective.

Weak border controls and lax enforcement have also enabled perpetrators of illegal logging to evade sanctions.

Mr Lawal said the new executive order marks a decisive shift in Nigeria’s environmental policy.

It prohibits illegal logging and deforestation nationwide and mandates security agencies and relevant ministries to enforce a coordinated crackdown on offenders.

The federal government said the directive is anchored on Sections 17(2) and 20 of the Nigerian Constitution, which require the state to manage national resources for the common good and to protect Nigeria’s land, forests, air, water and wildlife.

According to the executive order, unchecked logging and commercial wood exports are inconsistent with these constitutional obligations.