Addressing the issue of Deforestation in Nigeria: The Need for Legislative Action

Abstract

Nigeria faces a high rate of deforestation driven by agricultural expansion, illegal logging, fuelwood use, infrastructure development, and weak enforcement of environmental laws. The Forestry Act of 1958, which governs forest management, is outdated and poorly aligned with modern priorities such as climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable resource use. Its effectiveness is further limited by weak penalties, fragmented state-level implementation, inadequate funding and capacity, overlapping institutional mandates, lack of modern monitoring technologies, minimal community participation, and persistent land-use conflicts. Comparative experiences from countries like Ghana, Ethiopia, and Brazil demonstrate that stronger legal frameworks, stricter enforcement, technological monitoring, and community based forest management can significantly improve outcomes. Addressing the issues and challenges of deforestation in Nigeria, this Policy Brief hereby recommends that the National Assembly may wish to: i. review and overhaul the existing forestry law (Forestry Act 1958) to reflect contemporary environmental realities. ii. consider increasing penalties and enforcement provisions by introducing harsher sanctions, including substantial fines and longer imprisonment terms for illegal logging and forest conversion, ensuring penalties are proportional to the economic value of forest resources destroyed. iii. mandate the Ministry of Environment to deploy satellite surveillance, GIS, and remote sensing technologies, establish a centralised national forest monitoring system, ensure real-time reporting with public access to deforestation data, and provide for digital tracking of timber movement and permits as is done in Ghana and Brazil. iv. consider strengthening institutional capacity and funding by ensuring adequate budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Environment by establishing dedicated forest protection funds, mandating continuous training and capacity building for enforcement officers, and enhancing staffing and logistical support. v. direct the Ministry of Environment to partner with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) for a continuous nationwide public awareness campaign on forest conservation and community sensitization programmes on sustainable resources in every quarter of the year.