By Faridat Salifu
Nigeria is losing an estimated 400,000 hectares of forest cover annually, raising alarm among charcoal producers who warn that the trend could cripple their industry and damage the country’s environmental reputation.
speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in abuja recently, Babatunde Edu, president of the National Charcoal Producers, Dealers, Exporters and Afforestation of Nigeria, said unsustainable logging, agricultural expansion and illegal practices are eroding forest reserves at an unprecedented pace.
He noted that Nigeria has already lost more than half of its forest cover between 1990 and 2020, with up to 80 percent of original reserves depleted.
Edu warned that ongoing forest destruction could undermine afforestation projects and jeopardise Nigeria’s standing under international trade rules.
From December 2025, the European Union deforestation regulations will require commodities such as cocoa, soybeans, coffee, palm oil and wood to come only from non-deforested land.
“Failure to comply will expose Nigerian products to rejection abroad,” Edu said, adding that compliance is now “the bedrock of legitimacy” for local and export markets.
He disclosed that the presidency has ordered the ministries of trade and environment to review concerns over a proposed executive ban on charcoal export, clarifying that the goal is regulation rather than a blanket prohibition.
Edu called for a joint task force to enforce compliance, stamp out illegal operations and protect domestic stakeholders from foreign dominance in the trade.
He urged government agencies to ensure that foreigners are barred from buying produce directly at farm gates in line with federal executive council directives.
“This is no time for lip service,” Edu said. “if we fail to act today, there will be no sustainable future for our business and no viable charcoal industry for generations to come.”
