By Faridat Salifu
Unchecked deforestation, mining and other extractive activities are undermining Nigeria’s ecological systems, worsening insecurity and threatening the livelihoods of communities across the country, the Director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Mr. Nnimmo Bassey, has warned.
Speaking at the opening of the third Nigeria Socio-Ecological Alternatives Convergence (NSAC) in Abuja on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Bassey urged Nigeria to rethink its development model by placing ecological integrity, environmental justice and community rights at the centre of national decision-making.
The convergence, themed “Deforestation, Mining and the Crisis of Human Security in Nigeria,” brought together environmental advocates, civil society organisations and community representatives to examine the environmental and social impacts of extractive industries.
Bassey said every ecological crisis is ultimately a crisis of values and governance, stressing that forests cannot regenerate while logging continues unchecked and rivers cannot recover while mining activities continue to pollute water bodies.
He expressed concern over the Federal Government’s recent announcement of the discovery of a polymetallic mineral province in Kaduna State, warning that excitement over new mineral discoveries should not overshadow the environmental and social consequences of extraction.
According to him, Nigeria must avoid repeating the environmental damage experienced in the Niger Delta through poorly regulated extractive activities, adding that communities should have the right to decide whether mining or timber extraction takes place on their ancestral lands.
On deforestation, Bassey said Nigeria loses between 250,000 and 300,000 hectares of forests annually, while primary forests now cover only 1.3 per cent of the country’s landmass.
He warned that if the current trend continues, Nigeria could lose all its forests by 2052, with serious consequences for biodiversity, climate resilience, rainfall patterns and local livelihoods.
Bassey also criticised what he described as “carbon colonialism,” warning that large-scale carbon credit projects could displace forest-dependent communities while allowing major polluters to continue emitting greenhouse gases.
He cited plans by Delta State to designate about 250,000 hectares of mangrove forests for carbon restoration projects and Niger State’s allocation of more than 760,000 hectares to a United Arab Emirates-based company for tree planting to generate carbon credits.
According to him, forest enclosures created for carbon markets often deny local communities access to resources they have depended on for generations.
Bassey further argued that the global demand for critical minerals needed for the energy transition should not become another form of colonial extractivism that sacrifices communities and ecosystems in the name of green development.
He maintained that environmental degradation directly weakens human security, noting that military deployments alone cannot guarantee safety where communities lack clean water, fertile soils, healthy forests, safe food and clean air.
Highlighting the role of indigenous knowledge, Bassey said forests managed by local communities remain among Nigeria’s best-preserved ecosystems because residents depend on them for food, medicine, culture and livelihoods.
He called for greater investment in community-led forest management, indigenous forest regeneration techniques and agroforestry as sustainable approaches to conservation.
Bassey also warned that illegal mining and forest degradation have created conditions that enable armed groups, bandits and terrorists to establish criminal strongholds within forested areas, further disconnecting communities from their traditional lands.
He urged participants at the convergence to strengthen partnerships, exchange experiences and promote practical socio-ecological alternatives capable of protecting forests, restoring ecosystems and ensuring intergenerational environmental justice.
“The time to change course is now,” he said.
