The Federal Government has announced an immediate nationwide prohibition on the export of wood and related products, revoking all licences and permits previously issued for the trade.
The directive was unveiled on Wednesday by the Minister of Environment, Mr Balarabe Lawal, at the 18th meeting of the National Council on Environment held in Katsina State.
According to the minister, the ban is contained in a Presidential Executive Order titled “Presidential Executive Order on the Prohibition of Exportation of Wood and Allied Products, 2025,” and is aimed at tackling widespread illegal logging and accelerating deforestation across the country.
Lawal said Nigeria’s forests play a vital role in environmental sustainability, noting that they support livelihoods, preserve biodiversity, provide clean air and water, and help mitigate the effects of climate change.
He warned that the unchecked exportation of wood poses a serious threat to these ecological benefits and undermines long-term environmental protection efforts.
The executive order, published in the Extraordinary Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette No. 180, Vol. 112 of October 16, 2025, derives its authority from Sections 17(2) and 20 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). The provisions mandate the state to protect the environment, forests and wildlife, and to prevent the exploitation of natural resources for private or sectional interests.
Under the new policy, security agencies and relevant government ministries have been directed to enforce a strict clampdown on illegal logging and related activities nationwide.
Earlier, while declaring the council meeting open, the Deputy Governor of Katsina State, Mr Faruk Lawal Jobe, underscored the importance of intergovernmental collaboration in addressing environmental challenges. He noted that Katsina State had a history of introducing socio-economic policies that later influenced national strategies.
Jobe stressed that environmental sustainability is critical to economic growth and improved quality of life, adding that the state government had prioritised programmes to combat desertification and promote afforestation.
The ban underscores the Federal Government’s renewed commitment to protecting Nigeria’s rapidly depleting forest resources, combating climate change and ensuring the sustainable management of natural assets for future generations.
