Nigeria has imposed an immediate nationwide ban on the export of wood and allied products, revoking all existing licences and permits, the government has said.
The announcement was made by Environment Minister Balarabe Lawal during the 18th meeting of the National Council on Environment held in Katsina State.
Lawal said the measure is contained in a presidential executive order titled “Presidential Executive Order on the Prohibition of Exportation of Wood and Allied Products, 2025”, which takes effect immediately.
The ban is aimed at curbing illegal logging and slowing the rapid loss of forest cover across Nigeria, where deforestation has accelerated in recent decades due to commercial logging, agricultural expansion and fuelwood consumption, the minister said.
The executive order was published in the Extraordinary Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette No. 180, Vol. 112 of October 16, 2025. It cites provisions of the 1999 Constitution that require the state to protect the environment and safeguard natural resources.
Under the order, security agencies and relevant government ministries have been directed to enforce the ban and clamp down on illegal logging activities nationwide.
Opening the council meeting, Katsina State Deputy Governor Faruk Lawal Jobe said environmental challenges such as desertification and land degradation required closer coordination between federal and state authorities.
The ban is expected to impact exporters and timber traders, particularly in forest-producing states. The government has yet to spell out enforcement mechanisms, penalties or whether exemptions will apply to processed wood products.
Nigeria’s deforestation crises
Nigeria has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world, driven by commercial logging, fuelwood use, agricultural expansion and weak enforcement of environmental regulations.
According to estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organization, Nigeria has lost a large share of its original forest cover over the past five decades, with forest resources increasingly depleted in both the southern rainforest belt and parts of the Middle Belt.
Wood and charcoal remain major household energy sources, particularly in rural areas, while timber exports — much of them informal or illegal — have expanded in recent years amid rising demand from Asia and the Middle East.
Successive governments have introduced bans and restrictions on timber exports at various times, but enforcement has been uneven, with illegal logging often facilitated by porous borders and limited monitoring capacity.
Environmental groups warn that continued forest loss has worsened desertification in northern states, reduced biodiversity and heightened climate vulnerability, including flooding and soil erosion.
The latest nationwide ban signals a tougher stance by the federal government, though analysts say its effectiveness will depend on enforcement, alternative livelihoods for forest-dependent communities and clarity on whether processed wood products will be exempt.
