Oluwafunbi Bello 
Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Federal Government imposes an immediate nationwide ban on the export of wood and allied products, revoking all existing licences and permits in a decisive move to curb illegal logging and deforestation.
The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, announces the ban on Wednesday at the 18th National Council on Environment meeting in Katsina State, citing growing threats to Nigeria’s shrinking forest cover
The directive is contained in the Presidential Executive Order on the Prohibition of Exportation of Wood and Allied Products, 2025, published in the Extraordinary Official Gazette. “Nigeria’s forests are central to environmental sustainability, providing clean air and water, supporting livelihoods and mitigating climate change,” Lawal says. “The continued exportation of wood threatens these benefits and the long-term health of our environment.”
The order derives authority from Sections 17(2) and 20 of the 1999 Constitution, mandating the state to protect forests, wildlife and natural resources from exploitation.
Opening the meeting, Katsina Deputy Governor Faruk Lawal Jobe underscores the importance of intergovernmental collaboration in tackling environmental challenges. “Environmental sustainability is critical to economic growth and quality of life,” Jobe says, noting Katsina’s investments in afforestation and desertification control.
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Hussaini Ibrahim 
Mirian Gom