Nigeria urges charcoal traders to support forest restoration
Environment Minister Balarabe Lawal has called on charcoal merchants and forestry stakeholders to adopt sustainable practices as Nigeria launches its 2026 Operation One Million Trees programme. Officials said success should be judged by the survival of planted trees, while organisers plan to use drones, verification and public reporting to monitor results.
The Federal Government has urged charcoal merchants and other forestry stakeholders to adopt sustainable practices as Nigeria seeks to reverse deforestation and restore degraded forests. The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, made the appeal on Wednesday at the launch of the 2026 Operation One Million Trees programme in Ibadan. The initiative was organised by the Association for Forest Conservation and Green Industrial Charcoal Merchants at the University of Ibadan’s Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources.
Lawal, represented by Dr Osakwe Igbinosa, described deforestation as a serious threat to Nigeria’s environment and economic development. He said urgent measures were needed to prevent further forest degradation. He identified tree planting as an important response to climate change, biodiversity loss and desertification.
The minister said it could also strengthen the resilience of Nigeria’s ecosystems. Lawal listed the Federal Ministry of Environment’s National Afforestation Programme, Sovereign Green Bond Afforestation Programme and National Greening of Cities and Urban Areas initiative. He said the one-million-tree project complemented the government’s environmental agenda and urged participants to comply with forestry laws.
He cautioned that the success of afforestation should not be measured only by the number of seedlings planted. The key test, he said, was whether the trees survived and developed into healthy forests. Association chairman Adeshola Idowu called on charcoal merchants and other Nigerians to replace trees removed from the environment.
He advocated planting several trees for every tree felled and supported the use of drones to reach difficult locations. Oyo State Environment Commissioner Ademola Aderinto said indiscriminate felling for development, housing and business threatened biodiversity and food security. Organisers said the three-day programme would include sensitisation, youth engagement, planting and independent verification by environmentalists, journalists, regulators and non-governmental organisations.
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