The Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Mohammed, on Tuesday said the Federal Government might ban the exportation of wood from Nigeria in order to prevent deforestation.
She said it was time the country started to conserve its ecosystem, stressing that Nigeria cannot continue to be a party to international protocols and conventions that affect trade and survival of the Nigerian economy negatively.
Mohammed, who spoke at Nigeria’s Consultative Meeting on Draft Additional Protocols to the Abidjan Convention in Abuja, said the Federal Government would review the certification for wood logging and exports in order to protect the nation’s ecosystem.
She also expressed concerns over the rising sea level in Lagos State, attributing the situation to the impact of climate change and human activities at the coastal areas.
She said, “We need to ban the exports and logging of wood. But it must be sustainable so that we are not just feeding other nation’s economy and depriving our people of potential.
“So, I am challenging you and also saying people like us are behind conservation of the ecosystem.”
Mohammed added, “I will like to stress at this point that no matter how much we can do by ourselves on the national level, whether it be research, policy, legislation or development, it is never enough. Therefore, in the spirit of true cooperation, we must join in action-oriented efforts to solve the problems that beset our coastal and marine environment.”
The Regional Coordinator, Abidjan Convention Secretariat, Abou Bamba, said the increasing appreciation of marine and coastal ecosystem values stimulated the development of new areas of action and identified need for linkages between policies, practices and research sectors regarding mangrove management, integrated coastal zone management and development.
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