The Federal Government has announced an immediate and comprehensive prohibition on the exportation of wood and related products from Nigeria, whilst simultaneously invalidating all existing permits and licences previously granted for wood extraction and export activities.
The sweeping measure, enacted through a Presidential Executive Order signed by President Bola Tinubu, represents a decisive intervention aimed at curtailing the escalating crisis of illegal logging and widespread deforestation threatening the nation’s environmental stability.
Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, disclosed the directive during the 18th meeting of the National Council on Environment convened in Katsina State. The policy document, formally titled ‘Presidential Executive Order on the Prohibition of Exportation of Wood and Allied Products, 2025,’ underscores the administration’s commitment to environmental preservation and climate change mitigation.
“Nigeria’s forests are central to environmental sustainability, providing clean air and water, supporting livelihoods, conserving biodiversity and playing a critical role in reducing the impact of climate change,” Lawal stated, according to reports from the ministerial briefing. He emphasised that the continued unregulated exportation of timber undermines these essential ecological functions and presents a grave danger to the country’s long-term environmental health.
The executive order derives its legal authority from Sections 17(2) and 20 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended. These constitutional provisions explicitly mandate the State to safeguard the environment, protect forests and wildlife, and prevent the exploitation of natural resources for narrow, self-serving interests. The order was published in the Extraordinary Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette No. 180, Vol. 112, dated 16 October 2025, giving it full legal effect.
Nigeria’s forest resources have faced mounting pressure from both legal and illegal logging operations, with significant volumes of timber being exported abroad whilst domestic environmental concerns intensify. Environmental experts have long warned that unchecked deforestation contributes to soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, disruption of water cycles, and increased carbon emissions—factors that exacerbate climate change impacts.
The new policy framework tasks security agencies and relevant government ministries with enforcing a complete crackdown on illegal logging activities throughout the federation. This enforcement mechanism is expected to involve coordinated operations by agencies including the Nigeria Customs Service, security forces, and environmental protection bodies to ensure compliance with the ban.
The suspension of all previously issued licences and permits signals a reset in the government’s approach to forest management. Operators who had obtained legal authorisation for wood extraction and export will now be required to cease operations immediately, pending any future policy adjustments or exemptions that may be announced by relevant authorities.
Whilst the immediate economic implications for legitimate timber exporters remain unclear, the government’s position suggests that environmental sustainability has been prioritised over short-term commercial gains. The ban is likely to affect businesses engaged in the timber trade, sawmill operators, and associated industries dependent on wood exports.
