VP, Shettima raises alarm on Forest Depletion

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has issued a detailed warning about the critical state of Nigeria’s forests and its dire economic implications.

Speaking while declaring open the Nigeria Forest Economy Summit 2025 with the theme: “Sustainability of Nigeria’s Forests: Unlocking the $2 billion potentials for economic and financial inclusion” at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Senator Shettima said, “more than 90 percent of Nigeria’s original forest cover has been depleted, and over 400,000 hectares lost annually. This is not just an environmental crisis; it is an economic emergency.”

The Vice President, who was represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Hadejia stressed that the country is at a crossroads and that neglecting forest resources directly impoverishes the nation and its people

He said: “We cannot underestimate the importance of our forests. They are a treasure trove of biodiversity, timber, medicinal plants, and other valuable products that underpin agriculture, trade, health, climate resilience, and finance. Yet this vast potential remains largely untapped.”

Speaking on the global opportunities Nigeria risks missing if it fails to act decisively, he said: “Look at Vietnam, earning over $15 billion yearly from forest exports. Brazil’s Amazon contributes 15 percent of their GDP from forests alone. Ethiopia has generated 350,000 jobs through reforestation and value chains. Nigeria should not only replicate these successes but lead Africa’s forest industrialization.

He stressed that the country is at a crossroads and that neglecting forest resources directly impoverishes the nation and its people

He said: “We cannot underestimate the importance of our forests. They are a treasure trove of biodiversity, timber, medicinal plants, and other valuable products that underpin agriculture, trade, health, climate resilience, and finance. Yet this vast potential remains largely untapped".

Shettima called for innovation and inclusion, saying: “Embedding financial services in forest-based livelihoods will improve credit access, savings, insurance, and digital tools — crucial for the 30 million Nigerians who remain financially excluded, especially women and girls.”

He envisioned a future where “eco-industrial parks dedicated to bamboo, shea butter, medicinal plants, and carbon verification emerge as economic pillars,” further urging, “Let us turn trees into trillions and forests into futures. This summit must be remembered not as just another policy dialogue, but as a turning point where we invest, innovate, and industrialize our forest economy for sustainable national progress.”

The Vanguard reports that the summit held Monday July 21, 2025 at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.