The Federal Government of Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting proactive environmental policies and strengthening climate action as part of efforts to advance sustainable development across Nigeria.

Speaking during the 2026 Top Management Retreat/National Tree Planting Campaign in Maiduguri, Borno State, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, said the Federal Government remains focused on restoring degraded landscapes, conserving biodiversity and enhancing the country’s capacity to tackle the impacts of climate change through adaptation and mitigation measures.

Lawal said the Presidential Executive Order on the Prohibition of Exportation of Wood and Allied Products, 2025, remains a major policy initiative under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. According to him, the order is designed to safeguard Nigeria’s forest resources, curb illegal logging and promote tree planting as a national responsibility.

The minister also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to partnering with state governments on afforestation, ecosystem restoration and other region-specific environmental interventions. He pledged continued collaboration with Borno State and announced that the ministry would sponsor 20 students from the state.

“Together, Nigeria’s environment future can be secured by protecting natural heritage, strengthening climate resilience, and advancing inclusive and sustainable development for present and future generations”, he stated.

Lawal stressed that environmental protection affects every aspect of daily life, noting that it goes beyond theory.

“Nigeria as a country shares unprecedented environmental challenges, creeping desertification in the North; devastating floods and erosion in the South-East and South-South; oil pollution and gas flaring in the Niger Delta; rampant deforestation; and the escalating impacts of climate crisis.”

He further explained that these challenges continue to affect millions of Nigerians and require sustained national action.

According to him “These are daily realities affecting millions of citizens and threatening food security, public health, livelihoods, and national development, and Renewed Hope Agenda has intensified efforts toward building a cleaner, greener, and more resilient Nigeria.”

Highlighting ongoing environmental programmes, Lawal said the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project and the National Agency for the Great Green Wall have restored more than 1.14 million hectares of degraded land while supporting the planting of over 1.5 million trees nationwide.

He described the achievements as evidence of Nigeria’s commitment to environmental sustainability alongside economic development.

The minister also commended Governor Babagana Zulum for sponsoring 540 students in the Federal Colleges of Forestry Resources Management Institute in Maiduguri. He praised the state’s achievements in the environmental sector and encouraged governors across the country to sponsor students to Federal Colleges of Forestry Resources Management located in the nation’s six geopolitical zones to strengthen forest education.

Governor Babagana Zulum said the sponsored students would demonstrate commitment to environmental protection, climate action, ecosystem restoration and improving the quality of life for residents of Borno State.

The governor also commended the 20th Shehu of Borno, His Eminence, Alhaji (Dr.) Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Al-Amin El-Kanemi, alongside the people of Borno State, for the warm reception extended to the Minister of Environment and his management team during the retreat.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr. Salihu A. Usman, expressed appreciation to Governor Zulum and the people of Borno State for their hospitality, excellent arrangements and commitment to environmental sustainability.

Dr. Usman noted that selecting Borno State as the venue for the retreat carried symbolic importance because it reflects resilience and recovery.

He said the state represents a place that has overcome significant challenges while continuing to rebuild, innovate and look confidently toward the future.

Also speaking, the Director General of the Borno State Agency for the Great Green Wall, Amb. Aliyu Usman, said the state has become a national leader in afforestation, climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, ecosystem restoration and sustainable water resources management.

Source: Real News