By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja
A Professor of Geography at Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Anyigba, Prof. Adesola Ogidiolu, has warned that Nigeria’s worsening forest degradation is fast evolving into a multi-dimensional crisis, with implications for livelihoods, climate stability, and national security.
Delivering the university’s 18th inaugural lecture titled “Geographer in the Forest: Issues, Concerns and Tasks,” Ogidiolu called for a decisive policy shift and stronger grassroots engagement to halt the decline and reposition forest management on a sustainable path.
He described forests as more than ecological assets, noting that their depletion is directly linked to poverty, displacement, and rising insecurity in rural communities.
“Forests are central to human survival. Once they are degraded, the consequences extend beyond the environment to economic hardship and social instability,” he said.
The professor explained that forest health remains a core concern in forest biogeography, stressing that Geography plays a critical role in understanding the complex interaction between human activity and natural ecosystems.
He warned that unchecked deforestation, declining soil productivity, biodiversity loss, and climate change are converging to weaken the resilience of forest-dependent communities across the country.
Ogidiolu identified poor resource management, unsustainable logging practices, and weak enforcement of environmental regulations as key drivers of forest loss.
To reverse the trend, he advocated large-scale regeneration of degraded lands and called for coordinated action involving government, private sector players, and host communities.
He also pushed for the adoption of sustainable forest management practices, including controlled harvesting, delayed logging cycles, and stricter safeguards against exploitation.
The don further recommended aggressive reforestation using fast-growing and adaptive species to restore damaged ecosystems, alongside a national commitment to achieving zero-net deforestation.
Beyond environmental concerns, he highlighted the economic potential of forests if properly managed, urging authorities to promote social forestry and responsible resource utilisation.
Ogidiolu also stressed the importance of community participation, proposing rights-based land use systems and local forest protection groups to curb illegal logging and improve accountability.
He called for stronger monitoring frameworks, sustained research, and capacity building for forestry personnel, while advocating the inclusion of Geography as a compulsory subject in schools to deepen environmental awareness.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of PAAU, Prof. Salisu Ogbo Usman, described the revival of the university’s inaugural lecture series as a significant academic milestone.
He announced an increase in the honorarium for inaugural lecturers from ₦250,000 to ₦500,000 and revealed plans to host 13 additional lectures, bringing the total to 30 by October 2027.