Nigeria Moves To Tighten Desertification Data, Warns Of Looming Food, Environmental Risks

The Federal Government has intensified efforts to combat land degradation and desertification across the country by inaugurating a technical committee to improve the credibility and accuracy of Nigeria’s environmental reporting under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, who inaugurated the UNCCD Reporting Technical Committee in Abuja, warned that unchecked land degradation could pose severe consequences for food production, environmental sustainability and livelihoods.

Lawal said the growing pressure on land resources demands reliable, evidence-based data to guide national interventions and policy decisions on environmental restoration.

According to him, land remains critical not only for infrastructure and urban development but also for agriculture and food security, stressing that continued degradation could trigger devastating socio-economic impacts if urgent action is not taken.

The minister charged the committee with providing reliable, workable data to support efforts to mitigate desertification and restore degraded ecosystems across the country.

He also urged the committee to strengthen collaboration with relevant stakeholders, agencies and departments involved in environmental management to ensure coordinated recovery efforts in affected areas.

Lawal identified deforestation as one of the major drivers of land degradation, noting that promoting alternative cooking fuels and aggressive tree-planting campaigns would help reduce pressure on forests and restore damaged landscapes.

He described the committee members as carefully selected professionals whose responsibilities would play a strategic role in Nigeria’s environmental recovery agenda.

“The assignment before this committee is central to our reporting obligations and national environmental goals. The data generated must be accurate, reliable and capable of supporting practical solutions to land degradation,” the minister stated.

Earlier, Director of Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought Management, Regina Nwaneri, said the inauguration marked a major step in Nigeria’s commitment to meeting its obligations under the UNCCD framework.

She noted that the reporting process would provide an opportunity for Nigeria to present its achievements, ongoing interventions and challenges in sustainable land management and ecosystem restoration.

Nwaneri said the committee’s work would be instrumental in delivering a comprehensive and credible national report that accurately reflects the country’s efforts to tackle desertification and drought-related challenges.

She further commended institutions represented on the committee for their continued support and expressed confidence that members would discharge their duties with professionalism and shared responsibility.

Environmental experts have repeatedly warned that rising desert encroachment, deforestation and poor land-use practices are worsening ecological challenges in several parts of Nigeria, particularly in northern states already facing the impacts of climate change and declining agricultural productivity.