Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has called for the strict enforcement of environmental laws across Nigeria to tackle the growing threat of deforestation and desertification. He also awarded scholarships to 540 local government workers to study forestry-related courses at the Federal College of Forestry, Maiduguri.
Zulum made the appeal on Wednesday while declaring open the 2026 Annual Top Management Retreat of the Federal Ministry of Environment and the National Tree Planting Campaign in Maiduguri. He said the fight against environmental degradation required stronger collaboration between the federal and state governments.
The governor said the scholarships were meant to boost environmental management and build capacity in the forestry sector. He directed the Secretary to the State Government to work with the 27 local government councils to nominate at least 20 workers each for specialized forestry training.
He explained that the state would sponsor the beneficiaries and later streamline their services from local government to state government after graduation. Zulum added that despite the presence of the Federal College of Forestry, interest in forestry education remained low, a trend he said must change to support afforestation and climate action.
The main enforcement challenges across 11 affected states
ASHENEWS reports that the main enforcement challenges in the 11 desertification-hit states are weak policy implementation, poor monitoring, low community ownership, and limited coordination between federal, state and local authorities. Other problems include failure to involve civil society and local governments properly, neglect of indigenous knowledge, and inadequate follow-through on land-restoration measures.
In practical terms, this means laws and programmes against deforestation, overgrazing and land degradation are often not enforced consistently, while shelterbelts, wetlands and other protective systems are poorly maintained. The states commonly listed as Nigeria’s desertification frontline states are Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.
