FG approves verification of commercial forests for charcoal exporters

The Federal Government has approved the verification of commercial forests for all charcoal exporters in Nigeria. In a statement signed by the spokesman of the charcoal association, Adesola Idowu, it stated that the approval was communicated via a letter dated February 9, 2022, issued by the department of forestry of the Federal Ministry of Environment themed,

“Re: Verification of Status of our Commercial Forests in Commencing our 2022 Reforestation as Pledged.” He further said the verification would be done in five states: FCT, Oyo, Ogun, Kwara and Kogi.

Earlier, the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria assigned a minimum of 50,000 units of eucalyptus seedlings for the reforestation exercise of charcoal exporters who have a goal to plant 100,000 seedlings in 2022 alone in furtherance of their information and action memo presented to and approved by the 15th National Council on Environment which was registered on page 66 of the report of the council.

The institute urged all charcoal exporters who wished to participate in the verification exercise to contact the legal representative of the Charcoal Export Legality & Compliance Group of Independent Companies, Florence Omolola Jones Idowu, for clarification on the verification exercise.

Charcoal exporters have also presented their application for certification to the federal government pursuant to the National Environmental (Control of Charcoal Production and Export) Regulation 2014 being the law in force.