Kwankwaso present as Shettima raises alarm over State of Nigeria’s forest

A former Governor of Kano State Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was on Monday sighted at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, during the Nigeria Forest Economy Summit 2025. The summit was organised by the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion(PreCEFI) Secretariat, with the theme: “Sustainability of Nigeria’s Forests: Unlocking the $2 billion Potentials […]

A former Governor of Kano State Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was on Monday sighted at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, during the Nigeria Forest Economy Summit 2025.

The summit was organised by the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion(PreCEFI) Secretariat, with the theme: “Sustainability of Nigeria’s Forests: Unlocking the $2 billion Potentials for Economic and Financial Inclusion.”

Speaking at the summit, the Vice President, who was represented by Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Hadejia, warned about the critical state of Nigeria’s forests and its economic implications if not tackled immediately.

This is as the Founder/CEO of Netzence sustainability limited (Netzence), Dr. Sadiq Sani assured that his company is using technology to unlock the over two billion dollars potentials in the forest sector.

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Speaking while declaring the summit open, Shettima said “more than 90 percent of Nigeria’s original forest cover has been depleted, and over 400,000 hectares lost annually, saying the situation was not an environmental crisis, but “economic emergency.”

 

He stressed that the country is at a crossroads and that neglecting forest resources directly impoverishes the nation and its people.

 

“We cannot underestimate the importance of our forests. They are a treasure trove of biodiversity, timber, medicinal plants, and other valuable products that underpin agriculture, trade, health, climate resilience, and finance. Yet this vast potential remains largely untapped.

 

“Look at Vietnam, earning over $15 billion yearly from forest exports. Brazil’s Amazon contributes 15% of their GDP from forests alone. Ethiopia has generated 350,000 jobs through reforestation and value chains. Nigeria should not only replicate these successes but lead Africa’s forest industrialization.”He said.

 

The VP said Nigeria cannot ignore this challenge and called for innovation and inclusion, saying: “Embedding financial services in forest-based livelihoods will improve credit access, savings, insurance, and digital tools — crucial for the 30 million Nigerians who remain financially excluded, especially women and girls.”

 

He  stressed that the summit must be remembered not as just another policy dialogue, but as a turning point where for investment, innovation and industrialization of Nigerians forest economy for sustainable national progress.

 

Founder and CEO of Netzence, Dr. Sani, who was one of the key speakers at the event, said his company is contributing to provide technology that will unlock over two billion dollars from the nation’s forestry.

 

He promised that Netzence is contributing to providing the technology needed to unlock the potential of  $2 billion for Nigerian forestry, adding that “Our goal is to provide technology that allows us to measure emissions—the greenhouse gases (GHG) in our environment—and see how we can realize carbon credits for the environment as well. That is our fundamental aim through our proprietary  technology CloseCarbon.”

 

He said the company is using technology built for the forestry environment, saying “We’re currently building models regarding forest composition and decomposition. This lets us understand emissions and greenhouse gas levels in the forestry environment, and also the amount of carbon credit.”