Chief Sunny Onuesoke, an environmental advocate, has once again warned against the sustained deforestation in the Niger Delta Region, warning that the region should not trade its future for quick profits.

This is as he regretted that if the current trend of deforestation is not halted, the Niger Delta Region could face the challenge of scarcity in the wood-based roofing materials in the next decade.

Speaking during an environmental sustainability engagement in Warri at the weekend, Onuesoke lamented the continued destruction of forests through illegal logging, unchecked timber exportation, pipeline repairs, land clearing for real estate expansion, and burning of bushes for agriculture, activities that collectively deplete the green cover that once defined the region.

According to recent environmental impact assessments, Nigeria loses between 350,000 and 400,000 hectares of forest every year, with a significant portion of that loss occurring in the Niger Delta—one of the most biodiverse wetland regions in Africa.

Analysts predicted that at the current trend, Nigeria’s remaining natural forests could be significantly degraded by 2035, pushing the cost of timber beyond the reach of low and middle-income home builders.

Onuesoke declared, “If we continue like this, wood as a roofing material will become both unavailable and unaffordable. Families who rely on timber for local construction will suffer. Our builders will struggle. The ecosystem services that sustain fishing and farming, already under threat, will collapse further.”

He blamed the growing timber scarcity on a combination of poor enforcement, weak environmental compliance, lack of reforestation programs, and the rising influence of black-market timber networks operating without accountability.

The environmental advocate therefore urged governments at all levels to take decisive action by banning uncontrolled logging and exportation of unprocessed timber, enforcing mandatory replanting for every tree cut.

He also advocated for funding community-based forest monitoring, promoting alternative roofing materials and green-building incentives as well as reintroducing environmental education in primary and secondary schools as part of efforts to checkmate deforestation.

Onuesoke also appealed to builders, carpenters and local timber unions to embrace innovation, sustainable sourcing, and partnerships that encourage regeneration rather than depletion.

“The Niger Delta should not be remembered as the region that harvested its future for quick profit. We still have time to reverse the trend, but the window is closing fast. Environmental preservation is not activism, it is a survival strategy.”

Onuesoke reiterated that environmental sustainability must rise above politics and become a binding commitment from government, traditional institutions, investors, and community stakeholders if the Niger Delta is to avoid a roofing-material crisis that will deepen housing challenges and increase the cost of living for millions. (Daily Independent)