By joshua KOGI BANS CHARCOAL PRODUCTION AT 2026 WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
… Gov Ododo says carbon monoxide emission must be reduced, orders confiscation of forestry products
The Kogi State Government has banned charcoal production across the State and directed the Department of Forestry to confiscate product of anyone caught in the act, as part of renewed efforts to combat environmental degradation.
Governor Alhaji Usman Ahmed Ododo announced the ban on Thursday during the 2026 World Environment Day celebration organized by N-HYPPADEC in partnership with the Kogi State Government and the Office of the Climate Change Agency.
Gov. Ododo was represented by the Commissioner for Environment and Ecological Management, Engr. Joseph Oluwasegun.
The Governor said the amount of carbon monoxide emitted from charcoal production far outweighs any economic gains, and must be reduced to protect public health and the climate. He ordered forestry officials to henceforth confiscate charcoal, arrest offenders, and ensure prosecution.
“Kogi State can no longer afford practices that destroy our forests and worsen climate vulnerability,” Ododo stated. “Mitigating environmental challenges is a collective responsibility, and this administration will not compromise on protecting our environment.”
He noted that the state had engaged consultants who identified 300 critical and life-threatening environmental sites across Kogi. The consultants have been directed to produce bankable designs for intervention. The government also praised N-HYPPADEC for channelization and stabilization works carried out in Kogi LGA.
The 2026 World Environment Day, themed “Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future”, featured goodwill messages from the Kogi State Climate Change Agency and NEWMAP, tree planting by the Governor and dignitaries, called for citizens to adopt tree planting as a habit for climate adaptation.
Governor Ododo urged Kogi residents to become agents of environmental mitigation and support the administration’s climate resilience agenda.
Delivering the keynote address, the Pioneer Director General of the Kogi State Climate Change Agency, KSCCA, said World Environment Day 2026, themed “Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future”, was a call for all stakeholders to renew commitment to environmental stewardship.
He commended Governor Ododo’s visionary leadership for elevating climate action through the establishment of KSCCA, appointment of the first Special Adviser on Climate Change, and integration of climate considerations into state development planning.
He said the agency would coordinate climate action across MDAs, facilitate climate finance mobilization, and support community-based adaptation initiatives.
The DG emphasized that trees remain nature’s most effective carbon capture technology, but urged citizens to “plant the right trees in the right places” and nurture forests beyond ceremonial planting. He listed Kogi’s climate vulnerabilities to include flooding along river systems, land degradation, erosion, deforestation and declining agricultural productivity, stressing that integrated planning and collaboration were needed to transform climate risks into opportunities.
In his welcome address, the Kogi State Coordinator of N-HYPPADEC, Dr. Michael Omeiza Ajayi, commended the state government for its partnership and reaffirms the commission’s commitment to flood control, erosion management and environmental stabilization projects in riverine communities.
Also speaking, the Kogi State Project Coordinator of NEWMAP, Dr. Yahaya Abdullahi Abbas, praised the World Environment Day initiative and assured of continued collaboration to make Kogi’s environment safer and more resilient.
Highlights of the event included tree planting by the Governor and other dignitaries, with calls for citizens to imbibe tree planting as a culture of climate adaptation and mitigation. The event also included walk across the major streets of Lokoja.