The huge potentials of Nigerian forests can be harnessed for better economic and environmental benefits through effective digital monitoring. A Professor of Forest information System at the University of Eastern Finland, Professor Timo Tokola stated this while delivering a virtual keynote address at the 9th Forests and Forest Products Society FFPS, Biennial Conference with the theme “Healthy And Resilient Forests for a Buoyant Nigerian Economy”, in Akure on Wednesday October 23,2025.
Tokola who noted the high economic roles of Forest to include medicinal plants ,domestic timber, construction , furniture, panel, paper, bush meat, fibre and ecosystem among others affirmed that Nigeria’s forest have exceptionally huge ecological potentials if kept alive through digital management , healthy practices and improved government policies.
Professor Tokola however noted some of the challenges facing the nation’s Forest to include “Severe forest loss from agriculture, urbanization, illegal logging, fuel wood, outdated management plans and lax enforcement at state level, Infrastructure gaps, Mills technology , weak treatability”. He called for a shift from extraction to management with continuous inventory and digital transparency as well as private sector leadership under clear rules. The don also called for sustainable and social economic goals and natural forest policies that will help achieve realistic and improved forest gains.
The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Akure , FUTA Professor Adenike Oladiji in her remarks at the event noted the need for more collaborations among institutions to advance the cause of Nigeria . She commended the Elizade University collaborating with FUTA host the conference. Oladiji who noted the relevance of conference to fostering academic gains expressed the hope that the FFPS gathering will impact positively on participants with implementable and impactful communique considering the array of resource persons at the conference.
Prof Oladiji acknowledged that forest plays significant roles in our lives including for beautification of our environment and was a means of survival for our forefathers who depended on it for basically all their needs.
On his part ,the vice chancellor of Elizade University, Professor Sunday Adeyemo said it was an honour for his University to host the International conference. He said he was optimistic that the knowledge acquired during the conference would be transformed into a buoyant idea to improve the national economy.
In his speech the Ondo State Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa who was represented by a permanent secretary in the ministry of Agriculture Chief Segun Odusanya noted the importance of the conference to the state which is presently exploring all means to revive its forest which has been degraded by human activities He explained that the E.U deforestation free program has been an eye opener to this state as he vowed that the state will spare no efforts at complying with the E.U regulations and will do everything possible to stop deforestation.
In his welcome address the president Forests and Forest Products Society ,Prof Shadrack Akindele said forest are not just clusters of tree but are lungs of our planet, the guardians our biodiversity and the anchors of our rural economies .The FFPS president , who is the current Vice Chancellor of the Redeemer’s University said that a healthy forest ecosystem supports water regulation, soil fertility ,climate stability and cultural identity as he emphasized that Nigeria’s forest are under enormous pressure from deforestation , illegal logging ,wildfires land use conflict among others. Despite all these setbacks Akindele affirmed that, “Yet within these challenges, lie opportunities: opportunities for innovation , for reforestation, for green entrepreneurship and for redefining our national development trajectory”.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman Local organizing Committee, Professor Mathew Oyun appreciated affirmed that the conference offers a unique platform for learning, innovation as well as collaboration as he charged participants to share their experiences and network with colleagues to make a real impact which will contribute meaningfully to the future of our forest.