The Kano State government has imposed a sweeping ban on the unauthorized use of chainsaws for cutting, felling or trimming trees, part of a broader push to halt deforestation and protect fragile ecosystems in northern Nigeria.
Announcing the measure on Tuesday, the state’s commissioner for environment and climate change, Dr. Dahiru Muhammad-Hashim, said the prohibition was rooted in existing national environmental laws, including Section 20 of the 1999 Constitution, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency Act of 2007, and tree-cutting rules adopted in 2014.
“This decision aligns with Nigeria’s climate commitments under the NDC 3.0 strategy, which seeks to cut deforestation by 60 percent and restore degraded forests through sustainable management,” Muhammad-Hashim told reporters in Kano.
At the heart of the initiative is a new Chainsaw Usage Permit Framework (CUPF), designed to regulate commercial and individual use. The system establishes two categories: a license for operators and logging businesses, renewable annually, and a permit required for anyone seeking to fell or trim a tree in public or private spaces. Each permit is embedded with a QR code linked to a digital registry to allow real-time verification.
The rules also mandate replanting: “Each tree felled must be replaced with at least two to three saplings as part of our reforestation plan,” Muhammad-Hashim said, adding that permit fees will fund climate resilience programs.
Violators face steep penalties. Chainsaw operators working without a license risk fines of 500,000 naira (about $325), confiscation of their equipment and possible imprisonment. Unauthorized tree felling carries a penalty of 250,000 naira per tree, along with an order to replant.
The state has enlisted local government authorities, traditional rulers, schools, mosques and community monitors to enforce the measures and to campaign against indiscriminate tree cutting.
“We call on religious leaders, institutions and individuals to comply fully with the new regulation,” Muhammad-Hashim said, emphasizing that protecting Kano’s environment was central to safeguarding community livelihoods in the face of worsening climate change.
NAN