INTRODUCTION

 Forests in Nigeria are recognized as a formidable base sustaining the economy of the Country and the livelihood of the rural populace. The forests provide the raw materials for both primary and secondary industries while generating employment for a sizeable number of the people.

Before independence, the available Forest Resources could adequately cater for the Country’s requirements, both to meet the export market and local consumption. However, after independence, there was pressure on the forest resources to generate income to support the young economy and meet the needs of the ever-increasing population.

It therefore became glaring that the available resources could not be taken for granted without conscious programme interventions.

Several programmes had been put in place at both the local and National levels, but most of them were problem specific without taking a holistic look at the forestry sector.

The problems plaguing the sector invariably persist in spite of huge financial commitment to these forest development programmes. This study will therefore review the relevant programmes and make recommendations on strategies required for sustainable forestry development in the country.

Terms of Reference

The overall objective of this study is to assess the National Forest Programmes in Nigeria in order to properly position their formulation and implementation. The specific tasks expected to address this overall objective were outlined in the Terms of Reference (TOR) (Appendix 2).

Method of Study

This report made use of secondary and primary data. The former were in the form of official documentation at the state and federal government offices of forestry and some related sector, an intensive review of both published and unpublished documentation in the Federal Department of Forestry (FDF) and Forestry Management Evaluation and Co-ordinating Unit (FORMECU). This was supported by an intensive survey of literature on forest resources and forestry development in Nigeria, The primary data collection was largely qualitative, using In-Depth-Interviews (IDI) especially to gain insights into the perception of the interviewee’s understanding of the interplay between development initiatives and National Forest Programmes. A basic objective achieved by the IDI was a more complete appreciation of how forestry is viewed by key stakeholders and partners in the sector. A list of the people contacted during the study is shown as Appendix 3.

Biophysical Overview.

Location and Size.

 Nigeria has a total land area of 923,770Km² and is administratively structured into 36 states plus a Federal Capital Territory (Figure 1). Nigeria is bounded by Niger and Chad Republics in the North, Cameroon in the East and Republic of Benin in the West, with the shorelines of the Atlantic Ocean bordering the southern part.  According to the 1990 census, the country had a population of 88.5 million with a growth rate of 2.5% per annum. At this growth rate, the population would have risen to 112.8 million by the year 2001. The population distribution, which has direct bearing on forest resources utilisation, is shown in Figure 2.

Climate

 The climate of Nigeria is characterised by two distinct seasons i.e. wet and dry. The Climate is influenced by the Impact of two main wind systems, the moist cool monsoon wind which blows from the south-west across the Atlantic Ocean and the hot, dry dust laden harmattan wind which blows from the North-east across the Sahara Desert. Thus, the duration of the dry season increases from the wetter south to the drier north through a moderate middle belt. The dry season is short in the Niger Delta, about 1 to 2 months, that is December and January and long wet season of about 10 to 11 months. Conversely, long dry season and a short wet season lasting from 2 to 4 months characterise the north.

Similarly, the rainfall decreases in intensity, amount and duration from the south to the north with a high mean annul precipitation in the eastern part of the country of about 3,750mm and as low as 1,200mm and 1,700mm in Ibadan and Lagos respectively (Figure 3). The annual variability in rainfall has increased over the years and is greater in the North that is + or – 50% in Kano and + or – 2-% at Lagos on the coast.

 Consequently, the relative humidity is consistently high in the South, with mean annual relative humidity above 80% and less than 30% in the extreme North. Likewise, the temperature increases from the Coast towards the interior due to the moderating influence of the sea, and generally the temperature ranges between 25⁰ C and 35⁰ C. The monthly mean maximum temperature is about 35⁰ C in the North and 31⁰ C in the South. While the monthly mean minimum temperatures are 28⁰ C and 22⁰ C respectively. Invariably, lower temperatures are often observed in the North during the dry season when the dust-laden harmattan from the desert engulfs the sun.

Relief

The country is fragmented into three parts in line with the Y-shape formed by the Rivers Niger and Benue, and these are South West, South East and the North. The South is overlain by coastal, marine and deltaic deposits and in the far North by desert-derived deposits which dates from the Cretaceous, Tertiary and Quaternary Geological ages.

The relief can be sub-divided into seven regions namely the Creeks and Lagoons, the Niger Delta, the Coastal Plains, and Lowlands. Others are the River Basins Troughs, the Inselberg landscapes of western and northern Nigeria, the Chad Basin and the Eastern Highlands comprising a chain of hills ranging from 600m to over 2000m above sea level.  Other notable features and areas in the country are the plateaux of northern and western Nigeria and the mountains bordering Cameroon Republic.

Soils

There are four major soil groups in Nigeria, which are determined by the geology and climate of the country. These are the Hydromorphic and Organic Soil, Ferralite, Ferruginous tropical soil and Regosols, which are the arid and semi-arid soils. However, most of these soils generally compose of ancient undifferentiated metamorphic rocks, dating back to the Pre-Cambrian age.  These tend to occur in zonal patterns, thus supporting the production of a variety of tree and food crops grown in the country. The detailed soil types are shown in Figure 4.

Vegetation.

The duration and severity of the dry season coupled with soil differences resulting mostly from the parent material determine the distribution of vegetation in Nigeria. The effect of rainfall is such that vegetation tends to thin out as one moves from the rainforest of the south to the Sahel savanna of the extreme North which has been seriously modified by human interference over the years. The vegetation types found in Nigeria can be broadly classified into nine zones (Figure 5). These are Sahel, Sudan, Guinea and Derived Savannas. Others are Lowland rainforest, Freshwater Swamp, Mangrove Forest, Jos Plateau and Montane Forests.

Drainage System.

The drainage system is made up of three distinct hydrographic networks. These are the inland drainage system of the Chad Basin, consisting of the Yobe River and its tributaries, which are supplied with water from the Jos Plateau. Others are the Niger-Benue system, which constitutes about 65% of the drainage network and also the coastal rivers, and their tributaries, which flow into the Atlantic Ocean. Some of these Coastal rivers include Rivers Ogun, Imo, Forcados, Benin, Orashi, Cross and Taylor.

Forestry Administration.

Forestry is administered in Nigeria at the three tiers of Government i.e. Federal, State and Local Government.

(i)         Federal level

The Federal Ministry of Environment (FME) has the responsibility to administer forestry at the National level, through the Federal Department of Forestry (FDF). FDF was transferred from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources (FMANR) to FME, which was created in 1999. The Department has the mandate to formulate National Forest Policy and support execution of federally funded projects. It also plays an advisory role to the State Forestry Departments (SFDs) and is responsible for relations with international development agencies. It is important to note that the Federal Government has no forest reserve of her own.  Generally, the Department has been constrained by lack of funds to perform its functions over the years.

State level.

Forestry administration at the state level is the responsibility of the SFDs. Most SFDs are still placed under the state Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources (MANR) as some states are yet to establish their Ministries of Environment, which the Federal Government had advised them to do. Apart from the main technical functions of managing timber and wildlife resources, SFDs equally superintend over revenue generation from the forestry sector in their states. SFDs are also faced with crippling financial resources to perform their functions. This is compounded by shortage of manpower, most of who lack adequate training and exposure to modern forestry techniques. The overall staff disposition and structure of a state forestry department depends on the requirements of that state and the ecological peculiarities. In the south where most forests exist, the emphasis is on log harvesting while the North reflects the importance of tree establishment for fuelwood, environmental protection and livestock production.

Local Government Level.

The roles the Local Government Areas (LGAs) play in forestry administration vary from the North to the South.  LGAs in the South have virtually no responsibility for managing the forest resources, either inside or outside forest reserves, but they could receive part of the revenue generated from forest produce by the SFDs. On the other hand, the function of LGAs in the north could include forest reserves or confined only to free areas. The roles stipulated for LGAs in the current National Forest Policy include the following:

The LGAs, however, lack the necessary funds and personnel to carry out their
roles.

Forest Resources

Table 1.1 shows results from the study conducted by Geomatics International for FORMECU using Remote Sensing and Geo-Information System (GIS). (FORMECU 1996). The Table depicts the major vegetation types from where the forest resources are derived as at 1995. It is interesting to note that Undisturbed Forest covers only 12114 Km2 representing about 1.3% of the country's total land area.

This is not surprising given the prevailing deforestation rate put at 3.5% by FAO (1991) implying that there is annual cut of an area the size of all plantations ever established in the country. The web of factors leading to deforestation in the country include Agriculture, Fuelwood extraction, Logging, Mineral exploration and Urbanisation. There are other more serious underlying causes coming from rapid population growth, land tenure and poor landuse planning.

With less than 10% of her total land area under constituted forest reserves (Figure 6). Nigeria still turtles far below the FAO recommendation of 25%.

TABLE 1.1: LAND USE AND VEGETATION TYPES IN NIGERIA AS AT 1995.

 

Mangrove Forest	9,977	1.1
Agriculture / Denuded	9,206	1.0
Continuous Grassland	7,989	0.9
Natural Water	7,851	0.9
Montane Forest	6,759	0.7
Urban (major + minor)	5,444	0.6
Riparian Forest	5,254	0.6
Sand Dunes	4,829	0.5
Montane Grassland	3,112	0.3
Reservoir	2,888	0.3
Rock Outcrop	2,632	0.3
Tree Crop Plantation	1,641	0.2
Forest Plantation	1,573	0.2
Teak Plantation	1,156	0.1
Irrigation Project	988	0.1
Grass Marsh	871	0.1
Salt Marsh / Tidal flat	545	0.1
Agricultural Project	485	0.1
Alluvial	269	0.0
Livestock Project	139	0.0
Mining	62	0.0
Canal	29	0.0

Source:  FORMECU (1996)

The Forest plantations in Nigeria consist mainly of Gmelina arborea planted under the World Bank Forestry Projects to feed the Pulp and Paper Mills in the country.  Other species include Tectona grandis, Pinus caribea and Terminalia ivorensis Private plantations, though limited came to limelight only in the late 60s.

FORMECU (1994) projects the yield from the Forest estates between 2000 and 2010, putting it at a total of 8273m3 for 2000 and 7316m3 for 2010, implying that less wood would be available from the forests in the future if the current deforestation rate is sustained. 

Nigeria has eight National Parks viz.: Cross River, Gashaka-Gumti, Kamuku and Kainji Lake National Parks.  Others are Okomu, Old Oyo and Yankari National Parks. (Figure 6).  The first National Park to be constituted in the country was Old Oyo National Park established in 1979 while the latest (Kamuku and Okomu) were gazzetted in 1999. 

The National Parks, which all together cover a total land area of about 24,442Km², are widely endowed with diverse flora and fauna resources, some of which are endemic to the country.

The importance of Forest resources to the economy of Nigeria is aptly captured in the 1988 Forestry Policy Guidelines (FMANR, 1988).  Forest was reflected as an important source of re-investible capital and a source of income.  It serves as a foundation for industrialisation and enhances the stability of the rural population.

A report prepared by the Central Bank of Nigeria (1995) shows that Forestry contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) are 1.82% in 1981, 2.04% in 1987, 1.29% in 1992 and 1993 and 1.31% in 1994.

Nonetheless, these can not be largest Forests’ contributions to the economy, as several other products and services not accounted for in GDP are of huge significance in the daily lives of the majority of Nigerians.  One of the most crucial of these is fuelwood, on which a greater percentage of the households rely for cooking. The NTFP, which include building materials, medicine, tools etc. also, sustain the livelihood of the people.  Nigerian forests also provide critical environmental services, ranging from water protection to climate moderation.

Forest Management.

The trend of forest management in Nigeria is well documented in literature (Lowe, 1990; Umeh, 1992; Kio et al, 1992; and Lowe, 1994). Constituted intervention in forestry development started in 1887 when the office of woods and forests was created in the Colony and Protectorate of Lagos. In the same year, Mamu Forest Reserve was created to form a buffer between Ibadan and Ijebu territories.

In 1901, the first forest ordinance came into effect to regulate the sale of timber concessions, to impose forestry fees and minimum exploitation girths (usually up to 120cm dbh for mahoganies) and to mandate concessionaires to plant 20 tree seedlings at each stump site. This practice was, however, found ineffective and later abandoned. Revenue was also generated from taxes accruing from exported logs. H.N. Thompson was appointed the First Chief Executive of the Forestry Service in 1903 based on his past experience in Burma. This experience impacted largely on subsequent forest management practices adopted in Nigeria. It is on record that the Forestry Ordinance of 1916 was fashioned out of that of Burma. At the formative stage, the Forestry Department was assigned two main tasks i.e. regulating forest exploitation and establishing forest reserves. The Department determined the size of concessions, minimum exploitable girths and charge appropriate fees and royalties. The rule then was to remove only mature trees of 100cm girth and above.

Forest reservation was usually done in consonance with the local communities, who were authorised to continue their former uses of the forests, so far as such practices did not contravene the management of the forest for timber production. The rights and limitations of the people, including a description of the boundaries of the reserve were normally published as a part of the official gazette notice constituting the reserve. Forest reservation was almost completed in the high forest areas by 1940 except for Rivers State, where additional areas were constituted between 1960 and 1980. Majority of the forest reserves in the Northern Savanna zone was constituted between 1950 and 1970.

J. D. Kennedy and W. D. Macgregor were appointed in 1926 to begin research on the silviculture of indigenous species. One of the most important systems investigated was the Tropical Shelterwood System (TSS). TSS involved the demarcation of coupes, climber cutting and extensive poisoning with Sodium Arsenate of all non-commercial shade casting trees within the lower and middle layers. The system was later abandoned due to persistent political pressure to divert forest reserves to other uses and the inherent disadvantages in the TSS. The abandonment of the system led the Forestry Department to invest on artificial regeneration, especially, Taungya, which was introduced in 1926. Before then small-scale plantations of Teak and other tree species were established at Olokemeji and other places in Nigeria.

 Gmelina arborea, which has now become the most popular plantation species in the country was introduced from Sri Lanka in 1932. After independence in 1960, emphasis was shifted to forest exploitation for industrial development and increased foreign exchange earnings. This requirement accentuated the unregulated exploitation of the forest resources.

In 1954 the country was divided into three administrative regions, each with its own forestry service. Each region enjoyed territorial power over its forest resources and was equally responsible for monitoring and supervising the activities of the native authority. The Federal Government, however, retained the aspects of forestry research and education. As more states were created, the authority over the forest resources was transferred to the state governments.

In recent times, most forest reserves have been abandoned without annual maintenance and are being threatened by encroachment. The sustained yield principle was neglected while forest reserves were consistently mined. This situation prompted the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) to approach the African development Bank (ADB) for assistance to undertake a forest resources study for the country. This project which lasted between 1995 and 1998 succeeded in producing management plans for the different forest formations in the country (FORMECU, 1999).

Overview of National Forest Programmes (NFP) in Nigeria.

In the context of National Forest Programmes being the full range of policies, institutions, plans and programmes to manage, utilize, protect and enhance forest resources within a given country (Inter-Governmental Panel on Forests), various attempts have been made by successive administrations in Nigeria to ensure the efficient management of her forest resources. These include the setting up of the forest service as earlier explained, the creation of a Federal Department of Forestry in 1970 and the enactment/promulgation of various laws, edicts and decrees by various governments. Furthermore, some programmes and action plans have been developed to achieve sustainable forest development in the country. Prominent amongst these are Reservation Policy, Establishment of Industrial Plantations, Land Use and Vegetation Survey, Perspective Plan for Forestry Development and the Tropical Forests Action Programme (TFAP).  Suffice it to mention that this study would concentrate on the TFAP because it is the only contemporary programme that is process oriented and has taken into consideration all parts of the country and key issues in its formulation.

The Reservation Policy.

This was pioneered by the colonial administration in the nineteenth century and a target of setting aside 25% of Nigeria’s total land area as forest reserves was the thrust of this policy. This target has not been attained up till now.

Establishment of Industrial Plantations

 Concerned with the huge amount expended on foreign exchange for the importation of timber for construction and paper/pulp industries and also to pursue self-reliance in wood production, the Federal Government of Nigeria embarked on the establishment of plantations. In 1978, the Industrial Pulpwood Programme was launched with the primary aim of producing raw materials to service Nigeria’s existing pulp and paper mills and a new one t hat was to be established at Iwopin, in Ogun state. As a complement to this effort, the Federal Government secured a loan from the World Bank in 1979, under Forestry I Project to establish 25,000 ha of industrial plantation for the pulp and paper industry. Based on the success of Forestry I, the World Bank also advanced another loan of US$72million for a Forestry II Project, whose scope was expanded to include massive afforestation in the Northern parts of the country, community involvement in afforestation efforts and institutional strengthening and capacity building amongst others. The Forestry II Project recorded appreciable levels of successes.  Although it must be pointed out that as at when the plantation species, mainly Gmelina and Eucalyptus were maturing, the Mills had broken down, while the new one was facing completion problems. The plantation species are now over-grown for pulping.

Land Use and Vegetation Survey.

The FAO assisted Nigeria technically and financially to produce a land use and vegetation map for the country in 1975, in a bid to provide the template for efficient forests and natural resources management. The result of this survey was further reviewed with another study in 1995.

Perspective Plan for Forestry Development in Nigeria, 1990 – 2005.

This plan was articulated under an overall perspective plan for agricultural development in Nigeria, in 1988. The plan highlighted the policies and programmes for forestry and wildlife development and captured the current situation of the sector as at then. Similarly, it identified key variables and factors in the development and conservation of Nigeria’s forest and wildlife resources and described existing forestry and wildlife programmes (FMANR, 1988), and these are:

It further developed forestry programmes directed at meeting the total wood raw materials need of the country for the succeeding fifteen years (1990 – 2005). The identified programmes were:

It equally recommended administrative changes, especially at the state level, where a Forestry development board (commission) should be created to administer forestry matters.Table1.1 shows the projected total plantation establishment target for forest products.

Table 1.2: Projected Total Plantation Establishment Target for Forest Products (’000ha)

Source: FMANR, (1988.)

The fact that the present area of plantations in the country is far less than 300,000 hectares attests to the level of success achieved so far against the targets set in the perspective plan.

  Rural Forestry Development in Nigeria.. 

 Formulated in 1981, this programme sought to address the rural communities’ dependence on forests for their fuelwood, vegetables, fruits and raw materials for building houses, boats and other infrastructure. It was designed to boost wood production through the involvement and encouragement of rural communities, co-operatives, institutions, individuals, entrepreneurs and the general public in the establishment of village woodlots, fuel-wood plantation, farm trees, hedges and shade trees on areas outside forest reserves.

Other ancillary objectives included:

Unfortunately, this programme was not able to realise its set objectives. It however, provided the basis for future community participation in forestry development initiatives.

Forest Resources Study of Nigeria(1995 – 1998)

 The Forest Resources Study (FRS) was a follow-on to the Indicative High Forest Inventory conducted between 1973 and 1977 by the Federal Department of Forestry. Financed by the African Development Bank (ADB), the study was conducted by Geomatics International under the supervision of FDF/FORMECU and it succeeded in conducting an inventory of Natural forests and plantations in 28 states of the country.

Forest Management Plans were produced for each state involved and a Forest Information System (FIS) was developed to assist in sustainable forest management.

Based on the results of the Forest Inventory and the various sub-studies, The study recommended the following projects for execution.

Funds are yet to be sourced for the commencement of these projects.

 Tropical Forests Action Programme (TFAP).

The TFAP could be said to be the programme in the forestry sector that sought to address existing inadequacies in the approaches for solving forestry development inconsistencies. In 1989, the FGN approached the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United nations to assist in identifying partners for the implementation of TFAP which would involve enunciating a National Forestry Action Plan (NFAP) for the country. FORMECU of FDF was subsequently given the mandate to co-ordinate the TFAP. In 1990, FORMECU was invited to participate in the independent review of the TFAP – jointly organised by the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Resources Institute (WRI) and the FAO. This was followed by an international workshop held at Ibadan in May 1990 to review the programme. This workshop provided the Nigerian scientists the opportunity to express their position on contemporary forestry issues and the TFAP.

It is important to mention that at inception, the TFAP was designed to be a process-oriented and not a project-oriented action plan (FORMECU, 1996). The stages of the TFAP were expected to lead logically from problems and opportunity identification to formulation of policies, strategies, plans and programmes, which would produce a NFAP. Furthermore, the TFAP concept was revamped in 1992 to be country-led and to encompass peoples’ participation and so became known as the National Forestry Action Programme. Thus, the terms TFAP and NFAP are used interchangeably in this report.

The activities undertaken during the TFAP process can better be recapitulated under four major phases as highlighted below:

Phase I: Identification of partners.

In June 1990, a substantive National TFAP Coordinator was appointed and he was given a full complement of staff to form the TFAP National Coordinating Unit (NCU). The first main assignment of the NCU was to identify the major stakeholders and partners. Eight experienced foresters were appointed in 1991 as zonal consulting advisers to assist the work of the unit.

Each state of the federation and the Federal capital Territory also constituted their States Coordinating Units (SCUs) which were supervised by Regional Coordinating Units (RCUs) set up under FORMECU. In all, there were four RCUs representing the various geo-political regions of the country.

Phase II: Preliminary Assessment.

In 1992, the Federal Government secured a grant of US$695,500 from the UNDP to finance the planning phase of the Nigerian TFAP. FMANR was designated as the National Lead Institution, while the FDF, through FORMECU, was made the government-implementing agency under the supervision of the World Bank, as the Executing Agency. Prior to this, the World Bank financed a forestry sector analysis, which provided a diagnostic survey of forest resources situation in Nigeria. The Forestry Issues Paper was subjected to critical review through workshops and seminars. As part of the consultation process, regional workshops on TFAP were held in all the four regions into which the country was zoned. Participants were drawn from FDF, Federal Department of Agriculture (FDA), Federal Livestock Department (FLD), SDFs, Agricultural based institutions, parastatals, universities, private foresters, community leaders, consultants, agroforesters and retired Directors of forestry. Discussions at the workshops dealt with the review of the forestry sector, goals and objectives of the TFAP, structural, inter-sectoral and institutional support to achieve the goals.

To ensure the greatest commitment at the highest and all levels of government, the TFAP Advisory Committee and the TFAP National Technical Committee were inaugurated in February, 1994 by the Honourable Minister of Agriculture, who also served as the Chairman of the Council. The Director, Federal Department of Forestry was made the Chairman of the National Technical Committee. State Governors subsequently inaugurated states TFAP Advisory Councils and Technical Committees. The National Technical Committee operated through working groups along delineated gaps as a vehicle for addressing pressing forestry issues. The nine working groups had members drawn from related sectors while specialists in the main theme of the working group were contracted as resource persons. The NCU worked in conjunction with the SCUs, to collect and collate relevant data on the forestry sector. These data served as the basis for the formulation of the NFAP for the country.

Phase III: In-Depth Sector Analysis.

A large number of local and international consultants were engaged to carry out studies on forestry and related sectors in the country. The National Technical Committee equally produced reports that served as invaluable tool in structuring the NFAP. At this stage, the World Bank appointed an international consultant as Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) to ensure that the TFAP was going in the right direction.

Phase IV: Formulation of the NFAP.

The CTA working with NCU ensured that sufficient data were collected for the formulation of NFAP. Furthermore, intensive training, workshops and seminars were organised to place the staff of the co-ordinating units in a position to produce acceptable action plans. This resulted in the production of states and regional action plans. In 1995, two Nigerian consultants were appointed by the World Bank to harmonise all existing action plans and produce a draft main NFAP Report for Nigeria. This report was widely circulated to the relevant stakeholders and partners for deliberation at a national workshop held in November 1995. After the workshop, views were harmonised and a final report was produced in February 1996. This report was adopted by the National Forestry Development Committee (NFDC) in 1997.

Operational Principles of TFAP in Nigeria.

The relatively low impact of national forestry development programmes in arresting the deplorable state of the forests has been linked to several factors (FAO, 1994). These factors were broadly classified into two:

constraints that relate to policy reform and inter-sectoral co-ordination. Most countries have been very slow in undertaking the necessary policy reforms and when done are not intrinsically linked with the other sectors that impact on forestry.

Weakness in planning and implementation strategies adopted in forest management. More often than not, the technocrats without enlisting the interest of the key stakeholders do planning.

The main principles adopted during the TFAP process in Nigeria were geared towards addressing these factors which have direct bearing on the forestry sector in the country. The salient features of these principles are highlighted below:

(a) Participatory Approach:

At the onset of TFAP in Nigeria, a National Workshop was held in Kaduna to bring together all the stakeholders in the sector. For the first time in the annals of forestry in the country, people outside the profession were invited to contribute to the debate on how to better manage the forests. Participants were drawn from the academia, the agricultural sector, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), industrialists, amongst others. In the same vein, the forest dwellers and local people were intimately involved during the data gathering exercise and project formulation. The huge acceptance accorded the programme can be associated with the openness with which it was undertaken in the country. In all its ramifications, the planning phase was carried out through the grassroots (bottom) and ending up at roundtables (top) for final formulation.

(b)        Intersectoral Linkage.

Most of the problems of forestry in Nigeria emanate from outside the sector. The earlier part of this report has noted the effects of high petroleum product prices on deforestation. The agricultural programmes of the various governments also have far reaching consequences on the forest resources. The composition of the TFAP National Technical Committee therefore reflected the interests of other sectors and land-users that could impact directly or indirectly on forestry development. These sectors were given ample opportunities to contribute to the entire process through workshops and seminars. The Technical Committee, in particular, served as a vehicle by which inter-sectoral and structural issues were amended. This could be seen from the composition of this committee at the National level (Appendix 4), which was replicated at state levels.

Country-Driven: 

 The decision for adopting the TFAP approach in a country is made by its Government, which will also decide what course of action to take to implement the TFAP in the national context (FAO, 1989). This operational principle ensures that the TFAP process is essentially a national undertaking, with requests for international assistance, if required. The TFAP in Nigeria was largely country-driven and this ensures that the development of priorities, based on identified issues in the forestry sector, is informed by considerable attention to the local socio-economic and cultural milieu of the people of the country.

Involvement of National and International Organisations.

As noted earlier, all the SFDs had in place their SCUs, which ensured the smooth operation of TFAP at the state level. The State Governments embraced the programme with the desired enthusiasm as it was seen as a means of securing laudable projects for their states. Through government support, many SCUs had the necessary funds and equipment to undertake the programme. Some states even went as far as putting TFAP on their annual budget.

The Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), universities and other training institutions equally participated actively in the programme. Most of their contributions were towards workshops, seminars, training and consultancies. The prominent NGOs in the country contributed immensely to most phases of the programme. The NGOs were called upon to make input when their areas of focus were in consideration and they were also members of the technical committees. For instance, the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF) was a member of Working Group 2, while the Nigerian Environmental Action/Study Team (NEST) was a member of Working Group 6.

The TFAP process enjoyed the full support of International organisations right from its inception. In order to have a thorough understanding of the TFAP; the FAO financed the participation of some senior NCU and RCU staff at a training workshop in Arusha, Tanzania, in 1994. FAO equally provided useful guide in terms of information dissemination and progress monitoring. The financial support from UNDP was noted in the previous section. This financial assistance saw the programme through the planning phases to the formulation of NFAP. It was equally noted in this section that the World Bank supervised the funds and provided technical guidance.