The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called for a ban on the exportation of woods, saying that rather than raw wood, furniture should instead be exported.
The President, LCCI, Mr. Babatunde Ruwase, made the call in Lagos on Wednesday during a media briefing on the state of the economy.
Ruwase observed that the Nigerian environment was suffering from serious degradation arising from pollution, deforestation and climate change in various parts of the country.
He noted that the negative effects of the degradation had already started manifesting in the form of desertification and water pollution, thereby adversely affecting the livelihood of Nigerians in many parts of the country.
He stated, “The herders’ crises, the restiveness in the Niger Delta and the Boko Haram phenomenon in the North-East are partly a consequence of the damage to the environment.
“In the light of these, we call for a ban on the exportation of woods from Nigeria. The present level of deforestation in the country is intolerable. It is better to encourage the exportation of furniture than the exportation of woods.
“Value addition has a more beneficial impact on the economy than primary product export.”
Speaking further, the LCCI president touched on issues bordering on the fate of local engineers in the construction sector, noting that patronage for them was very low.
He also lamented the fact that 90 per cent of the Nigerian shipping sector was dominated by foreigners and sought government’s intervention to address the imbalance.