The Oyo State Government has been advised to curb indiscriminate vegetation clearance, as the world celebrates World Wetlands Day.
Prof. Ismail Abdulazeez, Head of Department, Forestry Extension, Rural Learning and Land Use, University of Ibadan (UI), advised in an interview in Ibadan, the state capital, on Friday February 6, 2026.
World Wetlands Day, which reminds humanity of the benefits of nature, is commemorated every Feb. 2.
The day is an international moment to recognise and raise awareness about some of the planet’s most vital ecosystems: freshwater and coastal wetlands.
Abdulazeez identifies wetlands as the most threatened ecosystem, prompting the United Nations Organisation to observe a special day.
According to the don, forestry is at the centre of nature, while any activity that undermines its tranquillity may spell doom for society.
“Wetlands are among the world’s most diverse and productive environments; cradles of biological diversity that provide the water and productivity upon which countless species of plants and animals depend for survival.
“In areas where there is forest or vegetation, any waterbody in such places is normally an all-year-round thing.
“When it rains, the vegetation would conserve much of that water for the dry period.
“That is the difference between when it rains in the southern and northern parts of the country, where a lot of the vegetation has already been lost.
“When it rains, the waterbodies easily get filled up, and there is erosion; within an hour or two, the water dries up.
“The essence of vegetation is to stock up a lot of these waterbodies and ensure that water is available all year round.
“That is why in areas where you have vegetation, water does not easily dry up because water does not go directly into the waterbodies.
“Rather, it serves as a kind of buffer that later supplies water to the waterbodies when the rain must have stopped,” he said.
The environmental health enthusiast also stressed the importance of water, not only for human use but also in food production.
According to him, no matter how nutritious a land is, it requires water to be useful, as water makes the nutrients in the soil available for the plants.
Abdulazeez noted that Nigerian soil must be well protected if continuous agricultural production is intended.
He stated that the idea of selling, clearing vegetation, and converting almost every land into housing estates was alien to Nigerian society.
“The idea is not working in the advanced countries, where they claimed to have brought it from.
“Going by the countries I have visited, there is a limit to how much you can develop your personally owned land.
“You cannot develop more than 40 per cent of the land in the countryside, while you are only allowed 60 to 65 per cent in the city area, let alone embarking on indiscriminate clearance of vegetation for whatever development.
“I’m not saying that the government should not generate revenue, but it should be done such that we balance nature with our quest for money.
“Otherwise, the consequences might be deadly,” the forestry expert remarked.
Meanwhile, an Ibadan-based legal practitioner, Mr. Dapo Olakulehin, accused the government of making the laws, only to break them in the name of overriding public interest.
“A lawyer in this state actually instituted a legal action against the Oyo State Government when they were clearing the vegetation in Agodi Gardens, but nothing came out of it.
“I still feel pained about the demolition and conversion of the Trans Amusement Park to a housing estate, because I grew up going there in those days.
“At the same time, development is good.
“It’s a two-way issue.
“As much as it is great not to tamper with nature, climate and environmental issues, it is also good to develop society,” Olakulehin said.
However, Mr. Waheed Akintayo, Chairman, House Committee on Information in the Oyo State House of Assembly, posited that the state has laws against indiscriminate clearing of vegetation.
Akintayo reasserted the Gov. Seyi Makinde-led administration’s interest in the well-being of the state’s residents, explaining it would not embark on anything that would harm them.
“Makinde did not destroy the vegetation in Agodi Gardens, but only tried to clear the part that has become a jungle and a hideout for criminally minded people.
“The governor acted to protect the residents from evil. Agodi Gardens is still intact; nobody can go into our forest to cut trees.
“In fact, there is a department that is currently working with the ministries of agriculture and environment to monitor the activities of those cutting trees or timber for sale.
“Any of them that is authorised knows that he must replant another tree in place of the cut ones,” the assembly member said.
By Olawale Akinremi