The Kwara House of Assembly has passed for second reading the Charcoal Production Prohibition Amendment Bill 2025 at its hallowed chamber in Ilorin.

The bill, sponsored by the chairman of the House Committee on Environment, Razaq Omotosho (APC/Isin), sought to strengthen existing laws by imposing stiffer penalties on offenders engaged in illegal charcoal production.

The bill passed the first reading on September 9 during the plenary session.

During the debate on the general principles of the bill on Tuesday, Mr Omotosho said the amendment was moved to revive the ecosystem facing depletion of plants and animals due to deforestation.

He said loggers were making fortunes from deforestation without planting any trees in replacement, thereby putting everyone and the environment at risk.

According to the lawmaker, rescuing the environment requires collective effort; otherwise, the state’s economy and people’s welfare risk ecological degradation and loss of life.

He argued that stiffer penalties would serve as a deterrent to those who violate the rules.

Other legislators maintained that the proposed law would introduce longer prison terms, higher fines, and confiscation of equipment to deter violators and safeguard the environment.

In her submission, Rukayat Shittu (APC/Owode Onire) said there was an urgent need to amend the existing bill, as the 2018 law had failed to deter perpetrators from continuing deforestation practices.

She called for the accelerated passage of the bill, saying that continuous charcoal production has affected the state and its people, leading to changes in weather and climate patterns.

Ayi Babatunde (APC/Ilorin West) stated that the penalties for offenders were too weak, hence the need for the amendment, adding that the current laws were ineffective in curbing the menace.

Presiding over the session, Speaker Yakubu Danladi-Salihu directed the clerk of the House, Ahmed Kareem, to read the bill for the third time.

He thereafter referred the bill to the House Committee on Environment to make necessary arrangements for further legislative action on the bill and report to the House as soon as possible.

(NAN)